By TIOL News Service

NEW YORK, MAR 23, 2014: UN officials have called on countries to scale up efforts and resources devoted to forests, which provide countless economic and social benefits, as well as being essential to combating climate change.

“Forests are the lungs of our planet,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated in his message for the second annual International Day of Forests, observed on 21 March. “

They cover one-third of all land area, and are home to 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity. They are crucial for addressing a multitude of sustainable development imperatives, from poverty eradication to food security, from mitigating and adapting to climate change to reducing disaster risk.”

Around 1.6 billion people – including more than 2,000 indigenous cultures – depend on forests for their livelihood. Forests also help combat climate change as they store more carbon than is in the atmosphere.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 21 March as the International Day of Forests to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and encouraged countries to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree-planting campaigns.

“This day marks a worldwide commemoration to celebrate our forests and to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our essential global ecosystems,” General Assembly President John Ashe said in his message.

As countries work to create a future global development agenda, he urged them to recognize the ecological, economic, social and health benefits of the world’s forests, noting that in recent years, global deforestation has spread at an “alarming” rate.

Over 13 million hectares of forest are destroyed each year and deforestation accounts for 12 to 20 per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.

Indeed, new data released on the occasion of the International Day by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) confirm that forest areas continue to decline globally, with the biggest losses of tropical forests occurring in South America and Africa.

Improving information on forest resources is a key factor in halting illegal deforestation and forest degradation, said FAO, which is using this year’s Day to discuss ways to improve the availability of information on the state of forests at all levels: nationally, regionally and globally.

“If we want to be serious about halting deforestation, in line with FAO’s Zero Illegal Deforestation challenge, this must be premised on the availability of sound information and data,” said FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva.

Activities to mark the Day this year includes tree-planting and other community-level events, and national celebrations including art, photo and film as well as social media.

An event held at UN Headquarters in New York brought together thought leaders, Forest Heroes and filmmakers to spotlight the role of women as agents of change for forests and sustainable development.

Forest Hero Rhiannon Tomtishen said that it was from the example set by her hero and environmental activist Jane Goodall that she learned the three most important characteristics of being a change-maker: passion, dedication and perseverance.

In 2007, as 11 year olds, Ms. Tomtishen and fellow Forest Hero Madison Vorva launched campaigns calling for the Girl Scout organization to remove palm oil – the cultivation of which is linked to rainforest deforestation – from their cookies.