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People across the world depend on forests for a wide range of goods and services. Some of these benefits and services, such as biodiversity and timber supplies, are well understood, but others, such as forests’ importance to the provision of clean water to towns and cities, are less widely known, according to FOREST EUROPE.
“Sustainably managed forests provide more environmental, economic and social benefits than any other land use,” said Arne Ivar Sletnes, Head of the FOREST EUROPE Liaison Unit Oslo. “Forests help to balance the climate, sequester carbon and replenish the air with vital oxygen. They produce raw materials for renewable, environmentally friendly products - wood products continue to store carbon throughout their lifetime, and can substitute for non-renewable materials and fuels. Forests are important for biological diversity. They mitigate natural disasters such as floods, droughts and avalanches, provide jobs and generate income, support rural and community development, and benefit human health through a broad range of recreation opportunities.”
“Crucially, sustainable forest management can also help to protect supplies of good-quality fresh water and cushion the effects of climate change. Water is essential to life, but its availability and quality in many regions of the world are increasingly endangered by overuse, misuse and pollution. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living with absolute water scarcity, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that two-thirds of the world's population could experience water-stress conditions.”
