Forests for People

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The International Year of Forests, 2011:

inspiring action

Jan McAlpine, Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat

he International Year of Forests, 2011 (Forests 2011) is

truly a historic first. It is a testament to rising visibility of

forests in global policy discussions; as Secretary-General

Ban Ki-Moon stated: “By declaring 2011 as the International

Year of Forests, the United Nations General Assembly has

created an important platform to educate the global commu-

nity about the great value of forests – and the extreme social,

economic and environmental costs of losing them.”

Forests cover one third of the Earth’s land area, providing vital

habitat, goods and services that sustain people and ecosystems.

Historically, how people interact with forests has been a reflec-

tion of our complex and at times contentious relationship with

our natural environment. Since the first Earth Summit in Rio in

1992 – where forests were valued largely for their environmental

benefits – our understanding of forests has broadened to recognize

the equally important role of forests in providing economic, social

and cultural benefits.

At the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), this holistic

perspective is the driving force behind policy discussions that high-

light the need for a cross-sectoral, cross-institutional 360-degree

perspective on forests. Sustainable forest management

is not ‘one size fits all’; it is a dynamic and evolving

concept, carried out through diverse methods and strat-

egies implemented on the ground, many of which are

described in this book. The common thread in all of

these stories is the shared focus on maintaining and

enhancing the full spectrum of economic, social and

environmental value of all types of forests, for the

benefit of present and future generations.

It is estimated that 1.6 billion people, a quarter of the

world’s population and many of them the poorest of the

poor, depend on forests for their livelihoods and basic

subsistence needs. Forests provide a large proportion of

rural income, gross domestic product (GDP), food and

medicine and they frame the cultural identity of commu-

nities. Forests provide opportunities for ecosystem-based

adaptation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and for

carbon sequestration. They reduce soil erosion, protect

watersheds, and stabilize and enhance soils. Forests

are vital to maintaining land productivity and restor-

ing degraded lands. Globally, it is estimated that over

The well-being of everyone, both economic and spiritual, is intertwined with the health of our forest ecosystems

Image: UNFFS