21 March is International Day of Forests, an annual event designated by the United Nations to raise awareness of the irreplaceable role that forests play in the health of our planet and our population. The theme of this year’s International Day of Forests is Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World, highlighting the urgent need for innovative solutions to halt deforestation and forest degradation.
A respect for the vital, indispensable nature of forests has been engrained in Griffith’s ethos since 1971, when planning of the University’s first campus began. For 50 years, we’ve been committed to stewardship of the forests surrounding our campuses, which span 200 hectares across Griffith’s Nathan, Mount Gravatt and Gold Coast locations. This commitment has guided every phase of campus planning, development and maintenance, and has given rise to innovative conservation strategies to safeguard our unique ecosystems.
Griffith continues to play a leading role in mitigating forest degradation and biodiversity decline through interdisciplinary research which has lasting impact on a regional, national and global scale. Much of this research is openly accessible through Griffith’s institutional repository, Griffith Research Online (GRO). This includes publications that directly influence international forest policy development, such as Griffith Climate Action Beacon’s Science Informing Policy Briefing Note, which was prepared for the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference.
A snapshot of Griffith’s influential research on forests can be found below:
- Field Based Forest Carbon Assessment Griffith University, Nathan Campus
- Mapping Forest Stability within Major Biomes Using Canopy Indices Derived from MODIS Time Series
- Forest Governance in Nepal concerning Sustainable Community Forest Management and Red Panda Conservation
To read more of Griffith’s open access research on forests, including Climate Action Beacon’s full collection, visit Griffith Research Online (GRO).
Interested in delving further into Griffith’s remarkable forest ecosystems this International Day of Forests?
- Learn about the conservation of Toohey Forest during the establishment of our Nathan campus by visiting the Griffith Archive
- Discover the native plant species and wildlife of Toohey Forest at our Nathan and Mt Gravatt campuses, and the restoration project undertaken at our Logan campus including the arboretum of over 7,000 native trees
- Explore the School of Environment and Science’s Biodiversity webpage to discover the biodiversity of our campuses
- Visit the EcoCentre at our Nathan campus to learn about Toohey Forest as a habitat for diverse flora and fauna
Griffith is proud to produce world-class research contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals
