The year 2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations^[1] to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.

We are losing the world’s tropical rainforest at an alarming rate, with major repercussions for the entire planet.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, an estimated 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost every year, mainly as a result of converting forest land to other uses. At least 1.6 billion people directly depend on forests for their livelihoods, the majority of them poor inhabitants of areas next to forests; while an estimated 60 million people, mainly members of indigenous and local communities, live in forests.