growing, taking carbon dioxide out of the air and storing it as solid carbon in their vast trunks, branches and roots. They help maintain biodiversity by supporting countless other species in their local ecosystems, providing shade and structure for other plants, and food and shelter for animals such as the endangered orangutans of Borneo. They cycle nutrients and, as we have seen, move vast quantities of water from the ground to the sky every day, which helps maintain the rainfall that everything else depends on for survival. The largest 1% of trees contain half the carbon stored in the entire forest. Therefore, their destruction results in significant carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere, a devastating knock-on effect on biodiversity, and the
disruption of local weather patterns. All this exacerbates climate change. The research group’s results indicate
that at the current rate of climate change, the biggest trees will be the first to fall. This information helps inform and direct conservation work and identify the best restoration techniques. To spread the word, we’ve teamed up
with the group to create a new exhibit on the Canopy Walkway of the Rainforest Biome, which will be open to visitors early next year. It will show the science, explore the issues, and communicate how these forest giants and the rainforests they support must be considered and protected for their own sake, the ecosystems they support, and the entire natural world. It will highlight the role of rainforests in maintaining
water security globally, for us and all other life, and how all this is linked to climate change.
How you can help We can all help protect and restore rainforests by campaigning for climate action to reduce the environmental pressure on these trees and their forests. To lessen the demand that drives their destruction, we can choose products that are certified because they consider indigenous peoples and rainforests; write letters to our MPs on rainforest issues; join campaigns pushing for the rights of indigenous peoples and forests; and support rainforest charities.
edenproject.com/save-the-rainforest
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Photo: Palasiah Jotan
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