World Wildlife Day celebrates forests and the people they support
As the world struggles with climate change and COVID-19, take a minute to learn more about this United Nations effort to spotlight the importance of forests.
![World Wildlife Day celebrates forests and the people they support World Wildlife Day celebrates forests and the people they support](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt521fe91c0335a57c/64ff1a57bbac7e802c58b514/world-wildlife-day-2021-2-promo.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Worldwide, 200 million to 350 million people who live in or near forests rely on those ecosystems for their livelihoods and basic needs such as food, shelter, energy and medicines, according to the United Nations. "Indigenous peoples and local communities are at the forefront of the symbiotic relationship between humans and forest, forest-dwelling wildlife species and the ecosystem services the provide. Roughly 28% of the world’s land surface is currently managed by indigenous peoples, including some of the most ecologically intact forests on the planet. These spaces are not only central to their economic and personal well-being, but also to their cultural identities," according to the World Wildlife Day website. If we allow deforestation to continue unchecked, these people could lose the resources to support their communities—and we could lose the ecosystem that supports us all.
Priority actions on poverty eradication include: —Improving access to sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurial opportunities and productive resources. —Providing universal access to basic social services. —Progressively developing social protection systems to support those who cannot support themselves. —Empowering people living in poverty and their organizations. —Addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on women. —Working with interested donors and recipients to allocate increased shares of ODA to poverty eradication. —Intensifying international cooperation for poverty eradication.
American consumers waste a lot of food. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service estimated that during 2010, 31% of the food produced "was not available for human consumption at the retail and consumer levels." As the worldwide population continues to grow—the United Nations predicts 9.3 billion by 2050—we will need more food and more affordable food to support everyone. Feeding America, a nonprofit dedicated to providing food for low-income families, found that the COVID-19 crisis has caused an additional 13.2 million Americans, a total of 50.4 million, to become food insecure since 2018. The United Nations has set out these goals to reduce the number of people who are living without regular, secure access to food: —By 2030, cut in half the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. —By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. —Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. —Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.
While every organism needs to eat, but the human diet presents significant threats to wildlife and their habitats. Fortunately, several independent organizations are helping retailers and consumers find food that is raised or grown responsibly. These four certifications specifically focus on foods, packaging and products that are produced using sustainable methods. Forest Stewardship Council—FSC labels can be found on millions of products around the world: toilet rolls, milk cartons and other food products. Retailers who stock and sell consumables with FSC labels help protect the world's forests. Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil—Sustainable palm oil production is comprised of legal, economically viable, environmentally appropriate and socially beneficial management and operations. At the heart of RSPO certification are the RSPO Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production, the global guidelines for producing palm oil sustainably. Bonsucro supports sugar cane production that includes sustainable producers and resilient supply chains. Sugar cane production should create lasting value for everyone along the supply chain, as well as the economies and eco-systems where sugar cane is grown. Rainforest Alliance fights deforestation and climate change while it works to improve working conditions for the people who live in and around the forests. Certification means the products and services support environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Because of climate change, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more devastating to communities, people and the ecosystem. In 2018 massive wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and floods affected more than 39 million people around the world. In the United States about 10,400 people died because of natural disasters that year. One of the biggest causes of greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to climate change, is the food system. "Carbon dioxide comes from many sources, such as cutting down tropical forests to make way for fields and pastures, running farm machinery, and manufacture of agrochemicals. Fertilizer also emits nitrous oxide, another greenhouse gas. And cows release methane, a powerful warming gas, in their burps and manure," Erik Stockstad wrote in Science. The United Nations established these steps to mitigate the effects of climate change: —Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. —Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. —Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
Forests can significantly reduce the risk of such natural disasters such as floods, droughts and landslides. They also mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration. Investing in forests and forestry represent an investment in people and their livelihoods, especially the rural poor, youth and women, according to the United Nations. The United Nations listed specific concerns about the Earth's ecosystem: —More than 31,000 species—27% of the species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species—face extinction. —Wildlife trafficking not only disrupts ecosystems, it contributes to epidemics and pandemics of infectious diseases such as COVID-19. —Deforestation continues at a rate of 10 million hectares of forest per year between 2015 and 2020. Most of the deforested land is used for agriculture.
Although climate change and deforestation are huge issues, one person can make a difference in mitigating them. Here are some ideas for you, your employees and your customers to consider: —Download and print an official World Wildlife Day poster to raise awareness of the issues facing our forests. —Watch and share the World Wildlife Day 2021 official video. —Live each day making the least negative effect possible on the environment, wildlife or the planet's biodiversity. —Encourage your local schools, clubs, governments and businesses to discuss wildlife conservation and how your community can help. —Learn about the forests and wildlife ecosystems near you and find out what efforts indigenous communities and others are making to preserve them. —Donate to conservation projects. —Form a partnership with a school, parks and recreation department, museum or aquarium to share information about the planet and our environment. Read more about conservation and sustainability issue, starting with these recommendations: —"4 ways retailers can curb food waste" at NewHope.com. —The Associated Press series, "Fruits of Labor," examines the labor abuses—including child labor—connected with the palm oil industry. —"Chocolate companies sell ‘certified cocoa.’ But some of those farms use child labor, harm forests" in The Washington Post, from 2019. —National Public Radio's "Diversifying crops is good for the planet. But can it be good for farmers' wallets?" —Also from NewHope.com, "Transitioning to regenerative agriculture is necessary—here's how to get started now."
Although climate change and deforestation are huge issues, one person can make a difference in mitigating them. Here are some ideas for you, your employees and your customers to consider: —Download and print an official World Wildlife Day poster to raise awareness of the issues facing our forests. —Watch and share the World Wildlife Day 2021 official video. —Live each day making the least negative effect possible on the environment, wildlife or the planet's biodiversity. —Encourage your local schools, clubs, governments and businesses to discuss wildlife conservation and how your community can help. —Learn about the forests and wildlife ecosystems near you and find out what efforts indigenous communities and others are making to preserve them. —Donate to conservation projects. —Form a partnership with a school, parks and recreation department, museum or aquarium to share information about the planet and our environment. Read more about conservation and sustainability issue, starting with these recommendations: —"4 ways retailers can curb food waste" at NewHope.com. —The Associated Press series, "Fruits of Labor," examines the labor abuses—including child labor—connected with the palm oil industry. —"Chocolate companies sell ‘certified cocoa.’ But some of those farms use child labor, harm forests" in The Washington Post, from 2019. —National Public Radio's "Diversifying crops is good for the planet. But can it be good for farmers' wallets?" —Also from NewHope.com, "Transitioning to regenerative agriculture is necessary—here's how to get started now."
In December 2013, the United Nations General Assembly designated March 3 as World Wildlife Day to raise awareness of the wild animals and plants that inhabit our planet.
This year's theme, Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and the Planet, highlights the relationship between forest ecosystems and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on the forests for their basic needs and livelihoods.
In addition, 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity—plants, animals, fungi and bacteria—lives in forests. Among the different types of forests is the tropical rainforest, the most biologically diverse and complex forests we have, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
It's unlikely you'll hike into the woods for a tea party with some squirrels and rabbits on March 3, but you can learn more about World Wildlife Day and ways to support these ecosystems and communities.
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