Forests for People

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Dr Jacques Diouf, director-general,

Food and AgriculturE Organization of the United Nations

As a key component of the global ecosystem, forests cover one third of Earth’s land surface, regulate water cycles

and climate and are home to 60-80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity and hundreds of millions of people.

Forests play a critical role in achieving food security and sustainable development. Foods from forests, such as

leaves, fruits, seeds and nuts, provide a critical part of nutritionally poor diets. The collection, processing and sale

of forest products, if handled in a sustainable way and promoted through small forest enterprises, can provide

income-generating opportunities to people in forest-rich remote rural areas. Moreover, forests contribute to the

provision of biodiversity, decrease soil erosion and protect from natural disasters, as well as providing us with

clean water – important benefits that are often not quantified.

Forests also have fundamental social functions, such as empowerment, education and health. A natural

resource that offers us so many benefits deserves special attention in our quest for sustainable development.

Forest restoration and sustainable forest management can provide a workable solution to using and preserving

the world’s forests in the long term, to help ensure forests truly remain a key resource for people. Practising

sustainable forest management will help make the world’s poorest more food secure and better able to live in

sustainable, resilient environments. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ work on the

management and protection of all types of forests addresses these challenges to unlock forests’ full contribution

to sustainable development.

Dr Jacques Diouf

Director-General

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations