International day of forests: commemorating nature’s trailblazers

Every year, on March 21st, the world comes together to celebrate International Day of Forests. The theme for 2024 is “Forests and Innovation: New Solutions for a Better World.” 

The theme clearly highlights the role of innovative approaches for protecting our vital forests, recognizing the crucial role forests play in our environment and overall health. It is a perfect time for researchers across disciplines, geographies and stage of training to come up with ideas to support sustainable forest management. 

Personally, visiting the Gir forest in Gujarat, India with my family and talking to the forest officials about their lion conservation program during my college days was an eye opener and I imagined myself as a part of a greater purpose such as that. Although I did not pursue a career path involving fieldwork, it was instances like that which inspired me to go deeper into genomics in my academic training and research journey. 

Here are some fascinating write-ups on Editage Insights that have covered nature’s trailblazers as well as the people who have been inspired by them. There are countless stories of determined researchers who have dedicated their lives to serving the forests and their inhabitants. Our quality of life today and in the decades to come will owe a lot to the “hidden figures” who make our planet sustainable!

1. Mriganka Awati writes about how she was inspired to become a biologist after many occasions spent in wilderness growing up – and later when she learned about primate expert Prof. Jane Goodall. 

2. Sunaina Singh tells us the story of Dr. Janaki Ammal, who was a pioneer Botanist and a life-long advocate of forests. Truly inspirational for researchers who are looking for a role model.

3. Katherine Mullin relates a personal account of her experience in the fields of Madagascar while conducting her PhD research. 

4. Sophia Winkler-Schlor relates her amazing journey from a childhood spent around nature to her international adventures and ultimately her training in conservation.

Planning to do some fieldwork yourself? Here are some recent articles that have useful tips to help you along:

Field research safety: A practical approach | Editage Insights

4 Unique perspectives on women doing field-based research | Editage Insights