FAO interacts with students on International Day of Forests

FAO’s Liaison Office with the Russian Federation team held an interactive video conference with students of the Law Institute of the Vyatka State University (VyatSU), dedicated to the International Day of Forests (IDF).

The theme of this year’s IDF is “Learn to Love Forests!” By investing in forestry education, we can make our world a better place to live. It will facilitate developing a cadre of scientists, policy makers, foresters and local communities who can address the challenges of combating climate change and its impacts, while ensuring that both today’s and future generations have forests and lands that are rich in biodiversity, secure sources of food, water and fuel.

The initiative of the video conference came from Assistant Professor of the Department of Theory and History of the Law Institute Dr. Yelena Gordeeva.

In his opening remarks, Aghasi Harutyunyan, Officer-in-Charge of the FAO Office, presented to the student audience an overview of the activities of FAO as a specialized UN agency. The main emphasis was placed on the fact that FAO produces and distributes valuable information products – global and regional analyses of the state of food security, agriculture and natural resources, among others.

“We act as a bridge between different partners with profound knowledge and experience, and we facilitate dialogue among those who possess such knowhow and those who are in need of it. By transforming knowhow into action, FAO contributes to the establishment of mutually beneficial links and bonds between local, national, regional and global initiatives,” Harutyunyan underlined.

In turn, Vladimir Mikheev, communication specialist of the FAO Office, reflected on the causes of the reduction of forest areas (deforestation). The list includes: spread of areas earmarked for agricultural purposes (slash farming, unauthorized development and seizure of land, as well as grazing); harvesting of forest products, including wood fuel; social factors, in particular demographic growth, poverty, new settlements, and industrial development.

Among the key factors that affect forestlands, the following stand out: population growth and changing diets; trends in development of agriculture, for example, changing market conditions, technological progress and active policies; security of tenure and regulation of land-use changes.

The videoconference culminated in a quiz for future lawyers, ecologists, specialists on forestry. As noted by Yelena Gordeeva, ”every second about half of a football field of forests in the world irretrievably disappears. This is a very high rate of deforestation. At this rate, humanity risks losing all the existing forests in a few hundred years! Therefore, now more than ever, it is important to pay attention to the values that are universal – the preservation of forests and the preservation of the natural environment.”

Twelve students were awarded letters of appreciation on behalf of the FAO Liaison Office with two of the best performers, Ulyana Sergeeva and Artem Bessolitsyn, receiving special commendations.