What are you doing to Celebrate International Day of Forests next week?
We all enjoy the benefits of a country with healthy forests, clean air, clean water, wildlife, recreation, wood, paper, and aesthetics.
Over a third of the world is forested and those areas that are not suffer from a micro-climate cycle that is not pleasant or productive.
So lets take a little time this next week to celebrate the many benefits that we enjoy in a country that has some of the healthiest forests in the world.
I came across the press release below in my email and thought that my friends may enjoy another good reason to celebrate this month, and such an important thing to celebrate.
Let me know how you will be celebrating the International Day of the Forest next week.
Happy International Day of the Forest!
UNITED NATIONS, OBSERVING FIRST INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS, CELEBRATES THEIR VITAL, LIFE-SUSTAINING ROLE
For centuries forests have been a source of food, fibre, livelihoods, resources and water. They are also central to combating climate change, but until today, and despite a multitude of special days honouring or commemorating key elements of human life, there has never been a globally recognized day for paying homage to the world’s forests.
That has changed now that the United Nations General Assembly has designated 21 March as the International Day of Forests “to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests”.
In a message for the new International Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “By proclaiming the International Day of Forests, the United Nations has created a new platform to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forest ecosystems to sustainable development.”
“On this first International Day of Forests,” he continued, “I urge Governments, businesses and all sectors of society to commit to reducing deforestation, preventing forest degradation, reducing poverty and promoting sustainable livelihoods for all forest-dependent peoples.”
Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, notes that “forests are inextricably linked to our social and economic value, to our bonds with nature and the health of ecosystems. Hence, we cannot think of them in isolation. It is up to us to make these connections and establish the policies, laws and institutions required. It is up to us to implement sustainable forest management.”
Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat, says: “The first United Nations International Day of Forests is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate our unique relationship to forests and trees.” She continues: “This is the day for the whole world to celebrate not only the gifts that forests and trees provide us, but also to unsung heroes, those who make a difference for your forests, your trees and your communities. Find them among you and thank them.”
The International Day of Forests comes a little more than two weeks before national ministers convene in Istanbul, Turkey, from 8-19 April for the tenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests. The Forum has been instrumental in providing leadership on sustainable forest management policies and practices. In addition to technical and political deliberations on the many important issues on the agenda, the session will also feature the winners of the 2013 Forest Heroes Award, the International Forest Film Festival, and the International Forest Photograph Awards.
Leaders of international organizations working on forests say the International Day will help people recognize the vital role that forests play in people’s lives. The International Day “is hugely significant”, said Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant Director-General of the Forestry Department at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “as it gives forests the global attention and recognition they deserve for providing humankind with countless invaluable services and goods. From providing food and cash incomes for more than a billion of the world’s poorest forest-dependent people to playing a vital role in climate change adaptation and soil and water protection, forests sustain all life on earth.”
Read the rest of the press release at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/envdev1341.doc.htm
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