Forests

Why Forests Matter

Biodiversity

"Protecting forests is key to this - they cover almost a third of the global land area and harbour most of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. Forests contain 60,000 different tree species, 80 percent of amphibian species, 75 percent of bird species, and 68 percent of the world's mammal species."

Major Threats

"The area of primary forest worldwide has decreased by over 80 million hectares since 1990.

Agricultural expansion continues to be the main driver of deforestation and forest degradation and the associated loss of forest biodiversity. " - https://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/ 

The following are listed from greatest to least impact:


Other Threats

The following have not yet been listed according to impact:

Click this button to learn more about the threats to forests, find resources and learn what you can do to help stop deforestation. Currently subsidies and efforts to deforest massively out weigh or even undo current reforesting efforts, so stopping deforestation at it's source should be out top concern, before we loose these vital ecosystems.

Calls to Action

Dietary Calculator

This fun calculator can estimate how many square meters or feet of forest have or will be spared by a vegan diet over X amount of time. 

Europe

UK

Techniques

Locations to Re-Wild

Maps

Species

Amphibians

Terrestrial Frogs

Terrestrial Frogs

Tree Frogs

Tree Frogs

Toads

Birds

Hummingbirds

In the Americas and islands including the Caribbean, there are  over 330 species of Hummingbirds who help pollinate flowering plants.

Insects & Other Bugs

Carnivores

Predatory insects help control other bug populations. This can protect trees and other forest plants from being overconsumed. 

Detritivores 

These little creatures help break down dead leaves and other matter, turning it into poop and soil to be reabsorbed by trees and other plants in a forest. They can often be found living in snags (dead trees that are still standing), in or under logs, under rocks, and scurrying around in or under leaf piles.

Woodlice are land-dwelling crustaceans with flexible shell segments allowing some species to curl up into balls when threatened, to help protect their legs and underbellies.

Earthworms are a category of worm which burrows through the earth, eating soil and rotting vegetation, turning those materials into nutritiously rich "worm castings".

Pollinators

Species that provide pollination services also do double duty as food for larger species. Without them, the entire food web can quickly start to crumble.

Though usually considered pests, certain species of both flies and mosquitoes can help with pollination. 

Some species of fly have evolved to look like bees or wasps, but lack their stingers and other characteristics. 

Mosquitoes tend to pollinate small flowers that live in wet conditions.

Plants

Moss

These rootless plants are vital for moisture absorption and re-release, keeping forests damper, while reducing the risk of flooding. Healthy, old growth forests are rich with many species of moss, while polluted, heavily-impacted, or newly planted forests tend not to. Climate change is a major threat to moss as it pushes past temperatures that mosses have adapted to survive. 

Shrubs

These make up an important part of the understory, edges of forests, or may exist on the peripheries as grassland or other ecosystems build up to forest. These plants provide food, shelter, air cleaning, and other benefits to their ecosystems.

Reptiles

Snakes

Lizards

Skinks

Organizations

Europe

UK

South America

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Ecuador

Peru

Resources

This resource includes organizations or local government programs that give out free trees, that accept donations to help communities plant their own trees, and guides on how to plant trees, or even how to grow them for tree planting programs. They are organized by location so check the international section, then look for your own region. If we don't have your info yet, please let us know.

Europe

These resources are somewhat location-specific, but might be useful even if you live elsewhere.

UK

Grants

International