Distinguished Participants,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This year’s World Wildlife Day highlights the immense value of forests and forest-dwelling wildlife to the livelihoods of the communities based there, and to the well-being of people living much further away. Perhaps never before has it been so important to remember that in order to sustain people and the planet – the theme for this year’s event – forests must be managed sustainably.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of forests to biodiversity, or the extent to which humans depend on both for a wide range of valuable ecosystem services. Forests are home to the majority of life on land – both animal and plant species.

At least 1 billion people rely directly on forests for food in the form of edible plants, mushrooms, insects, fish and wildmeat, and many more depend on them for water, medicine, energy, shelter and income. Given the intricate relationship between humans and forests, the repercussions of upsetting this fine balance are grave indeed.

The past 12 months were a wake-up call to the dangers of stepping out of kilter with nature, as we know that more than 70% of emerging infectious diseases, and almost all recent pandemics, have originated in livestock and wildlife.

Forests have traditionally served as a natural... See more

Forests are one of the principal sources of life on our planet. They are home to nearly four fifths of all terrestrial species of wild fauna and flora. They are also home to several hundred million people, including countless members of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Globally, up to 350 million people live within or adjacent to forested areas, relying on forests and their species to cover their basic needs, form food, to shelter, fuel and medicines. These groups have long lived in good harmony with their environments, which in turn have become a central part of their social and cultural identities.

These communities also have centuries of experience living from the near limitless ecosystem services provided by forests. They have historically acted as the principal custodians of their lands: just under a third of the world’s surface is managed by Indigenous Peoples, encompassing some of the most well-conserved forests on the planet.

Forest and forest wildlife also provide for the incomes and well-being of countless people that do not necessarily live near them. Worldwide, some 80 million jobs, both in the formal and informal sectors, are directly sustained by forest resources. Moreover, as many as 2.4 billion people use wood-based energy for cooking, both in rural and urban... See more

Forest ecosystems are the place we find most of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity, including many unique species. Because forests and trees provide food, materials and so much for people across seasons and years, they also play a crucial role in preventing the poor from sinking even deeper into poverty. In fact, more than 25 per cent of the world’s population rely on forest resources for their livelihoods.

Wild animals are an integral part of this biodiversity. They play key roles and are also an important source of food and clothing, as well as are important for recreation, tourism and cultural uses.
All is not well with forests and wildlife. An estimated 178 million hectares of forest has been lost in the last 30 years, forest-dwelling wildlife populations have shrunk on average by more than half since 1970, and habitat loss and degradation, primarily caused by human activity, is the cause of 60 per cent of threats to forests and forest species.

This loss has ecological consequences and severe socioeconomic impacts. The loss of certain wildlife species can affect forest regeneration, through lack of seed dispersal for some trees, while the loss of key predators can lead to elevated herbivore numbers with consequent damage to habitats.

As Parties to the Convention on... See more

The theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day could not be more appropriate. The profound link between human wellbeing and nature has been the way of life for Indigenous cultures around the world and forests and trees are central to this link.

And science is finally catching up. At CIFOR-ICRAF, we have spent decades investigating the connections between ecological integrity, sustainable use of forests and landscapes and human wellbeing, providing the evidence required to manage our forests, mangroves and peatlands sustainably but also to fully recognize the crucial role of trees on farms and outside of forests.

The devastating Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated indisputably the need for a science-based, transformative approach to managing landscapes that recognizes Indigenous knowledge. There is ample evidence that land cover changes resulting from ecosystem fragmentation and degradation are major drivers of the emergence or re-emergence of zoonotic diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, Ebola or Lyme disease. The lesson nature is telling us is loud and clear.

The global challenges we now face, from biodiversity loss and environmental degradation to accelerating climate change, broken food systems and inequality, all demand urgent action. Here again forests and trees... See more