International Day of Forests

International Day of Forests

Rome/FAO [ENA] Forests play a crucial role in global food systems, contributing to human nutrition in many ways: for this reason, the United Nations General Assembly resolution established the International Day of Forests on 21 December 2012. For millions of people, forests are a kind of supermarket that provides everything they need for survival: from food to medicine. On 21 March 2025, a technical session was held at the FAO

Sheikh Zayed Centre in Rome, which analyzed how forests contribute to food security and nutrition around the world. More than five billion people around the world use a huge variety of wild foods, including: fruits, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, honey and edible plants. These foods are often rich in essential nutrients and are a fundamental part of the diet of many communities, especially in rural and indigenous areas. Bushmeat and fish from forest ecosystems also contribute to the protein intake of millions of people with over 3,200 species of wild animals used as food. Central to agriculture, forests regulate water cycles, prevent erosion and maintain soil fertility, all of which are essential for agriculture,

International Day of Forests

and they are also essential for pollinators such as bees, which are essential for the production of many fruits, vegetables and nuts. They also play a vital role in mitigating climate change as they are consumers of carbon dioxide. Employment in the forestry sector generates an income of around US$661 billion (about 1% of global GDP) and around two billion people rely on wood and other traditional fuels for cooking and water sterilization, while many forest plants are used for medicinal purposes. Forests are deeply connected to the cultural practices and traditions of many indigenous communities whose traditional knowledge of forest foods

and their uses has been and is often passed down from generation to generation. Supporting community-based forest management and recognizing indigenous land rights can certainly improve food security for all while protecting forests.