Although youths need education in order to demonstrate intellectual competency, scholarly attributes and behaviours, they also require networking, collaborative and capacity-building skills to confront challenges associated with climate change. By so doing, they can sufficiently survive, adapt and provide climate-proof solutions during difficult times.
Youths’ opportunities for survival are abound, if and only when they can appreciate the role of sustainable forest management so that they are able to deal with the vices of deforestation and land degradation among others.
This is significant in that the youths would participate in low carbon economies and emission reduction strategies for sustainable mitigation. In this regard, youths require capacity building in climate change innovations and green technology compliance.
Engaging and orienting the youths in sustainable forest management practices require proper forestry knowledge, understanding and management skills for sustainable lives. As such, knowledge of school orchards, forest plots, tree-planting and sustainable seeds and seedling projects are appropriate life-long skills. To succeed in all these, youths need training, relevant culture and specialised skills in order to fill information, knowledge and procedural gaps — some may be institutional while others are traditional or red-tape related.
These would lead to overall understanding of the ecological frameworks and environments, so that they will be strategically situated and engage in relevant climate action plans and strategies to address the impacts of climate change. For these reasons, proper education, communication and awareness are key for achieving sustainable resilience.
There must be a special placement for the youth in the overall life-transaction, they should not be isolated and neglected in overall developmental. The youths as the pillars and paragons of the future, risk communicators and sustainable advocates, require everyone’s support, funding and acknowledgement of the work they do including their immense potential, especially from the private sector. Therefore, they need the right platforms, conducive environments and frameworks to nurture their lifelong skills and situate them accordingly in line with the new-knowledge economy.
In this regard, workshops, seminars, clubs and climate groups, interactive platforms and networks will actually go a long way in confidence and capacity building.
These will, in turn, lead to engagements, synergies and will nurture advocates and green ambassadors with adequate knowledge and orientation.
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Youths also require adequate and empowering room for creativity and innovation, in order to understand complex issues related to climate change.
Their creative touch, should lead to community and forest-based ecotourism which will attract visitors and promote domestic and international tourism.
The youths can achieve this while working closely with local communities, government departments, NGOs, opinion leaders, enforcers, gender-responsive groups and ecumenical services and structures.
The establishment of ecotourism would complement government efforts towards sustainable development and nation building.
Ecotourism will enhance community networking, positive footprint building and forest attractions, including youth employment creation.
Above all, looking after the forests well, will help to create carbon sinks and stocks for greenhouse gas emission reduction and fight climate change.
This would also help to buttress the notion that forests play a big role in addressing climate change.
Youth engagement and participation in climate change through sustainable forest management is not only for the youths but also a fundamental need and a human right too.
Sustainable forest management activities are an important gesture by the youths as these are directly related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Adaptation and mitigation are also fundamental to climate change management and are critical tools of survival. Sustainable management of forests enhances forest economy and carbon budgeting as well.
For some time to come, climate change will provide challenging and exciting moments for the youths to engage.
As agents for forest management, it is significant that the youths demonstrate basic knowledge and understanding of the science behind climate change including the science of forests, in order to have a holistic perspective of the forests.
It is also critical for youths to consider forests important terms of their contribution to food security. Issues of agro-forestry, water and soil conservation are deeply rooted in sustainable forest management.
Youth-driven forest management skills are critical especially nowadays when forests are faced with unprecedented human activities more than ever before through agriculture, expansion of human settlements and unregulated mining.
The youths’ eye for detail in observing, gathering forest data, recording, classifying and collation is critical in their interaction with the forests.
Documenting the nature and history of forests, their deterioration and transformation should contribute to an organised forest management culture for today and tomorrow. This also includes digital photo-shopping and story-telling about particular forests and their contributions to community livelihoods.
