In July we celebrate Forest Protection Day and on commemorative dates we take the opportunity to pay tribute, talk about it, celebrate and even reflect on the topic. And then the question arises: why should we protect forests? Do we really need to do this?

So I invite you to join us in this short reading that will start a story that cannot be told only here, but helps us to make some reflections.

It is they, our forests, that provide several services for our survival: the famous ecosystem services. All the benefits that people obtain from nature, either directly or indirectly, through ecosystems are considered environmental or ecosystem services. We are talking about clean air; of the water we consume; the pollination of bees that allows the production of our food; the microorganisms that live in the soil and help to decompose organic matter, bringing fertility; of the remedies to cure our diseases; the pleasant temperature and shade provided by the trees; not to mention human well-being, the list is long.

As everything in nature is interconnected, without forests these benefits do not reach us, or rather, they are fundamental to our existence. Talking about protecting forests sounds cliché, doesn't it? But in reality more than ever we need to protect not only the forests, but our life, be more respectful with it and with other species, after all we are part of this biodiversity.

But in economic terms, do we gain from this? This is nothing new and we have a way of valuing this, so much so that the Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) has this purpose, to generate revenue through an environmental service that is being recovered or protected. So there are strategies to create economic alternatives to improve the income and quality of life of many people who do this: They protect the forest.

And nature doesn't charge us anything for that. It is our duty to protect the forests and still greatly value these services.