Woods and their wildlife are the thoughts for today

Killinthomas Wood in May. Pic: Brian Byrne.

Today is World Wildlife Day, and the theme is Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet, writes Brian Byrne.

The theme seeks to promote forest and forest wildlife management models and practices that accommodate both human wellbeing and the long-term conservation of forests, forest-dwelling species of wild fauna and flora and the ecosystems they sustain.

In Ireland, it's against the background of having the lowest forest coverage in Europe, at 11pc compared to a more than 30pc average. In the past, human activity and climate change reduced forests that once covered 80pc of the country to just a 1pc cover.

According to the UN, 'Forests, forests species and the livelihoods that depend on them currently find themselves at the crossroads of the multiple planetary crises we currently face, from climate change, to biodiversity loss and the health, social and economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic'.

At home, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Pippa Hackett wants farmers supported to grow a much wider variety of forest types. This can improve agricultural soil health and provide shelter for farm animals, while wilder areas of forest can promote biodiversity in our countryside.

So if you go down to the woods today, hug a tree. We need them.

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