{"id":981,"date":"2023-03-22T13:05:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T11:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatervirunga.org\/?p=981"},"modified":"2023-03-22T13:05:55","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T11:05:55","slug":"international-day-of-forests-21-march-2023-statement-of-the-executive-secretary-of-the-convention-on-biological-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatervirunga.org\/international-day-of-forests-21-march-2023-statement-of-the-executive-secretary-of-the-convention-on-biological-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"International Day of Forests 21 March 2023, Statement of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\nForests provide clean air and water, and regulate our climate and weather. We depend on forests for food, energy, shelter, income, and medicine; over 1.6 billion people directly, including 60 million indigenous people. Forests and trees reduce air pollution and heat exposure. Walking in forests can boost our immune systems and improve mental health. And as more and more people live in cities, healthy urban forests are increasingly important for their well-being.<\/p>\n
Forest ecosystems also provide more than 86 million green jobs globally. And more than three quarters of the world\u00b4s species are found in forests. But currently,\u00a0 forests ecosystems are being destroyed and biodiversity is being lost. This undermines sustainable development and poses risks for our health. For example, by encroaching on natural ecosystems, we\u00b4ve increased opportunities for transmission of zoonotic diseases and risks of pandemics.<\/p>\n