World destroys 7 million hectares of forests per year, says UN

Protecting forests generates benefits in several areas. From poverty reduction to quality education. From promoting decent jobs to gender equality.

Furthermore, preserving forests contributes to the goals of combating climate change, especially in carbon sequestration, mitigation and adaptation. These ecosystems reduce floods, landslides, avalanches, sandstorms and other natural disasters.

What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration refers to the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere in order to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and mitigate the effects of global warming. This is done through a variety of techniques, including storage in geological reservoirs, use in industrial processes and agriculture, and capture and storage in forests and oceans.

Forests at risk

When speaking at the Fórum, the Under-Secretary-General of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, stated that forests are at risk. AND the expansion of commercial agriculture is responsible for most deforestation.

According to the Department, zoonotic diseases represent 75% of all emerging infectious diseases and often occur when natural landscapes, such as forests, are deforested.

The agency estimates that 2 billion hectares of degraded land around the world has the potential to be restored.

Revitalizing degraded forests is key to achieving the UN target of increasing global forest area by 3% by 2030.

This would also help countries create new jobs, prevent soil erosion, protect watersheds, mitigate climate change and safeguard the biodiversity.

(With UN News)

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