March 21 is World Forest Day and the Biodiversity Foundation celebrates it with the “Trees, stewardship and volunteering” Program, which seeks to create CO2 sinks in the form of forests, with the participation of volunteers, throughout the Spanish territory.

On the first day of spring and in a year marked as the International Year of Forests, the tree is the symbol of a relentless fight against erosion and soil impoverishment. Because forests are fighting the decisive battle for the conservation of biodiversity, the sustainable exploitation of resources and the health of ecosystems, which will contribute to mitigating climate change.

The Biodiversity Foundation (FB) has intensified its efforts in this regard, supporting initiatives that effectively contribute to increasing biodiversity, slowing erosion, preventing forest fires and reducing global warming. And all this, with citizen participation in forest restoration actions and promoting the generation of employment in the sector.

To date, the FB has contributed to the planting and seeding of some 400,000 specimens of tree and shrub species, in approximately 700 hectares. Through the “Trees, Land Stewardship and Volunteering” project, it collaborates with numerous entities to reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, through the creation of CO2 sinks in the form of forests.

Through this project, tree or shrub species are planted, preferably leafy, native and certified, in collaboration with environmental entities and local corporations. Throughout last year, within the framework of this Programme, 21 projects developed by 19 entities were carried out, in various parts of Spain. This has brought nearly 40,000 new trees to the territory, in a total of 300 hectares, with the help of more than 4,300 volunteers.

By virtue of the good results obtained by the project so far (it should not be forgotten that these are participatory social activities and without any mechanized technique), the FB has wanted to continue promoting the involvement of citizens in the conservation of their environment through the renewal of this participation program. And there is nothing better than this year 2011, the European Year of Volunteering, to promote new initiatives by public and private entities interested in improving, maintaining, restoring and recovering Spanish forests, thus contributing, in a participatory way, to sustainable development.

There are also other types of FB actions that have the tree and forests as protagonists. Among them, it is worth highlighting forest management aimed at new sustainable uses of natural resources. A path that the FB supports, within the framework of the Empleaverde Programme, by promoting job creation in the forestry and agricultural sectors, supporting initiatives to take advantage of biomass as an energy resource and favouring energy efficiency on farms, as well as the production of biomass for biofuels. Because good forest management seeks to achieve a sustainable use of resources, which results in benefits in terms of promoting rural employment and fixing population.