2012年12月21日，第67届联合国大会通过决议，确定每年3月21日为“国际森林日”，英文名称为“ International Day of Forests”。今年国际森林日的主题是：森林和生物多样性。
联合国秘书长古特雷斯2020年国际森林日致辞：
Message on the International Day of Forests
2020年国际森林日致辞
Forests cover some 30 per cent of our planet’s land area and are home to 80 per cent of all terrestrial species. The ecosystem services they provide to humanity range from purifying air and water to producing foods, medicines and wood and paper products. Forests sustain essential watersheds and influence the global climate and rainfall patterns.
森林占地球陆地面积的30%，是80%陆地物种的栖身之地。森林为人类提供各种生态系统服务，从净化空气和水到提供食品、药品、木材和纸制品不一而足。森林蕴育了重要的分水岭，影响着全球气候和降雨模式。
Forests also act as important carbon sinks, absorbing about 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Sustainably managing forests is therefore critical for closing the emissions gap and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels.
森林还发挥重要的碳汇作用，每年吸收大约20亿吨二氧化碳。因此，森林可持续管理对于缩小排放差距、将全球平均温升限制在比实现工业化前高1.5摄氏度之内至关重要。
Given the vital role of forests in capturing carbon dioxide, it is alarming that forests are increasingly victims of drought conditions induced by climate change. The past year has seen enormous forest fires, from the Canadian Arctic and Siberia to California and Australia. As well as heart-breaking losses of lives, homes and livelihoods in populated areas, these fires have been responsible for massive carbon dioxide emissions.
森林在捕获二氧化碳方面有着重要作用，但令人担忧的是，气候变化引发的干旱越来越多地殃及森林。过去的一年来，加拿大北极地区、西伯利亚乃至加利福尼亚洲和澳大利亚都发生了严重的森林大火。人口稠密地区的生命、家园和生计损失令人心碎，这些火灾导致大量的二氧化碳排放。
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentrecognizes the vital role of forests for our future. In 2017, the first United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 was adopted by the UN General Assembly. The Plan includes a set of six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be achieved by 2030. These targets are laudable, but we are not on track.
《2030年可持续发展议程》确认了森林对人类未来的重要作用。2017年，联合国大会首次通过了《2030年联合国森林问题战略计划》。该计划提出了要在2030年之前实现的六项全球森林目标和26项相关具体目标。这些具体目标值得称赞，但我们还没有步入正轨。
Deforestation is mainly caused by the conversion of habitats for large-scale agriculture. Increasing agricultural production without replacing natural forests is a key challenge. Over the past 25 years, the annual rate of net global deforestation has slowed by over 50 per cent, which is a credit to the efforts of governments and other stakeholders working to sustainably manage forests. Yet, vast areas of forest continue to be lost.
大规模农业改变生存环境是毁林的主要原因。既要增加农业产量又不能挤占天然林是一大难题。过去25年来，由于各国政府和从事可持续森林管理的其他利益攸关方所做的努力，全球毁林净年率下降了50%以上。然而，大片森林仍在不断丧失。
This year’s International Day of Forests highlights the connections between forests and the rich biodiversity they support. Last year, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services sounded the alarm that the health of our ecosystems was declining at unprecedented speed and species extinction rates were accelerating. We must act quickly to reverse this. Safeguarding forests is part of the solution.
今年的国际森林日彰显森林与其所支持的丰富生物多样性息息相关。去年，生物多样性和生态系统服务政府间科学政策平台敲响了警钟，警示地球生态系统正在以前所未有的速度恶化，物种灭绝不断加快。我们必须迅速行动起来，扭转这一局面。保护森林就是这个解决方案的一部分。
2020 has been referred to as a “Nature Super Year” and must be the year where we turn the tide on deforestation and forestry loss. The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversityin October aims to adopt a Global Post-2020 Framework for Biodiversity. This framework must comprise new ambitious targets to protect nature and address the underlying drivers of nature loss, coupled with robust implementation and financing mechanisms.
2020年被称为“自然超级年”，我们一定要在这一年扭转森林砍伐和森林丧失的趋势。定于10月份举行的生物多样性公约缔约方大会第15次会议力求通过一份2020年后全球生物多样性框架。这个框架一定包含新的宏伟具体目标，致力于保护自然并消除造成自然损失的根源，同时规定强有力的实施办法和融资机制。
Our global environment is being degraded by our unstainable choices. The way, we consume natural resources is accelerating biodiversity loss and exacerbating climate change. On this International Day, I urge all governments, businesses and civil society to take urgent action to halt deforestation and restore degraded forests, so future generations can enjoy a greener, healthier future.
由于我们的一些不可持续的选择，当前全球环境不断恶化。我们消耗自然资源的方式正在加速生物多样性的丧失，造成更严重的气候变化。值此国际日之际，我敦促所有政府、企业和民间社会采取紧急行动，制止毁林，恢复已退化的森林，使今后世代享有更加葱郁、更加健康的未来。
编者按：
今年国际森林日，世界各地的人们都在抗击COVID-19疫情。专家称，此次疫情来源于野生动物。在《血疫：埃博拉的故事》中，作者将病毒看作地球的工具，当地球察觉到人类的僭越行为时，就会用病毒来对人类做出免疫反应。不论是食用野生动物，或是用作玩赏、杂技、放生等用途都会对野生动物造成影响，甚至间接导致它们灭绝。孙思邈在《大医精诚》中说：夫杀生求生，去生更远。希望在人们在此次疫情能得到教训：保护生物多样性，不去破坏野生动物赖以生存的森林家园，与自然和谐共生。
文字来源：百度百科 联合国粮食与农业组织 英文巴士
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