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Monday, March 20, 2017
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DO YOU know that tomorrow is the International Day of Forests? The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 of each year as such to raise awareness on the importance of forests.
Without forests, our societies will have a hard time, among others, sourcing out drinking water. To obtain water supply for domestic use, most of our highly-urbanized cities depend on our forested areas. For example, Iloilo City’s main source of potable water is the Maasin Watershed forest reserve.
Yes, despite soaring skyscrapers and sprawling industrialization, modern living has never forgotten this valuable truth: trees are necessary to make landscapes more appealing, more attractive that make us appreciate life better. But trees – and forests – can do more. We need forests not just for their aesthetic value but more so for keeping us alive. The danger of losing our forests is tied to the threat of our very own existence.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) lists the following role forests to sustain humans:
* forested watersheds and wetlands supply 75 percent of the world’s accessible freshwater
* about one-third of the world’s largest cities obtain a significant proportion of their drinking water directly from forested protected areas; and
* forests act as natural water filters.
FAO cites the impact of climate change on our forests as it influences the availability of the earth’s water resources. Thus, there is a need to sustain our forests.
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