International Day of the Forests is being commemorated on Sunday in Monaco with events including a free organised walk covering the loop from Mont-Gros to Roquebrune Cap-Martin.
Sunday 21st March is International Day of the Forests, and to celebrate the Urban Planning Department and the National Forestry Office (ONF) are organising events related to forestry and trees.
The highlight is guided tours from Mont-Gros to Roquebrune Cap-Martin, a two hour hike of approximately 3.7 kilometres, with a rise to a summit of 1.7 kilometres above sea level.
The tours will give visitors a chance to discover the new changes recently made to this natural site by the ONF and the Principality, such as an insect hotel, a water mirror, and an arboretum.
There are two opportunities to join. The walks take place at 9:30am and 4:30pm, are free, but space is limited and reservations are required.
Additionally, there will be a workshop to explain the latest actions undertaken by Monaco and the ONF. They will be held at the entry to the Jardins Saint-Martin in Monaco Ville. The public is invited to be a part of activities related to forest and tree heritage, and these too are free and open to all.
The International Day of the Forest is a yearly event sponsored by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations. Since 2012, the day is meant to celebrate the importance of forests as integral parts of our ecosystems. Nations are encouraged to “undertake local, national and international efforts” involving forests and trees, such as tree-planting campaigns and public awareness events.
Themes are chosen each year and in 2021 the theme is ‘Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being’.
Sustainable forest management helps combat climate change and contributes to prosperity through job creation, as well as producing goods and services for sustainable development. Roughly 1.6 billion people depend on forests for food, shelter, energy, income and medicines, and 80% of the world’s land-living organisms reside in forests.
At present, the world loses 10 million hectares of forest each year, equal to the size of Iceland, accounting for 12% to 20% of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Deforestation has also degraded about two billion hectares of land, an area larger than South America.
For those unable to attend the local events, other ways to participate can be found at http://www.fao.org/international-day-of-forests/en/
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