Reconnecting people with Nature – starting with Forests in Cities on International Day of Forests

Forests cover one third of the Earth's land mass and host more than 80% of the animals, insects and plants on land. They perform vital functions, providing food, shelter, energy, medicines, oxygen and so much more to us. On International Day of Forests (21 March), we celebrate how forests protect and sustain us.

The #ForestCityProject, launched in 2016 by Revolve Media, raises awareness on the importance of forests, and in particular as a place for us to reconnect with nature. In the context of this project, for which UN Environment is a Knowledge partner, and to celebrate International Day of Forests, Revolve media organized a conference highlighting this Year’s theme on 'wood and energy'. The event, hosted by Member of European Parliament Paul Brannen, brought together over 150 policymakers, representatives from civil society and private sector and academia, to discuss the value of wood as a source of innovation and boost to the bio-economy. 

In the sidelines of the conference, UN Environment and the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), organized a tree ceremony attended by the speakers of the conference, Revolve Media and key partner organisations. Carlos Jimenez, UNRIC Desk Officer for Spain and Andorra, and Thierry Lucas, UN Environment Ecosystems Management Regional Sub-programme Coordinator for Europe, highlighted the importance of trees and forests for our physical and mental health, for biodiversity, for the livelihoods of millions of people around the word, and recalled the need to protect them and restore the forests around the world.

The young tree, which symbolically stood on that day in the middle of the #ForestCityProject exhibition cubes that are displaying other trees, received from UNRIC a sign indicating ‘Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Life on Land)', 'Tree at Work.’ This, in a bid to revalue nature in this urban, concrete, surrounding, and invite people passing by to ‘reconnect with nature,’ the theme of World Environment Day 2017. Hence, the exhibition which includes images from UN Environment will be on display in the Parc du Cinquantennaire of Brussels up to the World Environment Day on June 5th to inspire people to go out there, find the trees, find the forest, the wild... and rediscover what nature brings to us. 

The presentations of the Value of Wood Forum, as well as more blogs and photos on these events can be found here. 

You will also find a blog article from Tim Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer, Forests and Climate Change and Forest engineer at UN Environment here, and an article by Mette Wilkie, UN Environment Director of the Division for Environmental Policy Implementation in the spring issue of Revolve Magazine .