Time to restore human relations with biodiversity
The Covid-19 pandemic is a deep and lasting shock at global level; we all know that returning to “business as usual” is not an option. It is imperative that we perceive the crisis as an opportunity to rebuild — and even improve — livelihoods in a sustainable way. High on the agenda is restoring harmony to humanity’s relationship with nature, and particularly with biodiversity.
The 2020 edition of the State of the World’s Forests report, produced in partnership by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), helps map a strategy to do that. The report examines the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
Forests are home to most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity — they provide us with a wide array of services, ranging from cleaner air and water to natural foods consumed by one billion people and cooking fuel for 2.4 billion people. Forests also have a direct impact on human survival providing more than 86 million green jobs and supporting the livelihoods of many others.
QU DONGYU & INGER ANDERSEN
