2011 has been declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations General Assembly in recognition of these ecosystems and to promote their sustainable management that contributes "significantly" to development, the eradication of poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
This is the second time that forests have been designated an International Year, the first being in 1985; since then, more than 260 million hectares have been devastated worldwide.
Seven billion people live on our planet, and forests, which account for more than 30% of the total and contain nearly 80% of the planet's biodiversity, lose 13 million hectares annually.
The causes are ALL caused by us humans: overexploitation and illegal or unsustainable logging, conversion to agricultural and livestock land, creation of human settlements, mining and oil operations, construction of reservoirs and roads, among others.
The fundamental role of human beings in protecting forests, home to 300 million people in the world, especially indigenous peoples who are also threatened, should be highlighted. In addition, forest resources are key to climate change, since deforestation represents 20% of global CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
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