THE TREE, OUR MAIN ALLY
Do you know why forests play a key role in maintaining social, ecological and economic balances?
Do you want to continue to take care of yourself, drink coffee and enjoy good chocolate?
The loss of tree cover, mainly in tropical areas, is equivalent to one football field (nearly one hectare) of forest lost every second. Humanity is threatened by this destruction. The forest, a complex ecosystem, connected in networks and resilient, is at the heart of biodiversity. It is the basis for more than 5000 commercial products, from natural essences to medicines, food and clothing. Understanding and protecting trees is vital, especially since human action and the satisfaction of vital needs are fully compatible with biodiversity.
THE IMPORTANCE OF POLLINATING SPECIES
Pollinating species such as butterflies, bees and more than 20,000 insect species, birds such as hummingbirds or mammals such as bats are responsible for about 1/3 of the world's food production (fruit, vegetables, oilseeds, coffee, cocoa, spices...).
The role of bees in the world has been estimated at €153,000,000,000,000 per year.
5% to 8% of the world's agricultural production, between $235 and $577,000,000,000,000, is directly dependent on the action of these pollinators on crops.
HEALTH
The health of 80% of the population living in developed countries depends on 50% of the pharmaceutical production generated by the exploitation of plants from tropical forests. 70% of the plants identified by the US National Institute with anti-cancer characteristics are found in tropical forests. Furthermore, the health of forests is closely related with those of humans and other animals, all being part of the same global ecosystem.
UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT THE LIFE OF TREES
You have to know the forest to be able to protect it. The hidden life of trees, a real plea for their protection by Peter Wohlleben, a German forest engineer and writer, is a wealth of information on the Wood-Wide-Web, the interconnected network of the forest ecosystem.
Through its roots, an adult tree can propel up to 500 litres of water per day into its branches and leaves!
The tree, a social being in its own, is a key element of life on earth: air, soil, energy, climate and water. Through its habitat and food, the tree is also a vital aid for pollinators(bees and other insects, bats...) who ensure biodiversity and agricultural yield. Through these forest ecosystems, the pharmaceutical industry exploits many plants found mainly in tropical primary forests.
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500 Liter per Year
Forests are our lifeline. 31% of the earth's surface, or nearly 4 billion hectares, contains more than 2/3 of the world's terrestrial living species. Tropical forests, which constitute only 6% of the world's land, contain more than 50% of the world's biodiversity.
How trees talk to each other | Suzanne Simard
Comment les arbres parlent entre eux par Suzanne Simard, PhD. en écologie forestière et Pr à University of British Columbia à Vancouver au Canada.
How trees talk to each otherby Suzanne Simard, PhD. in Forest Ecology and Pr at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.