THE world will celebrate International Day of Forests today and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has urged the public not to forget the important role they play in protecting the forests.

The Regional Forestry Officer at FAO Caribbean, in a release on Friday, reminded that the forests remain invaluable to the Caribbean Region as major contributor to food security and sustainable food production.

Some of the other important realities the Regional Organisation has highlighted are the fact that Caribbean islands are surrounded by saltwater and therefore fresh water is primarily collected from in and around forests.

Many Caribbean islands being densely populated, much of their forests in the coastal areas have been converted into agricultural land, leaving forests only on top of the mountains, in gullies and ravines.

The organisation pointed out: “In the areas where no one wanted to work, the terrestrial biodiversity of our islands survived; plant and animal species that were believed to be lost survived ‘out there’ and are now coming back. The gullies harbour the biodiversity, which is now needed to restore abandoned agricultural fields.”

Meanwhile, it noted that forests reduce the risk of flash floods; can be the source of sustained income; provide timber for construction and fuelwood to cook; are the habitats for bees to produce honey and are sources of food.

Also, more than 80 per cent of the terrestrial biodiversity on Caribbean islands is found in the forest and the FAO said to preserve the diverse genetic resources because they are crucial to the development of new medicines and synthetic materials.

“Everyone has a role to play in the protection of our forests. Think twice before you cut a tree in your yard – instead, plant a new one, trees offer fruit and help keep our surroundings cool, it attracts butterflies and birds. An older tree gathers many species and by itself forms a biotope,” the organisation stated.