Día Internacional de los Bosques

2022 IDF events around the world

HandUp Congo, an Australian non-governmental organization, is hosting a webinar on 21 March that will discuss the landmark ruling through which the International Court of Justice ordered Uganda to pay 325 million dollars to the Democratic Republic of Congo, partly for the exploitation of its forests and other natural resources during a period of occupation.

The FAO produced a collection of photo stories about Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi people working to restore degraded forests in and around the refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and the positive effects the forests have on their lives.

The Bangladesh Forest Research Institute in Dhaka organised a meeting and workshop to share ideas on forestry.

The Royal Forestry Society of Belgium (SRFB - KBBM) is celebrating IDF 2022 with “Mosaic Forest,” a media campaign on the need for the diversification of forest land, as well as guided forest walks for the public and a debate on 17 March on the challenges forests face today.

Bolivia: Music, games and learning in Cochabamba park

IDF 2022 will be celebrated on 20 March in Cochabamba, Bolivia, with a number of outdoor activities in the Fidel Anze park, including educational games, music and presentations on tree climbing, tree evaluation, seed collection and preparing healthy food using firewood.

Udruzenje Most, a charity that works with young people in Gradiska, Bosnia-Herzegovina organised a free educational outing for a group of young people to Kozara mountain where they met an expert who told them about the importance of protecting woods and the issue of forestation. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Round table discussions in Banka Luka

The Academy of Sciences and Arts of the Republic of Srpska, Faculty of Forestry of the University of Banja Luka and the Forests of the Republic of Srpska public company are organizing on 21 March a round table discussion on the theme of IDF 2022, “Forests and sustainable production and consumption”.

The International Foundation for Development, Education, Entrepreneurship and Environmental Protection (FIDEPE) hosted a three-day event on 19-21 March at the Royal Palace of Bafoussam which included a visit to the local tree nursery and the distribution of improved stoves to around 20 female community leaders.

Puerto Williams, which lays claim to being the world’s southernmost city, invited its citizens, especially school children, to plant native trees and shrubs in a city square to celebrate the International Day of Forests.

The Sino-EU project Clearing House has launched the #HugATree social media campaign, taking place in the three weeks leading up to IDF 2022, with daily “Did you know” and “Fun fact” posts, reading recommendations, and a contest for the best tree photo under the #HugATree hashtag.

Horizon, an Estonian manufacturer of sustainably-sourced paper bags, launched a video for the International Day of Forests celebrating “the special bond” between Estonia’s forests and its people, and promoting the use of forest products made out of renewable wood.

Some 900 trees were planted in the north Bavarian town of Bayreuth, home to the famous Wagner opera festival, as the local branch of Sparda Bank honoured the International Day of Forests.

In the Republic of Guinea, the National Network of Civil Society for the Environment and Sustainable Development (RENASCEED) is celebrating IDF 2022 by showcasing its work on the restoration of degraded land and the planting of forest and fruit trees, creating new forms of livelihoods for rural communities.

The “Ever Slow Green” documentary tells the unique story of the tropical Auroville forest in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a former desert plateau that was successfully afforested over the last 50 years.

Kenya: Youth start ups on a mission to plant 9 million trees

Two youth start-ups, ONA Africa Kenya and Midland Adventures, will hold a tree-planting event on 21 March in Kimende township, Kiambu County, as part of their long-term objective to plant 9 million trees in Kenya under their “MAOA Green Initiative” joint venture.

The Kenya Pipeline Company, Kenya Forest Service and Community Forest Association are partnering for IDF 2022 to plant 100,000 seedlings of Mangrove trees in the city of Mombasa.

Malaysia: 15 paintings celebrate Jetty Semeling mangrove forest reserve

Artist Fuen Chin has created “Hypermorph Garden 4.0”: 15 interconnected mixed-media paintings, spanning in total a length of more than 18 metres, which celebrate the Jetty Semeling mangrove forest. A virtual tour of the project can be seen on the artist’s website from 30 January to 31 December 2022.

The La Sauceda park in Hermosillo, Mexico, was revived by a grassroots citizens’ initiative after years of neglect by authorities. It was the venue this year for International Day of Forests celebrations, with lectures on the environment and traditional dances.

Morocco: Seminar on afforestation and forest field trip

On March 22, to mark the International Day of Forests, the Baumolul Association, in partnership with the Regional Directorate of Water, Forests and Combating Desertification, organised a seminar in Rabat al-Khair and a field visit to the Bani Suhan forest to study the afforestation process.

The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) launched the #PEFCMythBusters campaign to fight misconceptions about forests and forest products, starting from paper bags: don’t think of them as fragile, as they can be water and tear resistant and hold up to 16 kilograms!

“Picturing Climate Change” was an online event timed to coincide with the International Day of Forests which, looking at climate art projects in Scotland and Ethiopia, explored the role of photography in ‘what is seen and unseen’ in relation to climate change, both from the ground and from the air.

The city of Ourense in north-western Spain will invite its citizens to plant 1,000 trees. Each participating citizen will receive a tree in exchange for the delivery of waste that will be recycled and treated following the principles of the circular economy.

The Maestrazgo Cultural Park, a UNESCO-protected site in eastern Spain, celebrated the International Day of Forests with an elm tree planting ceremony dedicated to Maria Josefa Lecina, Mayor of the town of Crivillen, who died earlier in March.

The Spanish umbrella group Juntos por los Bosques (Together for Forests) will celebrate IDF 2022 with a four-day event from 31 March 31 to 3 April called “Living Forests, Towns with a Future”, including workshops, exhibitions, food fairs and concerts, in the towns of Orea and Orihuela del Tremedal.

Spain’s National University for Distance Learning (UNED) will celebrate IDF 2022 by planting a tree in its headquarters in Lugo, hosting a free lecture, “Forests: Green Gold”, by Mercedes Rois Díaz, ambassador for the European Green Pact, and launching an audiovisual piece.

Finnova, a European foundation that supports the financing of innovation in companies, regions and municipalities, is organizing an event on forestry training to promote self-protection tools and the creation of green jobs along the Spanish-Portuguese border.

Students at the Technical High School for Agricultural and Forestry Engineers at the University of Castilla La Mancha celebrated the International Day of Forestry proclaiming a manifesto in defence of forests, and planting herbs.

To mark IDF 2022, the Harmony Healing centre is organizing on 21 March an interactive workshop at the Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary in Surrey, England, including a 2-hour forest bathing session and tree meditation.

Arval UK, a fleet management company, planted more than 21,000 trees during the 2021/2022 planting season to support biodiversity and green mobility, tying in with the International Day of Forests.