World Forestry Day (21st March, 2025): Cultivating a Sustainable Future through Forests and Food
- Change in Range
- Mar 21
- 6 min read
The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2013. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on the International Day of Forests. The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional, and subregional organizations. International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.
Background
Each year more than 13 million hectares (32 million acres) of forests are lost, an area roughly the size of England. As the forests go, so goes the plant and animal species that they embrace – 80% of all terrestrial biodiversity. Most importantly, forests play a critical role in climate change: deforestation results in 12-18 percent of the world's carbon emissions – almost equal to all the CO2 from the global transport sector. Equally crucial, healthy forests are one of the world's primary 'carbon sinks.
Today, forests cover more than 30% of the world's land and contain more than 60,000 tree species, many as of yet unidentified. Forests provide food, fiber, water and medicines for approximately 1.6 billion of the world's poorest people, including indigenous people with unique cultures.
Forest Day
The catalyst for Forest Day was a casual conversation in Oxford, England, in February 2007, between two scientists who felt the world was underestimating the importance of forests in mitigating carbon emissions and saw a glaring need for the latest forestry research and thinking to inform global policy makers and UNFCCC negotiators. They did not foresee that the conference would become one of the most influential global events on forests and climate change today.
Forest Day 1 – Bali, Indonesia (2007)
The inaugural Forest Day was one of the major events at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) 13 in Bali, Indonesia on 8 December 2007. More than 800 people participated in Forest Day, including scientists, members of national delegations, and representatives from intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. A major feature of Forest Day was four parallel panel discussions focusing on cross-cutting themes related to forests and climate change. These well-attended discussions examined such issues as setting baselines and methodological challenges in estimating forest carbon; markets and governance challenges associated with Reducing emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+); adaptation to climate change; and equity-efficiency trade-offs.
Forest Day 2 – Poznan, Poland (2008)
Building on the positive response to the first Forest Day, Forest Day 2, held in Poznań, Poland, on December 8, 2008, brought together nearly 900 participants to discuss the opportunities and challenges of bringing forests into global and national strategies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Participants stressed the broad importance of forest ecosystems and noted that forests comprise an interdependent web of animals, plants, and microorganisms, which together provide a wide range of goods and services beyond carbon sequestration. These include biodiversity conservation, rainfall generation, and products that are crucial to the livelihoods of local forest-dependent and indigenous peoples as well as to the economies of many countries.
Those attending recognized the importance of building on the vast knowledge and experience that exists on sustainable forest management (SFM) and called on negotiators to consult with forest stakeholders as they develop climate policy.
Forest day 3 – Copenhagen, Denmark (2009)
Nearly 1500 stakeholders attended Forest Day 3 held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 13 December 2009 including 34 donors, government representatives, 88 journalists, 500 NGO representatives, indigenous leaders, 188 private sector representatives and hundreds of scientists and forestry experts. Their goal was to ensure that the design and implementation of forest-related climate mitigation and adaptation measures under consideration in the Climate Change Agreement would be effective, efficient and equitable.
Although the UNFCCC failed to agree on binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, significant progress was achieved in negotiating the outlines of a REDD+ mechanism. The Copenhagen Accord that emerged was the first international agreement to recommend that financial resources be raised to support REDD+. Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States offered a US$3.5 billion funding package for REDD+ preparation.
Forest Day 4 – Cancun, Mexico (2010)
Forest Day 4 took place on 5 December 2010 in Cancún, Mexico. More than 1,500 people including over 280 Climate negotiators were in attendance.
The theme for Forest Day 4 was "Time to Act", highlighting the urgency of ensuring the survival of the world's forests, the biodiversity they embrace, and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them. The event served as a bridge between the International Year of Biodiversity and the 2011 International Year of Forests. Forest Day 4 was hosted by the Government of Mexico, through the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), CPF, and CIFOR.
President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, in his opening speech at FD4, told the plenary "… it’s time for all of us to push, and push hard for the full incorporation of REDD+ into a long-term international climate change agreement." In a passionate plea, the Mexican president also stressed, "Either we change our way of life now, or climate change will change it for us."
Forest Day 5 – Durban, South Africa (2011)
The 2011 COP 17 was hosted by Durban, South Africa, from 28 November to 9 December 2011. Forest Day 5 took place on 4 December 2011 in Durban, South Africa. CIFOR convened the event, which was co-hosted by 11 members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and the Government of South Africa through the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. More than 1,100 people from 82 countries attended, including 214 official climate-change negotiators and 65 media representatives.
The theme for Forest Day 5 was ‘From Policy to Practice’, aiming to inform the COP agenda and forest stakeholders on ways to implement the REDD+ agreement reached in Cancún in 2010 to produce social and environmental benefits and to integrate forests into adaptation strategies on the ground. Organizers gave special attention to issues relevant to sub-Saharan Africa, to REDD+ issues facing the humid tropical forests of the Congo Basin, and to the improved management and use of Africa's dry forests areas.
The link between forests and food security was also one of the main themes of the day. The organizers of Forest Day 5 and Agriculture and Rural Development Day (which was held on 3 December 2012) coordinated in the months leading up to the events to identify opportunities for tie-ups between the two events. A number of joint, similar-themed discussion forums were held on climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, and food security.
Forest Day 6 – Doha, Qatar (2012)
The 2012 UNFCCC COP 18 was hosted by Doha, Qatar, from 26 November to 7 December 2012.[25] Forest Day 6 took place on the sidelines of COP 18, on 2 to 3 December 2012, and considered issues ranging from REDD+ financing to adaptation, desertification, reforestation, and afforestation.
How to observe International Day of Forests
Plant a tree or start a victory garden
Go ahead! Do your bit to make your city a little greener. Even buying a little plant for your home counts!
Go hiking in the woods or a state park
There isn’t a better time to get out, bond with nature and drive away those winter blues because spring has just begun.
Make a leaf scrapbook
A great activity for the entire family. Scrapbooking and recording interesting facts is a great way to teach children about the different type of trees and their importance.
Unbelievable benefits of forests
Forests nurture soil
Forests play an important role in preventing soil erosion, as well as stabilizing and maintaining its quality.
Forests trap carbon dioxide
Forests are ‘carbon sinks,’ absorbing and trapping carbon dioxide.
Forests provide sustenance
Forests are home to millions of species, sheltering and providing food for their sustenance.
Forests are natural aqueducts
Forest trees absorb and redistribute an estimated 95% of water.
Forests provide raw materials
Sustainably managed forests provide raw materials such as timber and paper.
Benefits of Forestry Day
Forests are the lungs of the Earth
Forests are like giant, green sponges all over the globe, through which our Earth breathes. Trees and plants take in carbon dioxide and give us oxygen, cleaning our air.
The world needs wood
And not just for construction, paper, furniture, etc. As the world’s population grows, with it the hunger for energy. Currently wood accounts for approximately 45 % of the world’s renewable energy supply. Encouraging and modernizing this industry can help find new and sustainable ways to produce bioenergy.
Healthy forests mean a healthy environment
Forests trap carbon to prevent global warming. They stabilize the climate, control atmospheric temperatures, protect watershed areas, regulate the water cycle, and enrich the soil. And that’s not all that forests do for our environment.
The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.
References
Kajal
B.A. (H) Philosphy
2nd year
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