Credits where credit

Forests are central to sustaining life on our planet. Sometimes referred to as the
‘Earth’s lungs’, they filter the very air we breathe. More than this, forests also
influence precipitation patterns which provide rain for agricultural systems, are
home to a rich variety of biodiversity and provide livelihoods to millions of people
around the world.
The role of trees and deforestation in influencing global climate change is also well
documented. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and thus
act as a significant ‘sink’, storing up to 650 million tons of one of the greenhouse
gases which is driving climate change. Conversely, they can also be a source of
CO2 with as much as 20% of annual global emissions attributed to land use and
land-use change, much of that due to forest loss and degradation.