UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson urged protection of global forests and trees at the opening of the UN Forum on Forests’ 12th session on Monday, saying that the health of the world’s forests is fundamental to humanity’s place on earth.

Last week, the Global Forest Goals were adopted as part of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, which includes a landmark target to expand the world’s forests by 3 percent – an area of 120 million hectares, by 2030.

Thomson emphasized that forests are home to 80 per cent of the Earth’s land-based animals, plants and insect species. The world’s tropical forests alone retained a quarter trillion tons of carbon in biomass, according to the UN.

“If we are to succeed in the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development), the protection and sustainable management of our forests will be fundamental to the security of humanity’s place upon this planet,” Thomson said, adding that the Assembly’s decision to adopt the first-ever strategic plan was “a critical one.”

China has been a strong advocate for supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The county was the first to release its national plan for the implementation of the goals, specifying various domains and goal-oriented concrete measures. The plan also helps other developing countries to forge ahead in the process of global implementation.

China, according to the United National Environment Assembly, has built the largest air quality monitoring network in the developing world.