International Day of Forests: 21 March

  March 21 is dedicated to forests and is celebrated as the International Day of Forests. Forests are far more important than we consider them. The purpose to celebrate an International Day is to make people aware of their importance and to thanks them for providing humankind so many benefits. The theme for the International Day of forests for 2024 is Forest and Innovation: New Solutions For a Better World. The purpose for this theme is to convey the message to people that forests are the main role of our ecosystem and we need to save them by technological advancements. 

The forests should cover a lot of area on earth to ensure a better climate and sustainable ecosystem. A less surface area covered by forests can lead to very harsh climate and bad consequences. According to the FAO's 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment, the world has 4.06 billion hectares (10.0 billion acres) of forest, which is 31% of the Earth's total land area. Furthermore, countries should also contribute to forest area. Russia is the largest forest country on earth. A country should have 10-30% of its area covered with forests.  This will ensure a better environment.

The importance of forests is colossal. There are a number of benefits that forest reap for man. For example, Forests are home to 80% of all known amphibians,  60,000 different tree species, 75 percent of bird species, and 68 percent of the world's mammal species.  Amazon rainforest is the largest forest in Brazil. If the proportion of forests is decreased, these species will find no home on earth as suitable as natural forest habitat and may become extinct. Forested watersheds and wetlands provide 75% of the world´s accessible freshwater. Water scarcity is the next danger to human survival. It is very hard and impossible for man to live without water because all activities of life are connected to water.

Also read: World Water Day 22 March

How forests play a role in climate? 
The worst climate change that the world is reiterating can be prevented by forests. They are powerful carbon sinks, meaning they absorb and store carbon dioxide. Forests provide a crucial capacity to remove greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere and help us avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. They also revert the worst effects of floods by holding soil. If we really want to avoid breaching the crucial 2°C global warming threshold, we must collectively conserve, restore, and sustainably manage forests, based on the recognition that they play an invaluable role in realizing that target. 

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