Water and Forest: Cornerstones of Nature, Prosperity and Equality

TEMA Foundation Chairman Deniz Ataç emphasized that protecting water and forests also means protecting social equality and economic resilience.

Forests and water assets form the basis of ecosystems that ensure the continuity of life, while also providing the invisible infrastructure of economic life and the assurance of social welfare. But today, these natural assets that are essential to the habitability of our planet are under more pressure than ever. Increasing population and the effects of the human-induced climate crisis make forests and water resources increasingly fragile. When we look at the big picture, preventive steps need to be taken urgently.

This year, the United Nations determined the theme of World Forestry Day on March 21, which also marks the beginning of Forestry Week, as "Forests and Economies", and the theme of World Water Day on March 22 as "Water and Gender". While these two themes remind us that forests and water bodies are a part of natural systems, they also form the basis of social equality and economic prosperity.

45 million people in the world make their living from forests

Forests, which provide numerous ecosystem services from carbon storage to climate regulation, from soil protection to water production, are also one of the main components of human welfare and economic life. While 45 million people around the world earn their living directly from forests, the lives of billions of people depend on the food provided by forests and the water cycle they regulate. It is not even possible to calculate the economic value of all these services.

However, forest loss continues unabated on a global scale. Between 1990 and 2025, approximately 489 million hectares of forest area were destroyed in the world. In the last 10 years, approximately 11 million hectares of natural forest area, the size of Turkey's Mediterranean region, has been lost every year. While the destruction caused by fires is increasing, the forest area damaged by fires has doubled in the last 20 years.

Forest loss also weakens water security

The weakening of forests is not only an ecological loss, but also a serious risk in terms of water security. Because forests form an important part of the water cycle; It protects basins, increases precipitation and water quality, and reduces the risk of drought and floods.

TEMA Foundation Chairman Deniz Ataç pointed out that the protection of forests is of critical importance for the sustainability of life and said: "Forests are natural systems that are not just trees; they ensure the continuity of water, keep the economy afloat and make life possible. When forests weaken, water security also weakens. Therefore, protecting forests also means protecting the continuity of water and life."

Water deprivation is the most common. It affects women and children

Inequalities in the distribution of water across geographical regions and countries are getting deeper in social life. According to United Nations data, women and girls around the world spend approximately 250 million hours every day finding and carrying water. This situation has consequences that deepen inequalities such as disconnection from education, economic exclusion and time poverty.

Drought, water scarcity and extreme weather events, which increase with the effects of the climate crisis, make the living conditions of vulnerable communities even more difficult.

Evaluating this situation, Deniz Ataç said, "Water deprivation is a crisis of inequality. Wherever access to water becomes difficult, women and girls bear the burden of care the most; they have to give up education, working life and living opportunities. However, access to water is not a privilege, but a fundamental human right. If access to water can vary up to three times among societies with the same climatic conditions due to administrative reasons, this shows us that we need to focus not only on infrastructure but also on fair and participatory management in solving water deprivation." He said.

The world is at risk of "water bankruptcy"

A new report published by the United Nations University Water, Environment and Health Institute reveals that the world has now entered a new era defined as "global water bankruptcy".According to the report, humanity is depleting rivers, lakes and groundwater resources much faster than nature can replenish itself, and many water systems are approaching a threshold point from which it is difficult to return. Ataç warned against this alarming picture:

"Our world, whose fresh water availability is decreasing, is at risk of a global water bankruptcy. It is not possible to ensure water security without protecting forests."

"Protection of natural assets is possible with holistic policies that complement each other"

Deniz Ataç said that in order to ensure water security, water should be stopped being seen as a resource that can be bought and sold, forest ecosystems should be protected, water basins should be protected. He said that it is of great importance that it be managed with a holistic approach and that access to water is treated as a fundamental human right:

"For a livable future against the climate crisis, policies that will stop forest loss must be strengthened, water resources must be managed with an understanding that takes into account the renewal capacity of nature, and the active participation of women and local communities in decision-making processes in water management must be ensured. Protecting natural assets, ensuring water security and reducing social inequalities are only possible with holistic policies that complement each other."