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World Forestry Day 2023: 21st March was proclaimed as the International Day of Forests by the UN General Assembly. The purpose of the day is to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. The organizers of International Day of Forests are the United Nations Forum on Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations in the field.
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International Forest Day 2023: History
United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 as International Day of Forests on 28th November 2012 to promote awareness about the value of all types of forests. The first International Day of Forests was observed in 2013. The declaration encouraged governments to educate people about afforestation by organizing activities such as tree planting campaigns at all levels. Initially a ‘World Forestry Day’ was established on 21st March, 1971 at the 16th session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization.
World Forestry Day 2023: Theme
The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). “Forests and sustainable production and consumption” is the theme of the International Day of Forests 2022. The United Nations General Assembly encourages countries to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.
Importance of World Forestry Day 2023
Forests, called the ‘the lungs of the Earth’ cover one-third of the Earth’s landmass. Around 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihoods, medicines, fuel, food and shelter. Forests are home to about 80 per cent of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, with more than 60,000 tree species. Wood is another useful resource obtained from the forest. It helps to provide bacteria-free food and water in many kitchens, build countless furniture and utensils, replace materials as harmful as plastic, create new fibers for our clothes and, through technology , be part of the fields of medicine or the space race. Forests also reduces the impact of events threatening to life, such as floods and climate change. More than half of the world’s forests are found in only five countries (the Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States of America and China) and two-thirds (66 percent) of forests are found in ten countries. Despite all of these priceless ecological, economic, social and health benefits, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate.
Need for Forest Sustainable Management
According to the United Nations, we are losing 10 million hectares of forest — about the size of Iceland — each year. Many aspects of our lives are linked to forests either directly or indirectly. Forest sustainable management and their use of resources are key to combating climate change and contributing to the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations. Forest and the innumerable resources obtained from it make it imminent to take steps for their conservation. These resources should be consumed in a more environmentally friendly way for the planet and its inhabitants.
The UN agency on climate change, IPCC, revealed the deadly consequences of climate change across the world in the coming decades. Around 10 million hectares are lost every year, affecting poor communities around the world. Country heads should address one of the most pressing challenges of our times by at least increasing the green cover at a time when the loss of agricultural land is occurring 30-35 times faster than previously estimated.
In India, several politicians took to Twitter to extend greeting on the International Day of Forests, 2022. “Let us pledge to protect and conserve the forests and be more aware and vigilant, and make informed consumption-related choices to save the forests,” tweeted Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister of road transport and highways.
The UNDP Climate and Forest Team supports countries with the design and implementation of national policies and measures to reduce deforestation and manage forests sustainably, hence contributing to the mitigation of climate change and advancing sustainable development. The global team has advisors in various duty stations, including Geneva.
Forests are one of our greatest natural treasures and we must take all possible measures to protect and preserve them.
World Forestry Day Quiz 2023
1. Which Term describes the seeds of flowering tress and plants?
2. Petrified woods occurs when _____ slowly replace the cells of ancient trees?
3. The process of water moving through a tree is called?
4. What makes forest soils in the pacific northwest porous and perfect for growing tress
5. The outer bark ___ the tree
6. What is the name for the strong, central supporting pillar of the tree
7. Water move downward through forest soil in a process called?
8. By whom the International Day of Forests is being observed?
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