International Day of Forests – Coming Soon!

International Day of Forests - 21 March 2015!

The International Day of Forests celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of all types of forests. On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.

The theme of the 2015 International Day of Forests (IDF) is Forests | Climate | Change. It has been chosen purposely to highlight the ways in which forests and climate change are linked, and to rally global support for greater action and change.

Forests have four major roles in climate change:
(http://www.fao.org/forestry/climatechange/en/)

• their clearance, overuse and degradation contribute about one-sixth of global carbon emissions;
• they react sensitively to a changing climate;
• when managed sustainably, they produce woodfuels as a benign alternative to fossil fuels;
• and finally, they have the potential to absorb about one-tenth of global carbon emissions projected for the first half of this century into their biomass, soils and products and store them - in principle in perpetuity.

Visit: http://www.fao.org/forestry/international-day-of-forests/en/

 
21 March is also World Wood Day!

World Wood Day (WWD) is a cultural event celebrated annually on 21 March to highlight wood as an eco-friendly and renewable biomaterial and to raise awareness on the key role wood plays in a sustainable world through biodiversity and forest conservation. Furthermore, this unique celebration will remind humans of the importance and true value of wood and its responsible use.

The 2015 WWD international celebration will be held in Turkey with the theme "Wood & Humanity" to rediscover and recognize the contribution and beauty of wood as well as recall the rethink its significance in contemporary society.

http://www.worldwoodday.org/2015/index.html 


2015 is the International Year of Soils

The 68th UN General Assembly declared 2015 the International Year of Soils (IYS). The IYS 2015 aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions.

Read the key messages at: http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/about/key-messages/en/ 
Communications Toolkit: http://www.fao.org/soils-2015/communications-toolkit/en/