Today is the International Day of Forests. This historic United Nations General Assembly designation is “to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests”.
For centuries forests have been a source of food, fibre, livelihoods, resources and water. They are also central to combating climate change, but until today, and despite a multitude of special days honouring or commemorating key elements of human life, there has never been a globally recognized day for paying homage to the world’s forests.
In a message for the new International Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “By proclaiming the International Day of Forests, the United Nations has created a new platform to raise awareness about the importance of all types of forest ecosystems to sustainable development.”
Learn more about our work to improve forests across the Caribbean here (search using relevant terms as you would in Google).
Here’s a sample of what we have done… Morne Diablotin National Park: Improved Management Plan 2011-2016 and Morne Trois Pitons National Park World Heritage Site: Improved Management Plan.
**Source: United Nations Press Release. Read more…