Happy World Wildlife Day!
This year’s theme is “Forests and livelihoods: sustaining people and planet”.
Did you know that forests cover 31% of the Earth’s surface1? Not surprisingly, between 200 and 350 million people around the world live in or near a forested area2.
Providing food, shelter, energy, medicine and a source of income, forests and woodlands sustain the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people globally2. Deeply rooted in the history and cultural identities of many Indigenous and local communities that live in or near these forested areas, a symbiotic relationship has formed between forests and humans.
Therefore, when we lose these important ecosystems, livelihoods are put at risk. That is why it is so important that we continue to support conservation efforts and pursue sustainable practices in order to protect these essential ecosystems. Especially today, with the impacts of climate change and the stress of the current global pandemic, economic and food security is more important than ever before.
Did you know that Ontario Farmland Trust (OFT) has protected over 496 acres of natural areas with our Farmland Easement Agreements? And, many of these natural areas include forests and woodlands.
That is why we are happy to celebrate this World Wildlife Day knowing that these forests will be available for the communities and wildlife that rely on these forests to use forever.
To learn more about World Wildlife Day click here
To help OFT to continue to protect diverse habitats and ecosystems click here
References
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2020. The State of the World’s Forests. http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/
2. World Wildlife Day. 2020. About. https://www.wildlifeday.org/about