The importance of forests for biodiversity and the need to protect them to prevent future pandemics was emphasised by Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel at the One Planet Summit on Monday (11 January).
“It’s essential that we don’t forget that 30% of the Earth’s surface is covered by forests. These forests account for 80% of biodiversity and, therefore, there’s a serious challenge here,” said Charles Michel, the President of the European Council.
“The challenge is for us to mobilise, to band together, so that we protect forests and manage them in a sustainable fashion,” he added.
“We committed ourselves to protecting primary forests and to planting three billion trees by 2030 and that sends a very strong signal,” Michel said in his speech.