Forests for People

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problem of forest fires is being introduced to the young population

through educational institutions and specially tailored programmes

and activities, with the purpose of raising awareness and norms of

behaviour from the earliest age to avoid and minimize future damage

by forest fire.

Following international commitments, along with its own initia-

tives and interests, the Republic of Croatia has developed a national

ecological network which represents a system of interconnected

and contiguous environmentally important areas that significantly

contribute to the preservation of natural balance and biodiversity

through their balanced biogeographical distribution. In such an

ecological network, forest ecosystems with extremely rich biodiver-

sity are fundamentally important elements.

A branch of the Croatian Forest Society – a non-governmental

institution founded by foresters in order to protect the interests

of the profession, achieve optimal economic development, and

preserve the environment and general quality of life – organized

exhibitions of photos entitled ‘Forest through the Eyes of a Forester’.

The initiative sprang out of the love of humans toward forests and

the wish to raise awareness among the general public about the

value and benefits of forests. The exhibition emphasized the impor-

tance of forests, water, air and environment as seen through the

camera lens of foresters and amateur photographers. Starting off as

a modest and amateur exhibition, it has achieved the status of an

internationally acclaimed exhibition at which authors from a dozen

different countries exhibit their work. ‘Forest through the Eyes of

a Forester’ reached its peak and acclamation with a display at the

UN headquarters in New York at the official opening ceremony of

the International Year of Forests, 2011, in the ninth UNFF session.

To facilitate the efforts of the international community, and also

to convey its own experiences and understanding of the importance

of forests for humans, the Republic of Croatia launched the initiative

to declare the International Year of Forests in the fifth

UNFF session in 2005, which the Resolution 61/193

of the UN General Assembly enacted on 20 December

2006. With the whole world celebrating 2011 as the

International Year of Forests, the Republic of Croatia

is especially proud that forests are getting the attention

they deserve on a global level, knowing that the way

forests are treated in any part of our planet affects the

quality of life for each human on Earth.

Culture of

Pinus halepensis

Kinopokus workshop

Image: Tomislav Lukši

Image: Gordana Bajurin, Kinookus Food Film Festival

School children’s drawings on the theme of forest fires

Image: Ministry of Regional Development, Forestry and Water Management