The United Nations has designated March 21 (yesterday) as International Day of Forests, also known as World Forestry Day. The theme for 2023 is "Forests and Health"
ANTONY R RAMNARINE
THE WORLD environment owes much of its state of health to the presence of forests. So too does human survival and welfare. Whenever one considers the negative effects of climate change, pollution, flooding, species extinction and desertification, it is comforting to know that nature’s last bastion, trees, continue to provide their ageless contribution to mitigate such deleterious effects which could arise.
The major timeless benefits of forests toward the improvement of the quality of life for all mankind are well known. As the “lungs of the Earth” trees provide oxygen and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests influence rainfall through the hydrologic cycle, they provide timber for construction and paper production, provide recreational opportunities and habitats for most terrestrial species of wildlife, and, equally important, trees continue to be the main source of chemicals used to manufacture medicinal drugs, pesticides and perfumes.
These benefits and more are nature’s way of keeping planet Earth healthy and contributing to the physical and psychological welfare of mankind.
For example, clean potable water, which is essential for life, is arguably the most precious natural resource in the world, and it is through the presence of forested watersheds that a constant and adequate supply is produced. Countries which do not have such protective forest cover, such as Haiti, suffer perennial water problems throughout the year.
Unfortunately, global overpopulation and certain technological developments over the past 70 years have begun to create irreversible ecological changes, threatening the demise of the Earth’s regulatory processes which could lead eventually to the destruction of life as we know it.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is one of the primary bodies monitoring and influencing forest development globally. The FAO estimates that approximately 30 per cent of the Earth’s land surface is covered by forests but is in constant decline by as much as ten million hectares per year, with dire consequences.
The strategies that are required to regain ecological balance are by halting deforestation, restoring forests and sustainably using forests for their wide array of goods and services.
In spite of the efforts of governments and conservation organisations worldwide, it is imperative that new initiatives be taken urgently to arrest the escalating threats to the environment. Many such ideas and recommendations have been forthcoming from the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and more recently the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), with governments agreeing on the way forward to limit climate change through a number of financial, industrial and ecological mechanisms.
