International Day of Forests
International Day of
Forests is celebrated on the 21st day of every March. Forests cover the
dominant terrestrial ecosystem of the planet and are distributed
across the globe. It is a large area that usually has hundreds and thousands of
trees, herbs, shrubs, other living organisms, and more. The term forest usually
defines the presence of trees in ample number, and the Earth has different
types of forests and a wide variety of trees present in it. Trees are playing a
significant role in maintaining the environment and living beings surviving on
it. They are solely responsible for producing the vast majority of air or
oxygen without which life would be impossible. For various reasons, forests are
being depleted, destroyed and several million hectares of forests are cut down.
With the increase in deforestation activities, the ecological system has been
degraded completely.
International Day of Forests or Forest Day is an
awareness Day celebrated in such a way to let people understand
the importance of forests and the essential role of trees in our lives.
The international Day will also address issues such as deforestation.
“A nation that destroys its soils destroys
itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh
strength to our people.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
History
of International Day of Forests
The International Day
of Forests (IDF) has been celebrated since the year 2013. The United
Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21st March as IDF on November 28, 2012.
Since then, the Day has been observed with various events and activities to raise
awareness about the importance and benefits of the forests, its
types, trees outside the forests to the people of current and future
generations. Earlier to this IDF, World Forestry Day had been observed
which has originated in 1971 at the 23rd General Assembly of the European
Confederation of Agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had
established it and started celebrating it from the year 1972 till 2012. IFD is
created to raise awareness about the forests and issues of deforestation as a
whole. Each year, IDF or Forest Day is celebrated with a theme which is chosen
by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
On each Forest Day,
countries from all over the world are encouraged to undertake useful efforts to
organize any local, national, or international activities or events
involving forests and trees. Also, the United Nations works together with
the governments, community organizations, and the general public as a way to
promote both local and global activities for the IDF. Activities
include tree planting campaigns, photo exhibits that portray the
importance of forests and trees, and sharing infographics, videos, news
messages via social and other media. As human society and forests are
influencing each other in both positive and negative ways, it is vital to
promote awareness about the role of forests as with humankind. Forests are
providing ecosystem services to humans and are serving as tourist
attractions.
However, human activities
like harvesting forest resources, deforestation, and more have negatively
affected the forest ecosystems and which in turn are affecting human
life indirectly through natural disasters and environmental changes.
The
forests account for about 75 percent of the gross primary
productivity of the Earth’s biosphere.
It contains about 80 percent
of the Earth’s plant biomass. According to the survey by FAO in
2006, forests covered four billion hectares, i.e., 15 million square miles
or approximately 30 percent of the world’s land area in total. It contains more
than 60,000 tree species and in which many of which are yet unidentified
species. Forests are actively contributing to the balance of oxygen, carbon
dioxide, and humidity in the air and they also protect the watersheds, which
supply fresh water to the rivers.
Forests are the primary
source of food, fiber, water, and medicines for about 1.6
billion of the world’s poorest people approximately. It also included the
indigenous peoples with unique cultures. More than 13 million
hectares, i.e., 32 million acres of forests are lost every year which is an
area roughly the size of England. Forests are providing shelter for 80
percent of the terrestrial species including animals, plants, and
insects. It is essential to know that the forests are playing a
critical role in climate change including global warming. According to the
UN, deforestation results in 12 to18 percent of the world’s carbon
emissions which is almost equal to all the CO2 from the global transport
sector. Equally crucial, healthy forests are found to be one of the
world’s primary ‘carbon sinks.’
Themes of Forest Day
2014 – My Forest |
Our Future
2015 – Forests |
Climate | Change
2016 – Forests and
Water
2017 – Forests and
Energy
2018 – Forests and
Sustainable Cities
2019 – Forests and
Education
2020 – Forests and
Biodiversity
2021 – Forests
Restoration
2022 – Forests and
Sustainable Production and Consumption
Other Celebrations on
March 21
March 21 is also
celebrated as
World Down
Syndrome Day
National
French Bread Day
National
Common Courtesy Day
National
Single Parents Day
World Poetry
Day
National
Fragrance Day
How to
Celebrate International Day of Forests
Celebrating the International
Day of Forests is quite simple. Get to know more about the forests, their
role in ecological balance, and different types of forest ecosystems. On this
awareness Day, you can start planting a tree and encourage people around you to
do so. Spread information regarding the positive effects the environment
gains with proper maintenance of the forests. Make an initiative to save the
planet from greenhouse emissions, pollution, climate changes, and more by
planting as many trees as you can. You can start campaigns joining with any
organization to work towards saving the Planet actively. You can share your
information about the IDF on social media using the hashtag #InternationalDayOfForests or #ForestDay.
செல்வி 2022 எனும் தலைப்பில் நடைபெற்ற இதில், மண்டல தலைவர் அரிமா நாராயணசாமி தலைமை தாங்கினார். கோயமுத்தூர் சிகரம் அரிமா சங்கத்தின் தலைவர் ரவிச்சந்திரன் மண்டல கூட்டத்திற்கு வந்த அனைவரையும் வரவேற்று பேசினார்.
