Forests: A Source of Vitality for Humans and Our Planet
Forests: A source of vitality for humans and our planet
20 March 2023
The 21st March is the International Day of Forests, and the theme this year is forests and health. According to the United Nations' report on forests for human health and wellbeing, there are many ways that forests contribute towards physical, mental and spiritual health.
Firstly, forests provide natural resources used to treat illness. This is particularly important for people who primarily rely on traditional medicine, but ingredients from forests are also used in many pharmaceuticals such as some cancer and diabetes treatments.
Nutrition is also a vital factor for health, which forests support by providing diverse nutrients from fruits, vegetables, pulses and wild meat and insects. These are particularly important for communities living in rural areas which face higher levels of poverty and food insecurity. Many people also rely on firewood from forests to use for cooking food and boiling water in order to avoid diseases, as well as releasing more nutrients from food.
Another benefit from the forest which should not be overlooked is its effect on peoples' wellbeing. Many indigenous people have strong spiritual connections to forests, often relating forests' wellbeing to the wellbeing of their communities. But even for non-indigenous people, spending time in forests and woodland areas can boost health by reducing stress and obesity as well as improving factors such as birth weight, child development and immune functions.
Disruptions by humans such as changes in forest land use, deforestation, wildlife trade and reduction in biodiversity can increase the spread of diseases. For example, in the Brazilian Amazon, areas which are not environmentally protected face higher rates of malaria, acute respiratory infection and diarrhoea.
Deforestation and forest fires also reduce the number of trees and plants which are vital for absorbing carbon in the atmosphere to reduce climate change. Annually, forests sequester 7.6 billion metric tones of CO2, which is 1.5 times the amount of carbon emitted by the USA each year. It is therefore vital for human health and the health of the planet to protect forests.
What can we do?
Attitudes in businesses are changing as there is a global push towards improving sustainability and net zero goals. Supporting reforestation projects is a great way to show to stakeholders that your business is contributing towards a positive impact on nature. Creating Tomorrow's Forests is an ESGmark® community member which plants biodiverse, native forests in Somerset, UK. They are committed to long-term forest creation, reforestation and habitat creation. Feel free to check out their guest blog on the benefits of restoring biodiversity here, and reach out to them or to info@esgmark.co.uk if you are interested in working with them.
Businesses should also be careful about which products they purchase to see if they have a negative effect on forests. This should be the case for anything in the supply chain or anything around the premises of your business. For example, is the coffee in the staff room forest friendly? Could you provide forest friendly toilet paper in staff toilets?
You can also spend time enjoying forests responsibly. Since spending time in forests is so good for health and wellbeing, why not organise a work trip or individual weekend away to a nearby forest? In order to be as responsible as possible when visiting forests, you can follow the ‘leave no trace’ guidelines. They state that you should plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimise campfire impacts, respect wildlife and be considerate of others. Read more detail about their advice on their website.