As 2011 is the International Year of Forests, organisations such as the IUCN have decided to sex up their campaign to gain awareness. While competing with seemingly daily calamities such as public uprisings, regime change, and the latest disasters to hit Japan, it is undeniable that bad news sells. Trying to promote success stories are therefore a challenge, and innovative ways need to be implemented.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. Their mission statement:

to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve biological diversity in forests and tree-dominated landscapes and ensure that the use of forest resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable

“Forests for People” is the theme of the International Year of Forests 2011, and is focused on the positive action being taken towards sustainable forest management around the world. The overall aim is to provide a 360 degree overview highlighting the multiple values of forests. For a more detailed overview, the IUCN Forest Conservation Newsletter comes in a down-loadable pdf that is worth having a look at.