today had a lesson on the functions and uses of the forest. Pretty interesting (: I didn't know that a forest could have so many uses, such as, maintaining nutrients in the soil, replenishing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide, maintaining the quality and quantity of the water supply, protecting coasts and reducing impact of natural disasters, is a habitat for flora and fauna, a source of useful material, and a places for recreation, research and education.

SO MANY FUNCTIONS!  This proves how useful forests can be for humans, which suggests that we should should not destroy or encourage deforestation.. Once Mrs lee said that she believed that the world would end when there are no trees left. Im starting to believe it now (:

I learnt that the forests plays an important role in the water cycle. Leaves and branches reduces the impact of falling water, such as rain, which decrease surface runoff, increasing water available to rivers and reservoirs. The quality of water is also maintained by the forest. Compared to water in an urban area, the water in a forested area  is of better quality, as the soil of the forested area help to filter impurities found in rainwater by trapping them between the pore spaces. I totally agree to this as when i was in KOREF, i actually drank water that was from a small river in the forest, super refreshing and clean (:

In an urban area, surfaces such as concrete surfaces, does not allow water to seep through, thus impurities are not removed.
One more fact that amazes me is that the forest can reduce the impact of disasters. For example, the mangrove forest break momentum of storms and strong waves, absorbing 90% of wave impact. SO cool that the mangrove forest can actually reduce damage, saving the lives of those people in countries  experiencing disasters, such as the Indian Ocean Tsunami (:

Cant wait for next geog lesson to learn more about the advantages of forest (: