21 March 2023
International Forest Day 2023: Forests and Health
The 21st of March is International Forest Day. In 2023, the theme for this day is forests and health. This theme echoes the concept of "One Health" which has come back into the spotlight with the COVID-19 crisis.
The United Nations, through its Forum for Forests – UNFF, determines the theme for the International Day of Forests, which takes place on 21 March each year.
This year’s theme is “Healthy forests for healthy people”.
It echoes the concept of “One Health” developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This concept is based on the idea that human health, at local, national and global levels, is closely linked to the health of animals and ecosystems.
Forests provide many benefits to our physical and mental health, as well as to the health of our planet (water and air purification, sustainable natural resources for food, medicines, raw materials, disease control, …). They are also the habitat of many species of fauna and flora and it is estimated that they host 80% of terrestrial biodiversity. Preserving them and managing their resources in a sustainable way therefore contributes to the well-being of current and future generations.
This is why one of the projects of the Varuna programme, supported by the Centre international pour la recherche agronomique et le développement (CIRAD) aims to strengthen the synergies between conservation and development of forest biodiversity in the Indian Ocean, on three pilot sites in Madagascar and the Union of Comoros. This is the Varuna – Living Forest project, which is developing Living Labs in order to bring together the various stakeholders in a given territory in an integrated forest management approach.
The UNFF will decide on the theme of the 2024 International Forest Day at its next session, to be held from 8 to 12 May 2023.
