New York: Under increasing threat from the unsustainable use of forest resources and wildlife trafficking, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for people and governments everywhere to step up efforts to protect forests and support forest communities.
"In so doing, we will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for people, planet and prosperity," Guterres said in a message commemorating World Wildlife Day.
Highlighting the benefits of forests, home to about 80 per cent of all terrestrial wild species, Guterres explained that forests help regulate the climate and support the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.
In addition, forests resources support, in one way or another, about 90 per cent of the world’s poorest people, a fact especially true for indigenous communities that live in or near them.
"They provide livelihoods and cultural identity," the UN chief continued.
However, unsustainable exploitation of forests harms these communities and contributes to biodiversity loss and climate disruption, he added.
Every year, unsustainable agriculture, timber trafficking, organized crime and illegal trade in wild animal species, costs the world about 4.7 million hectares of forests – an area larger than Denmark.
The latter also raises the risk of zoonotic diseases, such as Ebola and covid-19, Guterres said.
"So, on this year's World Wildlife Day, I urge governments, businesses and people everywhere to scale up efforts to conserve forests and forest species, and to support and listen to the voices of forest communities," he said.
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