Forests
Forests are the most biologically-diverse terrestrial ecosystems, home to more than 80% of the species of animals, plants and insects that live on land. Yet, despite decreased deforestation rates in some regions in recent years, forest ecosystems are still under great threat. Forests play a significant role in reducing the risk of natural disasters, including floods, droughts, and landslides. Forests also mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, contribute to the balance of oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity in the air, and protect watersheds, which supply 75% of the world’s fresh water. Forests provide people with food, water, wood products, vital medicines, shelter, jobs, and security. In fact, more than 1.6 billion people—including more than 2,000 Indigenous cultures—depend on forests for their livelihoods. Investing in forests and forestry is an investment in forest dwellers and their livelihoods, especially the rural poor, youth, and women.
Events and Articles
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18th Session of the UNFF
Technical discussions during the week included interlinkages between the Global Forest Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Speakers informed delegates on: regenerative agriculture; the role of the Global Environment Facility, the Adaptation Fund, and regional development banks; the forests-energy-livelihoods nexus; and the potential of carbon markets for forest finance.
IUFRO Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Human Health - Launch of Assessment on Forests and Human Health
Forests, trees, and green spaces play a vital role in ensuring a healthy life for all on a global scale. This is one of the key messages of the global assessment titled “Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options,” launched by the Global Forest Expert Panels Programme of the International Union of Forest Research Organization (IUFRO).
Forest Ecosystem Restoration – A Crucial Piece of the New Global Biodiversity Framework
The need to assess and (re)design restoration plans, link them to finance, and upscale implementation was the focus of a side event that explored the seven-year-old Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative.
63rd Meeting of the GEF Council
The GEF Council endorsed $65 million for biodiversity projects, including more than $18 million to support the development of biodiversity finance plans in 26 countries. GEF Council members, meeting virtually, also approved the establishment of a new Gustavo Fonseca Youth Conservation Leadership program to support the education of promising young conservationists from developing countries.
Advancing Toward the Glasgow Climate Pact: A Call to Action to Achieve One Gigaton of Emissions Reductions from Forests by 2025
A bold initiative was announced at a COP 27 side event: UN-REDD and the Green Gigaton Challenge seek to mobilize funding to achieve the crucial milestone of one gigaton of annual emissions reductions from forests by 2025, and annually after that. One gigaton is the equivalent of removing 80% of cars from roads in the United States.
26th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry
Participants at the 26th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry highlighted evidence of recent progress in conserving or restoring forests, and the need for integrating agriculture and forestry, given that “forest restoration” is only one aspect of a more comprehensive “land restoration,” and that agroforestry and agroecology are a necessary part of the future, and growing in importance.
6th Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership
With the overall objective of promoting sustainable mountain development, the meeting discussed the agenda for the Mountain Partnership going forward, advocating for bringing mountain-related issues to the fore and the core of relevant international processes, as well as for action on the ground. Delegates also elected a new Steering Committee for the Mountain Partnership, updated several of the Mountain Partnership’s strategy documents, and endorsed the Aspen Declaration.
62nd Meeting of the GEF Council
GEF Council Members endorsed the more than USD 5 billion replenishment for the next four-year period of the GEF and adopted Work Programs worth more than USD 238 million, launching projects that will contribute to a green and blue recovery and direct significant resources to small island developing States and least developed countries.
17th Session of the UNFF
Meeting in person for the first time since 2019, governments adopted a two-year roadmap of actions on forest policy issues, while recognizing the importance of forests in combatting climate change, biodiversity loss, and disaster risk reduction—and providing people with food, water, wood products, vital medicines, shelter, jobs, and security.
Over a Decade of REDD+: Outcomes and Socioecological Impacts
The IUFRO’s 10-year global assessment shows REDD+ has had positive impacts—but the nature and magnitude of changes are hard to measure. Complicating this picture is the complex governance of forests, and the need to address poverty and inequality.