Sunday is World Rainforest Day!

Sunday (22 June) is World Rainforest Day, a global observance that highlights the importance of preserving the Earth’s rainforests and underscores the urgent need to protect these vital ecosystems.

Tropical rainforests (which cover just 6% of the planet’s land area) are home to around 50% of terrestrial biodiversity and store vast amounts of carbon, helping regulate weather patterns and climate systems.

Yet the latest data paints a dire picture. In 2024, the world lost a record-breaking 6.7 million hectares of primary rainforest (an area nearly the size of Panama) which generated approximately 3.1 gigatonnes of CO₂ emissions, mostly due to fires and agricultural expansion.

Half of this forest loss was driven by wildfires in parts of Brazil, Bolivia and Mexico, where climate change and El Niño created tinder-dry conditions and saw fire-driven loss surge fivefold from the previous year.

World Rainforest Day, founded in 2017 by Rainforest Partnership and celebrated annually on 22 June, carries the theme #BreatheWithUs this year.

The call to action is clear: rainforests provide the "lungs" for our planet, and their protection is essential for climate stability, biodiversity, cultural heritage, and community well-being.

Why it matters

• climate action: tropical forests act as major carbon sinks - their destruction releases carbon and undermines global climate targets;
• biodiversity: rainforests support the richest ecosystems on the planet and loss of habitat threatens innumerable species and erodes natural resilience;
• water and weather regulation: these forests help maintain rainfall patterns - their decline can intensify drought and floods;
• indigenous rights: many rainforests are stewarded by Indigenous peoples, whose land practices are key to conservation, yet deforestation and fires often threaten their rights.

Inspiring action worldwide

To mark the day and spark global engagement, organisations like Rainforest Trust UK are hosting events, including “Inspiring Approaches for Protecting Rainforests” talks during London Climate Week.

Rainforest Partnership is encouraging a Planet Walk campaign, urging people to share short video walks in nature wherever they are, using the hashtag #BreatheWithUs.

Turning awareness into impact

Experts warn that current global pledges, including the 2021 Glasgow declaration to end deforestation by 2030, are failing as forest loss escalates. There is an urgent need to:

• scale up investments in rainforest protection;
• secure Indigenous land tenure;
• enhance monitoring, enforcement, and fire prevention;
• promote sustainable land-use practices.

World Rainforest Day serves as both a celebration and a warning: we cannot afford to let fires, farming, and weak enforcement continue eroding the world’s most precious forests.

The time for collective action (#BreatheWithUs) is now.