在過去一整年各樣的事件以及開發森林價值的活動，和人們尋求保護森林並對永續經營提出貢獻之下，聯合國大會在9日宣布2011國際森林年正式落幕。藉著宣告2011年為國際森林年，聯合國大會試圖建立一個教育全球社群的平台，有關森林重大價值，以及若失去森林將造成的社會、經濟與環境代價。
森林佔有地表31%的面積，孕育了80%的陸域生態系，並為16億人口提供生活所需。森林儲存了超過1兆噸的溫室氣體二氧化碳，然而伐林所造成的二氧化碳量，佔了現在溫室氣體的20%，甚至比全球運輸部門產生的量還要高。現代藥物中，有超過四分之一源自熱帶雨林。
國際森林年的閉幕式9日在聯合國紐約總部舉行，會中向全球各地對保護森林作出卓越貢獻的人頒發了聯合國森林論壇之森林英雄獎。
15歲的Rhiannon Tomtishen 和16歲的Madison Vorva是密西根女童軍團成員，由於東南亞砍伐雨林種植油棕，使得猩猩瀕臨滅絕，也危及其他原生動物；因此她們推動拒買含棕櫚油的女童軍餅乾，因而獲提名森林英雄獎。
日本的蚵農畠山重篤（Shigeatsu Hatakeyama）因為在宮城縣山上造林，幫助淨化他蚵田的水源而得獎。
喀麥隆的 Paul Nzegha Mzeka 則因幫助其國家30個社區透過永續養蜂、教育以及造林等方式保育森林與水源而得獎。
在歐洲方面，Anatoly Lebedev 致力對抗俄羅斯遠東區的非法伐木以及土地破壞，保護了數個原住民聚落以及西伯利亞虎的成就獲獎。
在俄羅斯的濱海邊疆省，Lebedev 的工作是在 Udegeiskaya Legenda 國家公園中，以保育這片無價森林為目標，解決了伐木公司 Roschinsky 與原住民聚落間非法伐木的衝突問題。
這項衝突現在已進入到國家仲裁階段，Lebedev 與俄羅斯綠色和平組織和北方國家原住民組織共同合作保育這片森林。
另一位得獎人是巴西綠色和平組織的Paulo Adario，他不畏利益團體的死亡威脅，對保護雨林以及巴西亞馬遜的森林聚落而得獎。
過去15年來，Adario 領導他的團隊從亞馬遜雨林深處到巴西國會大樓，甚至是跨國公司的董事會中，保護亞馬遜的雨林。
巴西綠色和平組織幫助亞馬遜原住民團體 Deni，劃出面積廣達160萬英畝森林成為其傳統家園。
他們的成就包括暫停了國際的巴西紅木貿易、劃定 Deni 原住民的地界、在巴西設立保護區、亞馬遜區的黃豆暫停貿易以及畜牧業協商，這些成就到今日都還有效。
森林英雄獎評審委員會也頒發了一個特別獎給已故的 Jose Claudio Ribeiro 和 Maria do Espirito Santo 夫婦，他們在巴西保護原始森林的時候遭到謀殺。
閉幕式以2011國際郵政聯盟寫作比賽作為高潮，活動吸引了全球超過200萬名兒童與青年投稿，公佈了2011兒童藝術大賽「森林歡慶」的得獎者。
首次的國際森林電影節則撥出了數部影片，另外來自35國的作者共發表了75篇文章，集結成一本名為「森林人」的紀念冊。
聯合國經濟與社會事務副祕書沙祖康（Sha Zukang）對閉幕式的與會者說，國際森林年「有助於建立對話與行動平台」。沙祖康表示，「透過各樣的行動者，從地區社群到國家、區域乃至於國際層級，我們接收到各種永續經營森林的方法，」「我們希望國際森林年活動也能夠啟發各國政府加倍努力。」
The International Year of Forests 2011 declared by the United Nations General Assembly came to a close Thursday after a year's worth of events and activities exploring the value 2011 of forests and ways people can protect them and contribute to their sustainable management.
By declaring 2011 as the International Year of Forests, the General Assembly intended to create a platform to educate the global community about the great value of forests and the extreme social, economic and environmental costs of losing them.
Forests cover 31 percent of Earth's total global land area, shelter 80 percent of land-based biodiversity and provide livelihoods for more than 1.6 billion people.
Forests store more than one trillion tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, but deforestation accounts for up to 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming - more than the emissions from the world's entire transportation sector.
More than a quarter of modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants.
In a closing ceremony Thursday at UN Headquarters in New York, people who have made special contributions to protect forests in each region of the world were honored with a UNFF Forest Heroes Award.
Michigan Girl Scouts Rhiannon Tomtishen, 15, and Madison Vorva, 16, were named Forest Heroes for the North American region for convincing the Girl Scout organization to stop selling cookies containing palm oil. Land clearance for oil palm plantations is linked to the destruction of Southeast Asian rainforests that has pushed the orangutan to the brink of extinction and threatens other native animals.
A Japanese oyster fisherman, Shigeatsu Hatakeyama, received the award for the Asia region, for planting a forest in the hills of Miyagi, Japan, which helped maintain clean water for his oyster beds.
Paul Nzegha Mzeka was honored for his work helping 30 communities in the African nation of Cameroon to protect their watersheds and conserve community forests through sustainable bee farming, education and reforestation.
For the European region, Anatoly Lebedev was recognized for his work campaigning against illegal logging and destructive land practices in Russia's Far East that threaten indigenous communities and Siberian tigers.
In Russia's Far Eastern province of Primorsky Krai, informally known as Primorye, Lebedev is working to resolve the conflict between the logging company Roschinsky and local indigenous communities over illegal logging of Udegeiskaya Legenda national park, with the aim of conserving this valuable forest.
This conflict has moved to national arbitration, and Lebedev is working with colleagues in Greenpeace Russia and in the national Association of Indigenous People of the North to conserve the forest.
Paulo Adario of Greenpeace Brazil received the award for Latin America for his dedication to the protection of rainforests and forest-dependent communities in the Brazilian Amazon despite death threats and warring interest groups.
For more than 15 years, Adario has led a team working deep within the Amazon rainforest as well as in the halls of Brazil's Congress and the boardrooms of multinational corporations to defend the Amazon.
Greenpeace Brazil helped the Deni, an indigenous Amazon group, to demarcate their traditional homeland of 1.6 million forested acres. (Photo courtesy Greenpeace Brazil)
Among their accomplishments are the moratorium on international trading of Brazilian mahogany, the demarcation of their land by the Deni people, the creation of protected areas by Brazil, the soya moratorium and the cattle industry agreement in the Amazon - all of which are still in place today.
The Forest Heroes Awards jury added a special award in recognition of the deceased couple Jose Claudio Ribeiro and Maria do Espirito Santo, two activists murdered in Brazil while trying to protect their natural forests.
The closing ceremony featured the winners of the 2011 Universal Postal Union letter-writing contest, which drew entries from more than two million children and youth worldwide, and the announcement of the winners of the 2011 children's art contest "Celebrate the Forests."
Clips from films entered in the first-ever International Forest Film Festival were shown, and the commemorative book "Forests for People" was launched with 75 articles from people in 35 countries.
Sha Zukang, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, told ceremony participants that the International Year of Forests had "helped create a platform for dialogue and action."
"Through various actors - starting with local communities and moving to national, regional and international levels - we heard about effective ways to sustainably manage forests," said Sha. "We hope that the year inspired governments to redouble their efforts as well."
作者
In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
