Story | 21 Mar, 2018

32 forest experts share their voices

From March 2017 to March 2018, 32 professionals shared their thoughts and expertise on forests in 30-second clips. Here is your chance to hear their stories.

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Photo: IUCN

Thought leaders from across the world have shared their experiences and perspectives on forest issues since IUCN launched a year of Voices on Forests in honour of the International Day of Forests in 2017. Twelve months later, we have had the privilege to hear from rights and policy experts, government representatives, forest farmers, leaders of cooperatives and NGOs, academics and others from over 20 countries.

Take a few moments to celebrate this year’s International Day of Forests by exploring their perspectives – 30 seconds at a time.

EXPLORE 32 Voices on Forests

The final Voice in this series came from Cecile Bibiane Ndjebet, Founder and President of the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF), whose mission is to promote the rights of women in Africa and to shape policies and practices by integrating gender equality considerations in matters of land and forest tenure.

 I grew up in a forest area with my grandmother, my mother and my elder sister. My professional career was shaped by this experience. I know the challenges of living in the forest, and experienced rural women’s struggles first hand. I shared the workload, the cultural prohibitions, the problems of access to land – and experienced the daily obligations of taking care of the family just like my mother and my sister. REFACOF helps me to advocate for rural women’s struggle to get secured access to land, forests and forest resources. - Cecile Bibiane Ndjebet, after recording the Voices video

A sincere thank you to all who participated in this year’s Voices on Forests. Whose voice will we hear from next year? Follow the conversations at: #VoicesOnForest and #IntlForestDay