Serge R. Nakouzi *

This week marks the national Week of Natural Resources in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The designation of this week and its celebration every year not only reflects the importance attributed by the country to the safeguarding of the environment but, more significantly, it symbolizes the deep-rooted cultural appreciation of the vital link between humanity's existence and the natural resources of the land on which we live. In fact, we owe our existence today on this earth to the ability of our forefathers and of previous generations to live and promote their livelihoods without depleting the natural resources from which they benefitted. With the onset of the industrial revolution and the growing needs of an expanding global population, maintaining the balance between growth and the protection of our natural resources has become increasingly challenging. As we strive to enhance our capacity to meet the rising needs of our nations despite being confronted by major difficulties such as climate change, it is extremely important that we manage our natural resources in a responsible manner – the survival of future generations depend on it.

For the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the principal goal is securing food for all through the sustainable development of agricultural and rural sectors. As measures are deployed to ensure that all people can have access to adequate and nutritious food to lead healthy and productive lives, the key is making sure that the approaches adopted do not damage the environment and the existing natural resources. A central component of our wealth of natural resources consists of the forests and trees, which constitute 9% of land cover in Iran.

Forests and trees sustain and protect us in invaluable ways. They provide the clean air that we breathe and the water that we drink. They host and safeguard the planet's biodiversity and act as our natural defence against climate change. Life on earth is made possible and sustainable thanks to forests and trees.

The world's forests play a central role in combating climate change by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere in their vegetation and soils.

They are crucial in helping us adapt to such fundamental changes in our atmospheric conditions as they help ensure water availability, protect against landslides, prevent desertification and provide alternative livelihoods for people. Protecting forests conserves the biodiversity that is vital for plants, humans and other animals to adjust to the variations in our climate.

Forests have four major roles in climate change: their clearance, overuse and degradation contribute about one-sixth of global carbon emissions; they react sensitively to a changing climate; when managed sustainably, they produce wood fuels as a benign alternative to fossil fuels; and finally, they have the potential to absorb about one-tenth of global carbon emissions projected for the first half of this century into their biomass, soils and products and store them - in principle in perpetuity.

In November 1971, the Member States of FAO supported the establishment of 'World Forestry Day' and designated 21 March for the celebration of this day each year. In February 2013, the UN General Assembly acknowledged the significance of the 'International Day of Forests' and adopted a resolution calling upon FAO and the UN Forum on Forests to raise awareness at all levels on the need to strengthen the conservation, sustainable management, and development of all types of forests and trees outside forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

Environmental protection is now an imperative, forcing attention onto fuel and water conservation, soil enrichment, reforestation and organic approaches to horticulture, even at the micro level of the school backyard and the home food garden. Garden activities have been shown to improve children's attitudes to the natural environment, especially with organic approaches which generate practical understanding of the environment and its ecosystems.

The tree planting ceremonies that have taken place this week throughout the country are not only a symbolic gesture of the importance of saving our environment, but is also a concrete action of our common commitment to coalesce our collective capabilities in the aim of making a tangible impact towards environmental protection.

* Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to the Islamic Republic of Iran and to the Economic Cooperation Organization