5 Things You Might Not Know About Forests – But Should
森林的这五个好处，你知道吗?
·Forests cover almost a third of the Earth’s surface.
·420 million hectares have been lost since 1990.
·The UN reveals 5 hidden benefits of forests, from protecting the soil to providing water for the world’s cities.
·It is estimated that 1.2 trillion trees need to be planted to combat climate change.
·森林近乎覆盖了地球表面的三分之一。
·自1990年以来，全球已经损失了4.2亿公顷土地。
·联合国揭示了森林的5大潜在好处，比如保护土壤，或是为世界城市供水。
·据估计，为应对气候变化，人们需要种植1.2万亿棵树。
“Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people,” said former US president, Franklin Roosevelt.
美国前总统富兰克林·罗斯福说过：“森林是土地的肺，可以净化空气，给我们的人民带来新鲜力量。”
Covering almost a third of the Earth’s surface, forests are home to eight in 10 animal and plant species. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the world’s forests include over 60,000 species of tree, all of which absorb CO2 as they grow.
森林近乎覆盖了地球表面的三分之一，也是80%的动植物物种的家园。联合国粮农组织表示，世界森林中有超过6万种树木，在其生长过程中都能吸收二氧化碳。
But all is not well in Earth’s woodlands. Only half of all forests are still intact and only a third are primary forest – naturally occurring woodland composed of native species where human activities have not disturbed the natural ecology.
然而，地球上的林地并非全部都在茁壮成长。只有一半的森林未遭破坏，其中原始森林仅占三分之一。原始森林是由当地物种组成的、未受到人类活动干扰的天然林地。
Over 20,000 tree species are at risk and over 1,400 of them are on the critical list, according to the FAO. Estimates suggest 420 million hectares of forest have been lost since 1990 and although the rate of loss has slowed, 10 million hectares were lost between 2015 and this year.
据联合国粮农组织的数据，有超过2万种树木处于危险之中，其中1400多种处于濒危名单中。据估计，自1990年以来，全球已经损失了4.2亿公顷土地。尽管森林消失的速度有所减缓，但从2015年至今，全球已有1000万公顷森林消失。
So the FAO is using Twitter to remind the world of these five hidden benefits of forests.
因此，联合国粮农组织利用Twitter来提醒人们森林所具有的五大潜在好处。
1. Forests nurture the soil
森林可以滋养土地
As well as stabilizing soils and preventing erosion – which quickly occurs where trees are felled – forests are home to soil microbes, which together with insects, birds and mammals, play a crucial role in enriching and maintaining soil quality.
森林不仅可以稳定土壤并防止水土流失（在树木被砍伐的地方水土会迅速流失），还是土壤微生物的家园。这些微生物与昆虫、鸟类及哺乳动物一起，在丰富与维持土壤质量方面发挥着至关重要的作用。
2. Forests absorb carbon
森林可以吸收二氧化碳
Forests act as ‘carbon sinks’, trapping and storing CO2. NASA estimates that tropical forests absorb 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2 every year, while a study in 2017 estimated that forests would absorb a third of the atmospheric carbon needed to keep global warming below 2℃ by 2030.
森林扮演着“碳汇”这一角色，可以捕获并储存二氧化碳。美国宇航局估计，热带森林每年吸收14亿吨二氧化碳，而2017年的一项研究估计，到2030年，森林将吸收可将全球变暖控制在2摄氏度以下所需的大气碳的三分之一。
3. Forests provide food for millions
森林可以为数百万人提供食物
More than 86 million people depend on forests for their livelihoods. Globally, 1 billion people rely on wild foods including meat, insects, plants, mushrooms and fish. As well as providing edible plants and protecting water sources, forests also provide shelter for animals kept by forest dwellers.
有超过8600万人依靠森林为生。全球有10亿人依赖野生食物，包括肉类、昆虫、植物、蕈类及鱼类。除了提供可食用的植物并保护水源外，森林还可以为森林居民饲养的动物提供庇护。
4. Forests are natural aqueducts
森林是天然的渡槽
Forests provide “relatively pure water”, not just for indigenous peoples, but also for some of the world’s largest cities, according to the FAO. One-third of the world’s metropolises get all or part of their drinking water from forest-protected areas, including Bogotá, Jakarta, Karachi, Madrid, Mumbai and Singapore.
据粮农组织称，森林不仅为土著居民提供了“相对纯净的水”，也为世界上一些最大的城市提供了水源。世界上三分之一的大都市饮用水全部或部分来自森林保护区，包括波哥大、雅加达、卡拉奇、马德里、孟买及新加坡等。
5. Forests host 80% of Earth’s biodiversity
森林承载着地球上80%的生物多样性
Forests are home to 80% of the world’s animals, plants, fungi and bacteria. They include almost two-thirds of all plants, three-quarters of all birds, 80% of amphibians and 68% of mammals. The most biologically diverse and complex forests are tropical rainforests, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, because rainfall is abundant and temperatures are consistently high.
森林是世界上80%的动物、植物、菌类及细菌的家园，其中包括近三分之二的植物、四分之三的鸟类、80%的两栖动物及68%的哺乳动物。根据世界自然基金会的统计，最具生物多样性及复杂性的森林是热带雨林，因为这里雨量充沛，气温长期处于较高水平。
One trillion trees
“植万亿棵树”倡议
The World Economic Forum has launched an initiative to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees to help curb climate change. Research has shown the importance of nature-based solutions, such as conservation, restoration and reforestation, in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss. But, these must take place alongside other measures, particularly decarbonizing industry.
世界经济论坛发起了一项保护、恢复并种植1万亿棵树的倡议，以助于遏制气候变化。研究表明，以自然为基础的解决方案，如保护、恢复及重新造林，在应对气候变化与生物多样性丧失方面具有重要意义。然而，这些措施必须与其他措施并举，特别是脱碳工业。
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