World Day for the Protection of Forests was founded in 1971 and has been celebrated annually ever since. The institution was initiated by the European Confederation of Agriculture at the 23rd General Assembly in 1971, and this idea was supported by the United Nations World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“To build a sustainable, including climate change, future for all, we must invest in the world's forest resources. This will require political commitment at the highest level, sound strategies, effective law enforcement, innovative partnerships and funding,” - the message from the UN Secretary-General says Ban Ki-moon.
Forests are the most biologically diverse terrestrial ecosystems, where more than 80% of half of land species of animals, insects and plants live and grow. The problem of preserving the forest and its wealth is today among the most important environmental challenges for all countries of the world. In recent years, the trends associated with the deforestation of the Earth are causing concern not only among environmentalists, but also among the entire international community. Global deforestation continues at an alarming rate of 13 million hectares of forest annually. Seaside forests are no exception: mixed cedar-broadleaf and floodplain forests, which are the main habitat of the Amur tiger, become the desired prey of illegal loggers.
Currently, the total forest area on the planet is approximately 38 million square meters km (this is about a third of the land area), of which 13% belong to protected natural territories. Forests are the lungs of our planet, they have invaluable environmental, social and economic importance - they participate in shaping the climate of the planet, provide oxygen, process harmful emissions, conserve water resources, are habitat for many plants and animals, provide food and a healthy environment for people, help preserve soil fertility and landscapes.
This year, the theme of the Day is Forests and Climate Change. Forests play a key role in combating climate change, helping to maintain a balanced content of oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture in the air. They protect the watersheds that provide 75% of the world's freshwater.
The International Day of Forests is actively celebrated in Russia. After all, forests are the national wealth of Russia, which accounts for almost one fifth of the world's forest area and about the same part of world timber reserves. What determines the global importance of forests for the country not only as a source of valuable raw materials, but also as an important component of the biosphere, which largely determines the conditions of life on Earth.
Recall that in the Primorsky Krai, the Amur Tiger Center is implementing measures for artificial reforestation and taking measures aimed at preserving particularly valuable sites of the Amur tiger habitats. This can be one way to solve a problem and help transform numerous degraded forests into habitat for a rare predator area.