Today (21st March) is
International Day of Forests to encourage education and appreciation of what
forests are and the functions they perform for the environment, animals, food,
biodiversity, health benefits as well as society. Hopefully, this day will
inspire people to appreciate the vital role trees play in the world’s
eco-system and love the trees in their own locality, in their back gardens,
parks, woods as well as forests and rainforests further afield.
I love trees and have done so
since a child when I climbed trees and spent ages looking for and collecting
conkers. So, I was delighted when Judi Dench shared her love for trees in a BBC
documentary last year. She has a 6 acre wood in which she plants trees in
memory of loved ones. Her documentary explores how trees are not isolated
organisms but a community which, through its roots, leads a social life,
talking, sharing and helping each other. I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary
because I learnt some fascinating facts about these lungs of the world. To read
a summary of this programme see:
There are forests all over the
world. I found a map of forests in Europe and was surprised to see that some
countries, such as, Finland have as much as 73% of land as forest while others
have none eg Gibraltar. The UK has 13% forest area. Here’s the map:
Some forests have existed for a
very long time and are referred to as old-growth forests. These are endangered
and need protection. They support species that cannot survive in younger
forests and are more efficient in soaking up carbon dioxide so they are
instrumental in stabilising the world’s climate. One organization that
campaigns for the preservation of ancient forests is the Ancient Forest
Alliance in British Columbia, Canada, which I follow on Facebook:
Please sign their petition
at: http://www.ancientforestpetition.com/
I became even more passionate
about trees when as an eight year old I did a project on the Amazonian
Rainforest. From then on I was gripped. Whether it was the trees, the plants,
many of which are medicinal, the animals, insects, the ecosystem or the
indigenous peoples. My little piece of the Amazonian Rainforest was going to
visit the Monkey Sanctuary in Cornwall to see the woolly monkeys, a species
rarely talked about. This was my first baby steps into the world of research field
trips and I still have my project book to this day. Here’s a page in my project
book showing my photos of a baby woolly monkey at the sanctuary called Ella, beginning to explore the world:
Isn't she adorable! The monkey sanctuary is also a
place dedicated to conservation, education, rescuing and rehabilitating
monkeys, preserving their habitats and campaigning against the primate pet
trade. It’s a great place to visit and well designed for families because they
allow you to see the animals up close. Well they did when I was there all those
years back. You can volunteer, be a keeper for a day or take on the role of
ambassador. It’s a worthwhile cause! You can even adopt a monkey.
For more on
monkeys in the Amazon rainforest, see:
Deforestation
is severely affecting many animals, trees and plants which could be lost to us
forever some of which we haven’t even discovered or know much about. For a
concise summary of the importance of forest and the devastation caused by
deforestation see:
Primates are
affected by this loss of their habitat. It’s something that I find very
distressing because it harms species, often to extinction, and it destroys a
much needed, and beautiful eco-system whose biodiversity has more benefits to
humans than is appreciated. The wildlife and nature in the Amazonian Rainforest
is spectacular as this video shows:
Here are lists and photos of some
rainforest animals and medicinal plants of the Amazon:
This month we learn that research
has uncovered fossil forests in Antarctica dating from the Permian era and beyond
it, helping us to understand this period of extinction and what resulted from
it. They have found plants hitherto unencountered so it’s very exciting if a
bit creepy. But I find it totally fascinating!
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