Today, Rwanda through RFA joined the rest of the world to celebrate International Day of Forests. The theme for this year is Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World. The best way to celebrate the day is by planting trees around us, educating people about the significance of forests in sustaining our planet and understanding the ways we can encourage afforestation.

The International Day of Forests came into existence in 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly, and was since then tailored to be celebrated on 21^st March every year, to remind people of the significance of the forests and trees in their lives.  This date was chosen because it coincides with vernal equinox and autumn equinox in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth planet.

As for 2024, we celebrate with a focus on an irreplaceable role that the forests play in our daily lives. This once in a blue moon celebration intends to raise awareness regarding the importance of the forests, their immense contribution to maintain environmental balance and sustainability as well as revitalize measures to protect the forests. 

The forests bind us with the soil, they help with water retention, they contribute to the overall ecosystem of the world, and most importantly, they give us the oxygen that we need for breathing. Forests provide a filter that purifies water, clean air, shade and shelter from harmful UV-rays and nutritious food. They furthermore reduce stress, improve people’s wellbeing and livelihoods by providing medicinal plants that can cure deadly diseases. Forests also contribute incredibly to sequestration of carbon through roots, trunk and leaves.

Sustainably managed forests provide answers to offset biodiversity loss, deforestation and land degradation. To add further to that, they strengthen a long-term resilience to withstand global warming.

In the meantime, Rwanda sets for leveraging technology and innovation to track and monitor all forests across the country. The notion highlights chemistry of trees that allows people to replace harmful plastic materials with biodegradable alternatives deriving from wood such as substituting graphite and rare earth metals in batteries with new and sustainable fibers in an attempt to reshape fashion industry. Rwanda has also opted to promote indigenous tree species that have adapted to the local conditions over thousands of years. Planting indigenous species will help to preserve biodiversity.

According to FAO, 2024, technology is constantly developing new sustainable materials from trees. From those that can heal people to those that provide a place to live and work while locking in carbon. On the other hand, drone innovations are changing the way people manage and protect the forests, assisting to detect and fight forest fires, as well as safeguarding biodiversity and fragile ecosystems.