Every year, the world celebrates International Day of Forests (IDF) on March 21, to raise awareness of these critical ecosystems. Forests are home to about 80% of global terrestrial biodiversity, including nearly two thirds of all bird species, of which 996 species are globally threatened.
Further, forests provide critical ecosystem services including food, water purification, and climate change mitigation, while about 1.6 billion people around the world rely on them for livelihoods.
According to the 2020 FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment, the world’s total forest area is about four billion hectares, translating to about 31% of the world’s total land area. However, they are fast disappearing, with around 10 million hectares of forests being lost every year.
According to statistics, tropical Africa has lost about 22% of its forested area since the 1900s. Between 2015 and 2020, the continent’s deforestation rate stood at 4.41 million hectares annually. Major drivers of deforestation on the continent include agriculture, infrastructure developments, and mining among others.
This year’s IDF theme is Forests and Foods, highlighting the vital role that forests play in food security, nutrition and livelihoods. Consequently, concerted efforts are required to safeguard forests. One of the ways to do this is by involving local communities who are the custodians of these resources. Through community forestry – a participatory approach to forest conservation and management, where local communities play a key role in decision making and benefit sharing – multiple environmental, social and economic benefits can be realised.
According to the International Tree Foundation, research conducted in 16 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America showed that government-managed protected areas lost on average 1.47% of forest cover annually, compared to 0.24% in community managed forests, underlining the effectiveness of this approach.
Across Africa, BirdLife International, the world’s largest partnership of nature conservation organisations is working with partners across the continent through Community Forests Associations (CFAs) models. In Liberia and Sierra Leone, BirdLife partners are collaborating with local communities to manage and conserve, the 370,000 ha Gola Forest – the largest remaining block of Upper Guinean Forest, straddling the border of the two countries.
In Rwanda, Cote Ivoire, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Kenya, BirdLife Partners are involved in the restoration of approximately 3,000 hectares of degraded forest areas as part of the TerraFund for AFR100 Initiative. The AFR100 initiative is a commitment by African governments to restore 100 million hectares of land as a contribution to the Bonn Challenge and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The Bonn Challenge is a global commitment by governments to bring 350 million hectares of degraded land under restoration by 2030. This initiative also aims at reversing deforestation and land degradation to fight climate change while boosting food security and helping rural communities thrive
Restoration at scale is vital. One such example is Trillion Trees, a partnership between BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), which aims at growing one trillion trees around the globe including in Kenya and Uganda. The use of technology is increasingly becoming critical for forest management and conservation. Technology including satellite technology, remote sensing, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI) among others are revolutionising forest conservation efforts world over.
Further, establishing partnerships and linkages with governments and the private sector can help achieve forest restoration targets, especially through strengthening policy and mobilizing private sector investments. As we celebrate the International Day of Forests, let us do more to protect our forests for a healthier world.
George Ilebo is the Africa Forests Programme Coordinator at BirdLife International; Email: george.ilebo@birdlife.org