In virtually all regions of the world, careless use of water resources is harming the natural environment. Of 47 commercial species of fish, about 30 have become extinct or virtually extinct. Lake Chad, in Africa's Sahel region, has shrunk from 25,000 square kilometers to just 2,000 square kilometers in the last three decades from periodic droughts and massive diversions of water for irrigation. Despite cleanup efforts, the Rhine River, which runs through the industrial heartland of Western Europe, is so polluted that it has lost 8 of its 44 species of fish. In many countries ever-increasing demand for forest products and agricultural land, fueled by rapid population growth and development, is putting environmental resources and the water supply itself increasingly in jeopardy.
Forests are important water regulators.
Their root structures act as nature's sponges, soaking up water and releasing it slowly throughout the year, thus contributing to reliable river flow, replenishing groundwater supplies, reducing soil erosion, and releasing moisture into the atmosphere.