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Planning Green Habitats
Why Green Cover
Forests and green cover of trees in urban areas are “lungs” of planet that contribute to health and well-being of humanity. They sustain life on earth with clean air, water, food, fuel, medicines and income. It is well known that being closer to trees helps boost our immune system, lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve mood.
Healthy and well-managed forests safeguard the health of planet, by mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and building resilience to natural disasters. Covering approximately 31% of all land, they are the largest terrestrial carbon sink, absorbing about two billion tonnes of CO2 every year.
Globally, 76 million tonnes of food products come from forests, of which 95% are plant-based. Plant-based medicines account for 25% of medicinal drugs used in developed countries and as much as 80% in developing countries.
It is estimated that 75% of the world’s accessible freshwater comes from forested watersheds and 80% of all land-based species depend on forests for their habitat. Forests also act as protective buffers against the impacts of storms and other natural hazards. Zoonotic diseases typically emerge from the transfer of pathogens from animals to humans, when natural landscapes such as forests are cleared. Yet despite these advantages, forests are often…
