2005
Incentives to curb deforestation needed to counter climate change
9 December 2005 - Noting that deforestation accounts for 25% of all man-made emissions of CO2, FAO offered today to provide countries with data and technical advice to explore ways to create financial incentives for reducing forest loss in the developing world. [ more... ]
Governments making progress in curbing illegal logging
1 December 2005 - New research by FAO and the International Tropical Timber Organization suggests that governments are becoming increasingly innovative -- and effective -- in tackling illegal logging. [ more... ]
Deforestation continues at an alarming rate
14 November 2005 – Each year about 13 million hectares of the world’s forests are lost due to deforestation, but the rate of net forest loss is slowing down, FAO announced today. [ more... ]
New multimedia DVD: Smallholder timber: sustaining livelihoods and biodiversity
This multimedia presentation, drawing in particular on the experiences from Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America, touches upon the potential of farm-level timber to enhance farm livelihoods; species selection and germplasm access; and management and marketing of farm tree resources.
Twenty percent of the world's mangroves lost over the last 25 years: Rate of deforestation slowing, but still a cause for alarm
9 November 2005, Rome - Around 20 percent of the world's mangrove forests have disappeared during the past 25 years as a result of over-exploitation and conversion to other uses, according to a new FAO study.
Selective logging, if done properly, not destructive: Proper logging techniques should be applied in the Amazon
Rome, 3 November 2005 - Selective logging is not necessarily destructive and can be done with low impact on the remaining forests, if the proper techniques are applied, FAO said today, in response to a recent study on logging impacts in the Amazon. [ more... ]
New UN study rejects myth that deforestation and logging cause major flooding
Thailand, 13 Oct 2005 -- The massive flooding this week in Central America has prompted the press and well-intentioned advocacy groups to blame the flooding following heavy rain from Hurricane Stan on excessive runoff caused by "extensive deforestation." But in a report that seeks to separate fact from fiction when it comes to forests and floods, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) say there is no scientific evidence linking large-scale flooding to deforestation.
Governments - significant actors for certification of sustainable
Geneva, 4 October 2005 - Forest certification is a voluntary market-based instrument to promote sustainable forest management, and, as such, driven by market actors. However governments have a major role to play in setting out a policy and institutional framework, and as significant actors themselves, for instance as forest owners and, increasingly, as buyers of wood products. [ more... ]
For Cambodia's 'Great Lake' and the millions who depend on it, a new lease on life
An FAO project on Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake has helped spark major changes in the way natural resources of the lake are being managed, spelling good news for the millions whose food security depends on them. [ more... ]
Facts and figures
Do you know which countries have the highest forest cover? The annual deforestation rate in the world? How many people are employed in the formal forestry sector worldwide? [ more... ]
Selling forest products to improve livelihoods
7 September 2005 - Poor communities in the Gambia are now earning regular income by selling forest products, thanks to an FAO programme. [ more... ]
Forest fires for commercial land clearing should stop
30 August 2005, Bangkok/Rome - Large forest fires in South-East Asia have caused serious health and environmental problems, in particular choking haze in the region. [ more... ]
Reducing forest fires by training local communities
25 July 2005 - Mediterranean countries could save lives and billions of euros if they better trained and mobilized communities in forest fire prevention and control. [ more... ]
Biotechnology in forestry gaining ground
13 July 2005 - Research and applications of biotechnology in forestry are advancing rapidly, according to a new FAO study. [ more... ]
Building back better livelihoods in the tsunami zone
23 June 2005 - Six months after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, strong coordination between governments, donors and aid organizations is essential to help build back better livelihoods for those hardest hit by the disaster. [ more... ]
Cattle ranching is encroaching on forests in Latin America
8 June 2005 - Expanding livestock production is one of the main drivers of the destruction of tropical rain forests in Latin America. [ more... ]
Shining lights amidst forest gloom
In search of excellence: exemplary forest management in Asia and the Pacific "shatters the myth that there's no positive forestry being practiced in our region? There are also good news stories in the region. They've just not been told".
State of the World's Forests: CD-ROM collection 1995-2005
In coordination with the publication of State of the World's Forests 2005, FAO has released a CD-ROM containing the entire collection of the report since its first edition.
FAO Forestry Photos online
The FAO Forestry Photos database contains more than 1 000 forestry-related images searchable by such fields as country, region, keyword, caption, human and forestry content and photographer.
North Korea applies new knowledge in water management
21 April 2005 - North Korea is applying knowledge gained from a forestry project on sustainable development of upland water catchments and use of marginal agricultural land to help reduce soil erosion, protect natural resources and increase agricultural output. [ more... ]
Bioenergy, key to the fight against hunger
14 April 2005 - Agriculture and forestry could become leading sources of bioenergy, a key element in the fight against hunger and poverty. [ more... ]
Saving coconuts in Southeast Asia and Pacific islands
12 April 2005, Bangkok - A tiny parasitic wasp may help save the coconut industries of a number of countries in the Asia and Pacific region from a destructive pest that feeds on the developing leaves of the coconut palm. [ more... ]
Infosylva - forestry news from FAO and the world
28 March 2005 - FAO has launched a new free electronic information service offering forestry news and information on a periodic basis. Infosylva will include news from FAO as well as links to selected forestry-related news clippings from newspapers and journals published around the world and available online in English, French or Spanish.
New website on forest invasive species
24 March 2005, Rome - A new website on forest invasive species in Africa will enable countries to share information on outbreaks and on ways to tackle them. [ more... ]
Economic viability, critical requirement for sustainable forest management
17 March 2005, Rome - Economic viability, including the environmental and social benefits deriving from forests, is a pre-requisite for wider adoption of sustainable forest management practices, FAO said today. [ more... ]
Forest fires, tsunami, deforestation and Millennium Goals
15 March 2005 - International cooperation on forest fires, combating deforestation, and the role of forests in post-tsunami rehabilitation and in achieving the Millennium Development Goals are among the issues being discussed at high-level meetings at FAO this week. [ more... ]
Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai to address high-level FAO meeting on forests
14 March 2005, Rome - Wangari Maathai, who received the Nobel Peace prize last year for her dedication to the conservation of the environment by planting trees all over Africa, will address a high-level FAO meeting on forests tomorrow in Rome. [ more... ]
Post-tsunami: Demands for vast supplies of wood could adversely affect the remaining forests irrevocably
Bangkok, 07 March 2005 - In the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the surge for infrastructure and housing reconstruction requires vast supplies of wood. If not managed appropriately, this demand could adversely affect the remaining forests irrevocably, an FAO statement warned today.
Generating forest data for proper policy formulation
In Guatemala and a number of other developing countries FAO is helping governments assess and improve their forest management through inventories of forest and tree resources, including their uses and benefits. [ more... ]
FAO committed to conserving the Congo Basin forests
14 February 2005 - FAO reconfirmed its commitment to provide technical and policy support for the conservation of the Congo Basin forests following the signing of the first regional conservation treaty for the basin on 5 February. [ more... ]
Kyoto Protocol - important tool for sustainable development
16 February 2005 - The entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and its provisions today will not only oblige industrialized countries to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases, but also enhance sustainable development in developing countries. [ more... ]
Experts emphasize forests' contribution to the MDGs
25 January 2005 - Forests contribute directly to reducing extreme poverty and hunger and ensuring environmental sustainability, two of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a panel of forestry experts invited to the FAO has concluded. [ more... ]
Rehabilitation of tsunami affected mangroves needed
19 January 2005 - Rehabilitation of severely affected mangroves would help speed up the recovery process from the tsunami, but large-scale planting should be undertaken with caution, FAO said today. [ more... ]