Forests, Communities, and Conservation: Key Takeaways from FAO Evaluations
Forests play a crucial role in food security, nutrition and livelihoods. They contribute to sustainable agrifood systems, supporting farming by providing homes for pollinators, maintaining soil health, retaining water, offering food and shade for livestock, regulating temperatures and acting as natural barriers against the wind for crops. They also provide a rich source of nuts, fruits, seeds, roots, tubers, leaves, mushrooms, honey, wild meat and insects, offering essential nutrients to millions of people worldwide, especially those living in and around forests.
Recent evaluations of FAO projects in the Boliviarian Republic of Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Gambia and Mozambique highlight the persistent threats to forests and their ecosystem services, and the importance of community involvement in their sustainable management.
Friday, 21 March was the International Day of Forests. The theme for 2025 is forest food. To celebrate, the Office of Evaluation has released an infographic highlighting key lessons on how we can conserve and manage forest foods sustainably.
