INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS
Every year on March 21st, the world celebrates International Day of Forests or World Forestry Day. This date was first established in 1971 at the initiative of the European Confederation of Agriculture and supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The selection of this date holds deep significance, as March 21st marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal/vernal equinox. In 2012, the UN General Assembly officially confirmed this date, transforming it into a global platform to draw public attention to the value of forests and the necessity of protecting them.
Forests are the ecological, social, and economic pillars of the planet. They: regulate climate temperatures. provide us with clean oxygen, absorb harmful substances and preserve water resources and serve as the sole home for thousands of animal and plant species.
Unfortunately, throughout human history, forest areas have consistently declined. According to data, 26 million km² of forest area has been destroyed due to human activity over the last ten thousand years. The reduction of forests is not just an economic loss; it leads to soil erosion, a decrease in biodiversity, and an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, ultimately threatening the living potential of humanity.
Russia is one of the owners of the world's largest forest resources. According to international expert estimates, approximately 2/9 of the world's forest areas and timber reserves belong to Russia. This establishes the country's forests not merely as a source of raw materials, but as an integral part of the global biosphere that maintains the oxygen-carbon balance of the entire world.
For this reason, concrete actions are being implemented to preserve forests. Protecting forests is not just a state program; it is the sacred duty of each of us to leave a green and healthy planet as a legacy for future generations.
Yklym ATAYEV,
the 1st-year student of the Faculty of International Law
of the Institute of International Relations
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.