IDF: Healthy Forests for Healthy People!

On 22 March, a press conference dedicated to the International Day of Forests (IDF) 2023 was held at the TASS press centre. “Healthy Forests for Healthy People!” is the slogan of IDF this year. "At our meeting, an important topic will be touched upon, namely the importance of forests as a key ecosystem of the planet," said Victoria Kladieva, TV host at the TASS press service, in her opening speech.

“Experts talk about the need to step up activities to protect and restore forests both at the state and the international levels,” the moderator emphasized.

“At the beginning of the twenty-first century, it has become clear that the well-being of people depends on the forests’ health. In this regard, we need not only to make legislative decisions, but also to establish control over the conservation and use of forests,” said Vyacheslav Fetisov, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Ecology, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, Chairman of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation.

“The human mind is present in this area, but everything related to economic development blurs our vision. This balance must be maintained, and reforestation must be a priority. The time has come, according to Vyacheslav Fetisov, to create the Ministry of Forestry with the appointment of a deputy prime minister in charge of this area. It is necessary to acquire such a public policy instrument.”

“Discussion of all projects related to deforestation should take place at venues of public organizations. They should be involved as much as possible both in the control of tree planting and in the prevention of forest fires. It should be borne in mind that without forests there can be no water, and without water there are no forests. We need to maintain this balance, since the well-being of our country depends on it,” concluded Vyacheslav Fetisov.

Speaking about measures to preserve green areas, Alexander Panfilov, Deputy Head of the Federal Forestry Agency, noted, in particular, that there are sectoral mechanisms for forestry that operate in Russia: programmes and strategic federal-level documents. “We are taking measures to increase funding for the protection of forests from fires. A federal project aimed at conserving forests is being implemented, thanks to which the technical equipment of the country’s forestry is reaching a fundamentally new level. The task is to ensure 100% reproduction of forests. I would like to note that thanks to the work of foresters and volunteers, in 2022, we even exceeded the target for forest restoration.”

“With the coming of calendar spring, the fire season begins,” Alexander Panfilov continued. “Above all, it is important to prevent forest fires, and in suburban forests it is especially important to prevent their occurrence. The safety of our forests largely depends on us.”

Alexander Panfilov also mentioned such an issue as insect pests, outbreaks of which are provoked by climate change, among other things. Rosleskhoz has established a remote monitoring system designed to collect data about the emergence, reproduction and migration of pests and diseases. To combat them, “preference is given to low-toxic biological substances that are highly environmentally friendly,” said the deputy head of Rosleskhoz.

Forest legislation allows the construction of modern recreation centres, children’s health camps, glampings, and forest trails for skiing or cycling on leased forest plots.

“Ensuring a balance between the conservation of forest ecosystems and the development of recreation opportunities in the forests for the population is a big cross-sectoral task,” said Alexander Panfilov. “The construction of health centres, children’s camps and spa retreats is possible in specially designated forest areas intended for recreational activities. In 2021, the list of tourist facilities for construction in exploitable and reserve forests was expanded. Despite this expansion, logging of stand zones for recreational activities is still prohibited, and recreational facilities must be established without damaging forest resources,” A. Panfilov emphasized.

“Forests are a vital source of food and nutrition,” said Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation, in his speech. “Nearly a billion people around the world depend on the collection and harvesting of wildlife food products such as herbs, fruit, nuts, meat and insects that are elements of a healthy diet. It is estimated that in some remote tropical areas, bushmeat consumption covers from 60 to 80% of the daily protein requirement.”

“Forests are natural pharmacies. About 50 000 plant species, many of which grow in forests, have medicinal value,” continued the head of the FAO Moscow office. “Local communities use medicines of forest origin to treat a wide range of diseases, and many common pharmaceuticals are derived from forest plants.

Healthy forests protect us from diseases. Forests have traditionally served as a natural barrier to the transmission of diseases between animals and humans, but with continued deforestation, the risk of disease transmission from animals to humans is increasing.

Forests enhance our mental and physical health. Being in the forests makes positive emotions stronger and reduces stress, blood pressure, depression, fatigue, anxiety and tension. In cities, trees help protect urban dwellers from respiratory diseases by absorbing pollutant gases from traffic and industry and filtering out such fine particles as dust, dirt and smoke.

Forests play a major role in combating the biggest health threat facing humanity which is climate change. Healthy forests help curb global warming: forests store 662 billion tonnes of carbon, more than half of the global carbon stocks found in soils and vegetation.

Forests and green spaces also help mitigate the effects of heat and extreme weather events caused by climate change and representing a major global health problem. Thus, properly planted trees around buildings cool the air and can reduce the need for air conditioning by up to 30%, which also saves energy,” shared Oleg Kobiakov. 

“Through concerted global efforts, we can reduce deforestation and forest degradation, increase the resilience of forests and improve the ecosystem that is important for people and the planet,” said Oleg Kobiakov in his closing remarks. “Let us make forests a core value of our vision for more efficient, more inclusive, more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.”

The press conference was also attended (online) by the Deputy Head of the Forestry Agency of the Kamchatka Territory A.V. Lebedko.

You could watch the press conference at the following link.

THE BACKGROUND

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March the International Day of Forests (IDF). This day is celebrated to commemorate the importance of all types of forests and to raise awareness of their role.

Each International Day of Forests is held to support the efforts of countries at the local, national and international levels to organize activities related to forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns. The theme for each International Day of Forests is chosen by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.