The United Nations General Assembly designated March 21 the International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. 

This year, the theme of the day is "Forests and sustainable production and consumption," which aims to protect the easily renewable resource with a sustainable management of forests.

Covering 31 percent of the global land area, forests are home to most of the Earth's terrestrial biodiversity.

However, deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, contributing significantly to the ongoing loss of biodiversity. According to estimates, about 420 million hectares of forests have been lost since 1990. Meanwhile, about 10 million hectares of forests are still destroyed every year, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

China has the fastest growing forest resources in the world and the largest area of plantation forests. China has 220 million hectares of forests and a forest coverage of 23.04 percent. The wood stock volume has reached 17.56 billion cubic meters and the total carbon storage of forest vegetation is 9.19 billion tonnes, according to National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Actions should be taken to reverse the loss of forests and their biodiversity for the benefit of current and future generations. Let's carry out scientific afforestation, steadily increase forest resources, and jointly protect them.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)