So-called “tree huggers” are often seen as kooks or crazy environmentalists, but protecting trees, especially tropical rain forest trees may be a way to save millions of lives. This is particularly true in the Amazon rain forest where deforestation and human health are at a critical juncture. Scientists have found that forests do more than shelter animals and prevent soil erosion. They also protect people from malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by a protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. The single celled organism is transmitted from one person to another through bites of Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria kills over one million people each year around the globe and most of its victims are children. Scientists have long suspected that tearing down rain forests might lead to higher malaria rates because the open landscapes that replace forests have more partially sunlit pools of water. Those pools are perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.