World Wildlife Day 2021: All for the forest

The 3rd of March was declared World Wildlife Day in 2013, on the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The day commemorates the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora in 1973. Each year, the day is assigned a theme in relation to wildlife and its conservation, the theme for 2021 is ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet’. The theme is aimed at bringing awareness to the importance of forests in supporting the lives of humans and maintaining ecosystems. [3]

Forests support the livelihoods of people in a variety of ways, the most common would be in terms of housing, food, wood, and their impact on air quality. There are other surprising ways in which the forests of the world support life in earth, including prevention of soil erosion, mitigation of climate change and filtration of water. The variety of organisms which call the forests their home is a key area of attention on this day. [3]

The forest houses high levels of biodiversity, with around 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. There are different types of forests located around the world and the types of animals and plants located in each forest are specific to its location. Rainforests boast the title of the most biologically diverse and complex types of forests. [4] African rain forests are the second largest in the world after the Amazonia rain forests [2].

The rain forests in Africa do not have the levels of biodiversity found in the Amazonian forests but these forests play an important role in the mitigation of climate change as carbon sinks larger than the Amazonia rain forests [2]. Although, South Africa is not a location of a rainforest, 0.4% of our land cover is forest [1]. These forest and woodland systems play an important role in supporting the lives of South Africans by providing resources for timber, recreation, conservation of biodiversity, protection of soil and purification of air [1].

Knowing all the benefits and importance of forests has not helped slow the rate of their degradation as humans remain one of the main threats to the maintenance and protection of forests. Human activities like illegal logging and conversion for agriculture [4]. These devastating things do not have to continue and each of us as humans can play our role as part of the solution and this could start by sharing what you know or have learned with family and friends.

Live green, see green,

Shannon

References:

1. Forestry South Africa (2020). Getting to know South Africa’s Forests. Forestry South Africa. [ONLINE] Available from: https://forestryexplained.co.za/info-graphics/homepage/getting-to-know-south-africas-forests/ (Accessed 02/03/2021).

2. Sullivan, M., Phillips, O. and Lewis, S. (2017). Africa’s rainforests are different. Why it matters that they’re protected. The Conversation. [ONLINE] Available from: https://theconversation.com/africas-rainforests-are-different-why-it-matters-that-theyre-protected-77203 (Accessed 02/03/2021).

3. World Wildlife Day (2021). World Wildlife Day 3rd March: About. World Wildlife Day. [ONLINE] Available from: https://www.wildlifeday.org/ (Accessed 02/03/2021).

4. World Wildlife Foundation (2021). Habitats – Forest Habitat: Overview. World Wildlife Foundation. [ONLINE] Available from: https://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/forest-habitat (Accessed 02/03/2021).