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October 20, 2023
Launched by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in September 2022, the Olympic Forest Network is launching an ecological restoration project in India’s eastern state of Odisha – an area with one of the largest populations of tribal communities and home to a wealth of biodiversity and endangered species. The initiative, driven by National Olympic Committees (NOCs), promotes environmental protection and restoration. It is also progressing and building on projects in Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), land degradation has accelerated during the 20th and 21st centuries due to increasing pressures of agricultural and livestock production, urbanization, deforestation and extreme weather events such as droughts and coastal surges. The impacts of degradation and desertification include higher threats of malnutrition, an increase in water and food-borne diseases. Additionally, the world has lost one-third of its forest with half of this occurring in the last century. Studies from the Global Forest Watch and World Resources Institute show that altogether 12.2m hectares of tree cover were lost in the tropics in 2020, an increase of 12% from 2019.
Inspired by the IOC’s Olympic Forest project, the Olympic Forest Network is part of the Olympic Movement’s wider response to the global climate crisis. It aims to protect and restore existing forests, wildlife corridors and coastal watersheds and to encourage regenerative agriculture.
The Odisha Ridley Forest initiative in India aims to plant one million trees over an area covering 1,500 hectares. The project is located in Odisha, home to a diverse range of tribal groups, many of whom have a deep cultural and historical connection to the region’s forests. 37% of the state’s population depends on non-timber forest products for food and medicine, and almost half the rural community relies on selling forest produce for their income. It is led by the Odisha Forest Department, the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust and The Habitats Trust and driven by IOC Athletes’ Commission member and Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra.
“We are delighted that the Olympic Forest Network has inspired NOCs around the world to create impactful projects to protect and restore nature,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “India’s ambitious Odisha Ridley Forest initiative demonstrates the wide-ranging social benefits that this can bring to local communities. Sport depends on a healthy environment and a stable climate and it must be part of the solution to safeguard them. It gives it a special meaning that this project has been initiated by an Olympic champion who is also a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission.”
This latest addition means that the Olympic Forest Network now totals six initiatives, the others being in Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain:
- In Brazil, the NOC will restore 10 hectares of degraded forest within the Tefé National Forest, located in the heart of the Amazon. It aims to absorb about 1,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.
- In Papua New Guinea, the NOC and local partners have worked to restore a 3km strip of endangered mangroves and support a vital ecosystem. The project, which involved athlete advocacy and education, will be extended in the coming years.
- In Portugal, the NOC will contribute to the Natura 2000 network of legally protected areas, conduct reforesting actions between October and February each year, through to and including 2028.
- In Slovenia, the NOC has organized the planting of 16,000 trees by athletes and local communities, restoring woodland areas in four locations across the country.
- In Spain, the NOC is planting 5,000 trees at five locations across the country. Reforested areas incorporate educational and sports-related elements, such as bicycle tracks, exercise circuits and onsite educational programs.
Source: IOC
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