sábado, 12 de dezembro de 2015

How many trees are there in the world?

A recent study published at Nature, ¨ Mapping tree density at a global scale¨ coordinated by Prof. Thomas Crowther (Yale University), admits that the global number of trees is approximately 3.04 trillion, an order of magnitude higher than the previous estimate. Of these trees, approximately 1.39 trillion exist in tropical and subtropical forests, with 0.74 trillion in boreal regions and 0.61 trillion in temperate regions.
Based on the collection of data in 50 countries, the study estimates that over 9 billion trees are cut down each year, and the global number of trees has fallen by approximately 46% since the start of human civilization.
The good news is that the number of trees is eight times higher than previously estimated, this is approximately 400 trees for every human being.
The bad news is that we have an annual shortfall between the total cut and the total planted trees of 10 million trees per year. If the continuing deficits persist, in fifty years we will downgrade to  125 trees per capita.
The impact of reducing the number of trees is felt on global warming and its effects. If this rate of trees deforestation  is maintained, the climate system could be altered radically. Visibly human beings are the species with greater ability to adapt to these changes, other living species, have a much more limited capacity to adapt, leading to their extinction.
However, trees are living things that recover quickly. Just as impressive as images of deforestation are, it is also astonishing to monitor its´recovery capacity, and with them, ecosystems. When given the context, adequate support for recovery, and respecting their space and time, trees have the an amazing capacity to repopulate and restores their natural habitats.
In addition to this overview, the study defines tropical and subtropical areas account for almost 50% of the trees on the planet, taking in the Amazon, one of the largest holdings.
There is a global consensus that the Amazon is one of the lungs of the planet, this is nothing new. However, what this study provides is solid data that will assist in defining new logics and new purposes for the development and conservation of the Amazon.
Today more than ever, we must understand that trees, biodiversity, ecosystems and the environmental services they provide, must be seen for what they are, natural assets, and not barriers for development.
When we internalize this, we will be closer to a more ethical, just and rational society, with the capacity to replace the goal of growth for the goal of sustainable development walking toward something achievable and more valuable than the GDP, I mean prosperity.
In this new scenario, a new generation of professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers and leaders which will raise,  and will prove that biodiversity conservation and social wealth  can and probably must walk hand by hand. The main challenge is not technology, is about changing our mindsets, thinking and acting in a more holistic way,  being able to perceive, the real value of the natural capital and it´s role in maintaining peace and social stability around the world.
If none of this ideas are achievable in the short run, then you can still plant a tree, enjoying something unique, 401 trees.

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