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Add to Preferred SourcesFAO marked the International Day of Forests by announcing two new forestry education initiatives aimed at raising awareness among children and young people on the sustainable use and conservation of forests.
The two projects, funded by Germany with over $2 million, will address major challenges in forestry education and will help increase understanding of forests among the general public.
“Education is a critical step to safeguarding natural resources for future generations. It is essential for children to learn about forests at an early age,” said José Graziano da Silva, FAO’s Director-General.
The theme of this year’s International Day of Forests – “Forests and education – underscores the importance of education at all levels in achieving sustainable forest management.
“Forests help to keep air, soil, water and people healthy. And they play a vital role in addressing some of the greatest challenges we face such as tackling climate change and ending hunger,” Graziano da Silva said.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is that there is a lack of understanding of the many ways in which forests give back to global society, compounded by a growing disconnect, particularly in urban areas, between people and nature. FAO stresses that this issue needs to be challenged and reversed and that it can be done through education.
However, at present, education about forests is often inadequate and is not able to address emerging challenges. Fewer young people study forestry at university or college, and even fewer primary and secondary schools include forest education in their changing curriculum. When forest education is offered, it often fails to take into account forests’ multi-functional role.
This is why FAO and partners are working to raise awareness about issues threatening our forests and strive to support the creation of comprehensive forestry education programmes and rural vocational schools that can skill professionals to deal with the complex challenges and opportunities that the forest sector will continue to face.
Educating children on sustainable forest use and conservation in Tanzania and the Philippines
One of the projects announced on the International Day of Forests aims to increase forest literacy and the need to manage forests sustainably among children aged 9-12 in Tanzania and the Philippines.
Funded by Germany with over $1 million, the three-year-project will develop forest education modules based on an interactive, experiential, forest-based learning approach, and will then make these materials available for further adaptation and use around the world via a dedicated website. The materials and lessons learned will be also disseminated during key forestry events.
Original source: FAO
Published on 21 March 2019