Save the date: GFEP assessment on Forests and Human Health

In recent years, there has been a surge in zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Malaria, and the Avian Flu, and illness and deaths from such diseases will continue to spike. Furthermore, low coverage of healthcare, climate change impacts, and increasing ecosystem degradation will further exacerbate existing challenges. The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals (SDGs), particularly goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being, can strengthen the response to these pressing challenges.

Nature, particularly forests and trees, contribute to maintaining physical and mental well-being, providing resources (e.g., food and medicine) and services such as air and water purification and recreation, potentially reducing exposure to environmental diseases and other hazards. However, this relationship is complex, as forest-proximate communities are more prone to certain diseases, often exacerbated by forest degradation and encroachment.

An upcoming global scientific assessment on Forests and Human Health explores the varied interlinkages, synergies, and trade-offs between human health and the conservation, management, and restoration of forests, trees, and greenspaces. The assessment presents diverse response options relevant to the policy context at various levels.

Join our authors and experts in the launch of this assessment! Please mark your calendars for 21 March 2023, 15:00 – 16:00 CET, where scientists and experts will present evidence on the wide range of relationships between forests and human health and available response options to utilize synergies while addressing trade-offs.

More details, including the registration link, will follow shortly.

For more information:  visit the webpage: https://www.iufro.org/science/science-policy/gfep-initiative/panel-on-forests-and-human-health/, or contact Dikshya Devkota at devkota(at)iufro.org.