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The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests.

The UN cites a number of statistics that demonstrate the importance of forests to human health and wellbeing:

• Forests cover 31% of total land area.
• The livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people depend on forests.
• Forests are home to 300 million people around the world.
• Forests are home to 80% of our terrestrial biodiversity.
vCurrently deforestation globally accounts for about 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions, which is greater than the entire transport sector around the world.

To find out more about events being organised throughout the International Year of the Forest, or to share information about how you plan to celebrate 'forests for people' during 2011, visit the UN International Year of Forests website at www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/

Image: Burawan State Forest, courtesy of the Forestry Corporation.

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