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FAO calls for reforestation

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called for reforestation and conservation of natural resources which help to keep communities safe and healthy, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement issued yesterday, which is the International Day of Forests, signed by deputy director general Maria Helena Semedo, FAO says forests provide essential products.

Semedo: Forests remain under threat

It reads in part: “For vulnerable people around the world, forests have been acting as vital safety nets, providing food sources and income when supply chains are disrupted.”

Semedo adds that forests remain under threat as millions of hectares have been destroyed.

“This destruction releases climate-warming gases, threatens plants and animals’ extinction and endangers the livelihoods of people who depend on forests,” she says.

The day was celebrated amid continued wanton cutting of trees for firewood and charcoal in Malawi.

Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources director of forestry Clement Chilima said in an interview yesterday government has developed a strategy to protect forests.

He said the International Forestry Day, commemorated under the theme Forest Restoration: A Path to Recovery and Well-being, should remind Malawians of the importance of conserving trees.

He called on Malawians to take a leading role in protecting natural resources.

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