 Forests are one of the planet's greatest resources, but climate change and human impact pose growing threats. Thanks to cutting-edge advances in technology, new tools are making it possible to address these challenges. One of the frontlines for forest innovation is here in Papua New Guinea, which is home to the world's third largest rainforest and 7% of global biodiversity. In this Pacific Island nation, 97% of the land is under customary ownership. This means it belongs to the people. Papua New Guinea's indigenous peoples are now using advanced technology to monitor their forests. We are in the midst of a forest data revolution and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is at the forefront of this. Here in Papua New Guinea we are supporting the government and local communities to collect new data to boost their efforts to protect, restore and sustainably used forests. Elsewhere, remote sensing and monitoring is also helping to fight fires, one of the main threats to forests by creating early warning systems and reducing fire risk. But innovation is not just changing the way we monitor forests. Innovation is also pushing the boundaries of what we can do with wood and forest products. By 2030, we will have to house an additional three billion people, but the construction sector alone is responsible for approximately 37% of energy and process related greenhouse gas emissions. We do need to try and find a better way to build housing and this is where mass timber comes into play. It reduces the carbon footprint of buildings and it stores carbon for its lifetime and this can make wood-based construction almost an extension of our forests. And the list of new applications is constantly growing from packaging to cosmetics. State of the art wood-based products are also being used in medicine, for example in casts, biodegradable medical equipment and even antimicrobial creams. And they are also starting to increase sustainability in the clothing and fashion industry with around 60% of all textiles currently estimated to be plastic-based. People really want to know what their clothes are made of and choose better more responsible options. I think using wood-based materials could be a game changer. I can see so many possibilities that these kind of materials can bring to the fashion industry and it's super exciting to be part of it. From new ways to monitor and protect our forests to breakthroughs paving the way for greater sustainability forest innovations are set to play a key role in tackling global challenges for our planet.