International Day of Forests 2025: Preserving Forests for Food and Sustainable Living

Every March 21, the world commemorates the International Day of Forests as a crucial moment to reflect on the vital role of forests in maintaining ecological balance, supporting life, and realizing a sustainable future. This year’s theme highlights the interconnection between “forests and global food security,” reminding us that nature conservation efforts must go hand-in-hand with adapting strategies to face modern challenges.

Forests: Source of Life and Food Security

More than just a collection of trees, forests act as the lungs of the Earth, absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They contain a variety of food sources and life-supporting elements, from fruits, nuts, and seeds to mushrooms, honey, and other essential sources of protein. In addition, forests play a crucial role in maintaining soil fertility, protecting clean water sources, and providing habitats for pollinators vital to agriculture. The biodiversity they hold is also an important genetic resource that supports food systems in adapting to various challenges.

The Challenge of Deforestation and Its Impact

Despite their strategic role, global deforestation rates continue to rise, threatening ecosystem sustainability. Agricultural expansion, such as monoculture plantations and livestock farming, illegal logging, mining, and unsustainable infrastructure development are causing the loss of vast forest areas every year, especially in tropical regions. The impacts of forest loss are wide-ranging, including:

• Climate Change: A reduced ability of the Earth to absorb carbon dioxide, accelerating global warming.
• Loss of Biodiversity: Many plant and animal species lose their habitats, disrupting ecosystem balance.
• Socio-Economic Impacts: Communities that rely on forests for their livelihoods become vulnerable to poverty and conflict due to the loss of resources.

PES: Mobilizing Communities for Conservation

Amid increasingly complex deforestation challenges, CFES supports forest preservation through Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes. Through this program, communities not only act as effective forest guardians thanks to economic appreciation and incentives, but also increase their awareness of the forest’s vital importance for their lives and future generations. This approach empowers Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) as key actors in conservation, aligned with the principle that forest protection is more successful when it involves and directly benefits the communities who live around it.

Collaboration among governments, communities, and other relevant stakeholders demonstrates that cross-sectoral synergy can offer effective solutions to deforestation. However, implementation still requires critical evaluation and adjustment to become more optimal.

Global Efforts for Forest Conservation and Restoration

Various global initiatives have been launched to combat deforestation, including:

• Sustainable Forest Management Policies: Stronger legal enforcement and regulations to prevent deforestation. Several countries have successfully reduced deforestation rates by implementing such policies.
• Community Participation: Involvement of Indigenous and local communities in forest management to integrate traditional knowledge into conservation practices though challenges in funding and managerial capacity persist.
• Technological Innovation: The use of satellite technology and digital monitoring systems to detect illegal activity and map land cover changes in real-time, providing early warnings of destructive practices.
• Public Awareness Campaigns: Efforts to increase public understanding of forests' importance for climate, biodiversity, and food security through education and media—although reaching remote areas remains a challenge.

While these initiatives reflect serious commitment, ongoing challenges remain unresolved. Funding constraints, potential conflicts of interest, and technological limitations in certain regions show that achieving meaningful change will take time. Therefore, forest conservation and restoration efforts must continue, acknowledging complex dynamics and using realistic approaches and continuous evaluation to anticipate potential obstacles amid global uncertainties.

Hope for a Sustainable Future

The International Day of Forests teaches us that forests are not only a natural heritage but also a vital asset that must be preserved for the well-being of future generations. By integrating supportive policies, technological innovations, and active community participation, we aim to reverse deforestation trends and restore forest ecosystems.

However, serious challenges still lie ahead. Every effort must be accompanied by adaptive strategies and critical assessments to avoid falling into excessive optimism. Ultimately, this day serves as a reminder that a sustainable future begins with nature. Every effort, whether small or large, has the potential to create positive impacts on the climate, biodiversity, and human life though in reality, the path to forest preservation is filled with challenges that must be overcome together.