ITTO Executive Director's video message for the International Day of Forests 2025

Video Message by Ms Sheam Satkuru
Executive Director, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO)
International Day of Forests 2025: Forests and Foods

The ITTO offers its warmest congratulations to everyone who is active and works in the sustainable forestry sector. The International Day of Forests 2025 highlights the essential connection between forests and food security, nutrition and livelihoods. Beyond providing food, fuel and income, forests play a vital role in sustaining ecosystems, enriching soil fertility, safeguarding water resources and offering habitats for biodiversity, including crucial pollinators.

They are indispensable for forest-dependent communities, especially Indigenous peoples, and contribute significantly to climate change mitigation by sequestering and storing carbon. Over 5 billion people worldwide rely on forests and non-timber forest products for food, medicine and socio-economic well-being. Trees and forests supply a variety of nutritious resources including nuts, fruits, seeds, roots, tubers, leaves, mushrooms, honey, wild meat and insects.

The list appears endless. These are all key components of diverse and healthy diets and ecosystems. Woodfuel, one of the oldest energy sources, continues to be essential for rural households, enabling food preparation, cooking and heating in many parts of the world. Forests also support farming by housing pollinators, maintaining soil health, retaining water, regulating temperatures, providing food and shade for livestock, acting as natural windbreaks, and even influencing rainfall patterns for indigenous peoples and rural communities, particularly in tropical regions.

Wild meat is an important source of protein and micronutrients. More than 3200 species of wild animals are used as food worldwide in times of hardship, such as crop failures or conflicts. Forests offer a crucial lifeline by providing food security and alternative income sources, ensuring the survival of vulnerable communities in many regions. Forests and trees contribute approximately at least 20% of rural household incomes, enabling access to nutritious food and diverse diets, particularly for impoverished communities.

Forested watersheds supply freshwater to over 85% of the world's major sources. Sustainable tropical forest management improves water quality for nearly 40% of the global population, expected to grow to 50% by 2050, while strengthening both food and water security. Having successfully implemented close to 1 300 field-orientated projects in the tropics, we must be united in protecting our forests globally.

Please join the ITTO in celebrating the International Day of Forests 2025.