TEMA Foundation celebrates the 21 March International Day of Forests and 22 March World Water Day with activities around Turkey.

This weekend, TEMA Foundation will conduct activities around the country simultaneously with activities at Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosova and Italy within the context of the Env.net project.

TEMA Foundation will organize ‘Water Awareness Rallies’, presentation and information stants and trainings on water and wetlands.  Activities in different cities will focus on the messages ‘water is food’, ‘water is nature’, ‘water is health’ and underline the vital essence of water.

United Nations declared the theme of the World Water Day as ‘Water and Sustainable Development’ and the theme of the International Day of Forests as ‘Forests and Climate Change’. United Nations emphases the role of the forests in climate change and the sustainability of water resources in the World.

Forests as the lungs of the World, holds in place the source of life, the soil and by arranging the precipitation system, provides another vital element, the water. Forests have the role to store carbon dioxide that otherwise causes climate change. For this reason, deforestation increases the risk of climate change. 1/6 of World carbon emissions are caused by deforestation. Forests have the potential to restore the 1/10 of carbon emissions in the next 50 years.

While playing a critical role in the water cycle, forests need water to survive. 60% of water flow in the World occurs comes from Forests that cover 30% of World land area. Forests also protects the quality of water. It is forecasted that the dry and semi-dry region that covers most of Turkey will experience serious water shortages due to climate change. For this reason, protectiong water basins becomes more important everyday.

TEMA Foundation emphasizes that as part of the nature, human beings should first conserve and then improve water and forest assets. In Turkey, there are more than 40 pieces of legislation concerning water. To ensure the sustainability of our water resources, there is an apparent need for a Water Law. As TEMA Foundation, we would like to emphasize the importance of the Water Law that will protect the superior ecosystem interest, an ecosystem human beings are also part of.