Exhibition Man Forests Climate

Forests Forever introduces the exhibition “Man, Forests, Climate,” designed to inspire reflection and reevaluation of humanity’s impact on our planet.

Spanning over 400 square meters, the facility leads visitors through a series of captivating images and detailed descriptions that explore the pressing environmental challenges of our time.

Special focus is placed on the critical situation of tropical forests, which face constant threats from rampant deforestation. Coupled with significant greenhouse gas emissions, this is disrupting the planet’s balance, resulting in largely unpredictable outcomes.

The section “The Wild Climate” explores current climate changes, focusing on pressing matters such as the Kyoto Protocol’s implementation and the noticeable impacts of the greenhouse effect on our planet.

The exhibition devotes extensive space to exploring the spiritual, psychological, and symbolic importance of trees and forests, highlighting the unique reality of the Amazon rainforest—a natural sanctuary under threat from multinational logging companies. The exhibit also includes a diorama showcasing select treasures from the Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at the University of Modena. Additionally, it features a curated collection of writings and quotes from figures like Konrad Lorenz and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, capturing the essence of humanity’s relationship with nature and urging a deep re-evaluation.

Since his arrival on Earth, humans have transformed natural environments for hunting, farming, transportation, and construction. Yet, until the industrial era, their impact on the environment never threatened its very existence.

Today, with technological advancements enabling modifications on unprecedented scales and a significantly larger global population, human impact threatens to disrupt natural processes. Our species has dramatically transformed the environment worldwide, altering biogeochemical cycles, changing land use, and reshaping landscapes. Consequently, this has led to the loss of numerous species, with estimates suggesting that 5-20% have already become extinct, and extinction rates have surged to 100-1000 times higher than in the pre-human era.

The areas most at risk of experiencing the worst consequences are precisely those richest in biodiversity, often composed of forests that, unfortunately, are disappearing at dramatic rates.

Forests, regardless of their location, are the most ancient and life-rich ecosystems on Earth. Tropical forests, specifically, represent just 6% of the world’s forests yet harbor half of all terrestrial biodiversity. This highlights their immense value and underscores their crucial role in any nature conservation and protection strategies.

Forests offer vital resources and services to humanity, playing a crucial role in regulating global cycles, including water and gas cycles. They are particularly important for supplying the oxygen that has enabled life and evolution.

Today, the world’s forests are disappearing as a result of the relentless and ongoing impact of human activities on this precious resource.

This is just one facet of a profound environmental crisis whose full magnitude we may not yet comprehend: the entire Earth system is imperiled, with humanity inadvertently steering towards its own perilous end. The relentless climate changes are exacerbating the plight of an exhausted planet, outraged by relentless exploitation where every element, living or non-living, is valued solely as a commodity to be sold.

Soon, humanity may need to reflect on its misunderstood notions of progress and development, seeking solutions to an increasingly dire situation.

The “Man, Forests, Climate” exhibition, crafted and hosted by Foreste per Sempre ODV, seeks to highlight critical environmental issues, urging everyone to recognize the urgent need for change. Featuring educational panels, striking natural imagery, and opportunities for reflection on the concepts of progress and growth, the exhibition leads visitors on a journey through the challenges of our era. It aspires to inspire a new vision for our future and for the generations that follow.