{"id":35008,"date":"2020-04-20T05:59:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T09:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&p=35008"},"modified":"2022-08-04T10:21:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T14:21:25","slug":"forests-vr","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/forests-vr\/35008\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual reality promises the earth, and it might just deliver"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the last 8,000 years alone, we\u2019ve destroyed around 80 percent of our forest. In 2018, 3.6 million hectares of rainforest disappeared<\/a><\/u> \u2013 an area the size of Belgium.<\/p>\n

Trees are not just for decorating golf courses. Forests are vital to life on earth. Habitat for plants, animals and insects, they even maintain the climate.<\/p>\n

There will be children alive today who\u2019ve never seen a forest and probably never will. But virtual reality may change that. It could allow anyone to experience and learn about forests and habitats that up until now, only a few have been able to see.<\/p>\n

Deforestation still on the rise<\/h2>\n

In 2019 the Australian bushfires roared through 26 million acres of woodland<\/a><\/u> \u2013 an area the size of South Korea. Despite protest, the Amazon is being replaced by crops and cattle at an alarming rate. It shows no sign of slowing. Brazilian Amazon deforestation is now at its highest rate in more than a decade<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

It can\u2019t go on. Forests are nature\u2019s nursery and its factory. They\u2019re home to billions of species, including humans. People live in forests and rely on their resources. One of these is respite. People of all walks of life use forests to escape, a contrast with increasingly sprawling cities.<\/p>\n

The world in a headset<\/h2>\n

While deliberate destruction of forests isn\u2019t slowing, even those who love natural landscapes can do them harm. A new word only a few years ago, \u201covertourism\u201d has damaged everything from farms to fragile ecosystems around the world<\/a><\/u>, leading authorities to close sites indefinitely. Add questions posed by the climate impact of air travel<\/a>,<\/u> and you might conclude we should simply avoid more trips altogether.<\/p>\n

It looks like we\u2019ll need a way for future generations to understand and benefit from forests, without actually going to a forest.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s where virtual reality (VR) comes in. Here\u2019s one example of what learning about forests can look like in VR.<\/p>\n