The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has called on the world to “reforest and stop deforestation, an essential part of the solution to climate change, as forests cover 31 percent of the world’s land area and store approximately 296 gigatonnes” of carbon and are home to much of the world’s biodiversity on earth.

“The world must stop deforestation, plant trees to make the planet greener and restore productive capacity, and manage forests and trees sustainably,” said Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

He pointed out at the opening of the twenty-sixth session of the Forestry Committee in Rome that “there is an increase in droughts, floods, fires and storms, rising prices for food, fodder, fuel and fertilizer, so hunger continues to increase.” Reflecting growing inequality, deforestation and land degradation, along with biodiversity loss, are destroying our ecosystems and this must change and stop.”

“Forests and trees must be seen as a key part of the solution as there are only seven years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals,” Donio said, stressing that “now we need to implement, scale and speed up the action – and above all, the will is needed. policy and decision package.

In terms of the proposed solutions to tackle the climate crisis with forests that will be discussed during the session and that were mentioned in the State of the World’s Forests 2022, they are to stop deforestation, and the organization says that this is “the key to overcome the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions”. , as the restoration of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land leads to increased tree cover and increased economic resilience. Productivity must be increased to meet growing demand.

The organization recommended the importance of “sustainable use of forests and trees in general, as wood and shrubs are a very valuable renewable resource and an important source of carbon-neutral and even carbon-positive materials. factor in improving the food security of people living near it or even far from it.

Two major presentations are expected during this session: the first, Global Forest Sector Outlook 2050: Assessing Future Wood Demand and Resources for a Sustainable Economy, and the second, Biodiversity Mainstreaming in the Forest Sector.

Forests provide fiber, fuel, food and feed, provide livelihoods for millions of people, including many of the world’s poorest people, help mitigate and adapt to climate change, improve soil, air and water quality, and are source of renewable energy. raw materials.

It is worth noting that the twenty-sixth session of the Committee on Forestry will be held from 3 to 7 October at the permanent headquarters in Rome, in which representatives of countries and organizations of the forestry sector participate in person and via the Internet.