This NATIONAL THREATENED SPECIES DAY, we are shedding light on the incredible, albeit at risk, species that call the world’s forests home.
Despite covering only 30% of the Earth, forests are vital sources of biodiversity, containing 80% of the planet’s terrestrial species. But the world’s trees are experiencing deforestation at an alarming rate. Since 1990, nearly 1 billion acres of forest were cut down for farming, livestock, mining and drilling purposes. Today, 2,400 trees are cut down each minute — a rate of about 30 soccer fields — further contributing to global warming, the emergence of zoonotic disease, and the endangerment of plant and animal species.
