World Rainforest Day Date in the current year: June 22, 2024

Rainforests are a type of forest characterized by moisture-dependent vegetation, a closed and continuous canopy of trees, the presence of lianas and epiphytes, and the absence of wildfire due to their high moisture levels. Depending on the climate zone, they can be classified as tropical rainforests or temperate rainforests. Most people associate the term “rainforest” with tropical rainforests.

Rainforests are extremely important for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are home to millions of endemic species and therefore are crucial for maintaining biodiversity. More than half of the world’s terrestrial plant and animal species can be found in rainforests. Rainforests are a rich source of medicinal plants and many products we use in our daily lives such as coffee, chocolate, sugar, and various fruits and spices.

Secondly, rainforests play an important role in regulating carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and thus helping to mitigate global climate change, as well as provide protection from soil erosion, floods, and drought. For example, the Amazon rainforest produces half of the rainfall in the region. Thirdly, tropical rainforests are home to a variety of indigenous peoples with unique cultures and traditions who have inhabited them for tens of thousands of years.

Sadly, deforestation is an ongoing environmental issue in many parts of the world, from South America to Southeast Asia. Tropical and temperate rainforests are rapidly disappearing because of heavy logging, both legal and illegal, the expansion of urban areas, and atmospheric pollution. Due to the destruction of rainforests, tens of thousands of species are being driven to extinction because they have nowhere to live anymore.

World Rainforest Day was inaugurated in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership, an international nonprofit devoted to the conservation and restoration of rainforests across the world. The main goals of the holiday are to celebrate the diversity and importance of the world’s rainforests and to encourage international cooperation and collective action to protect tropical rainforests for a sustainable future.

World Rainforest Day events and activities are organized by Rainforest Partnership and several dozen allied environmental organizations from around the world, ranging from indigenous groups and youth organizations to policymakers and the private sector. They include but are not limited to talks, seminars, lectures, fundraisers, and more.

You can observe World Rainforest Day by learning more about rainforests and their importance, donating to a rainforest conservation organization, and spreading the word on social media with the hashtag #WorldRainforestDay. The observance is also a great occasion to become a more environmentally conscious consumer and start shopping for Rainforest Alliance-certified products marked with the green frog logo.