2010
 13 December 2010 Boosting investment in developing world agriculture is necessary not only to reduce current levels of world hunger but to safeguard future world food supplies against the impacts of climate change, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said at a press conference at the UN Conference on Climate Change, in Cancun, Mexico."We will not achieve food security without serious investment in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the rural sector," said Diouf. [more] |
 8 December 2010 International Mountain Day, held on 11 December 2010, focused on indigenous peoples and other minorities living in mountains. The purpose was to highlight the threats faced by these communities but also to acknowledge the invaluable contribution they can make towards overcoming the global challenges of hunger and malnutrition, biodiversity loss and climate change. [more] |
 6 December 2010 “Our most important partner is the population, the people who are living in the forest,” affirms Mr Dan Rugabira, Programme Coordinator working for FAO’s Forestry Department, as he showcases the successful relationship established by Rwanda’s population with their forest. As a result of the sensitization programmes that FAO has carried out with many other partners, continues Mr Rugabira,“The forest is really in their daily life, from morning to evening. For today’s use but also for the generations to come.” Watch this video, highlighting the fundamental forest-people relationship which is at the heart of the upcoming International Year of Forests 2011. [more] |
 1 December 2010 On 5 December 2010, Eduardo Rojas-Briales, FAO ADG for Forestry, on behalf of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), will welcome participants in Cancún, Mexico to Forest Day 4. CPF organized the event together with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Mexico’s National Forestry Commission. Held in the setting of the sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Forest Day 4 has the theme "Time to Act," highlighting the urgency of ensuring the survival of the world's forests, the biodiversity they embrace and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on them. The event will serve as a bridge between the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity and the 2011 International Year of Forests. [more] |
 26 November 2010 FAO received an important Spanish award in recognition of its outstanding merits in forest fire protection. Each year, the Spanish NGO "Asociación para la Promoción de Actividades Socioculturales" gives the "El Batefuegos de Oro" (Golden Fire Swatter) award for achievements in forest fire protection. [more] |
 8 November 2010 At the Shanghai World Expo, FAO's exhibition space is dedicated to the edible insect to illustrate how insects can be an affordable way to provide much-needed nutritional supplements to the hungry or undernourished. For approximately 2.5 billion people, mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, eating insects is part of their common diets, in a similar way as eating meat or fish. FAO’s Forestry Department is taking steps in drawing attention to this valuable food source with the launch of a new website on edible forest insects. [more] |
 2 November 2010 Most climate change strategies emphasize reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy use and switching to energy sources that are less carbon intensive than fossil fuels. This new publication explores the scope, potential and implications for using woodfuels to replace fossil fuels and thereby contribute to climate change mitigation. The publication will be of interest to specialists and policy-makers in forestry, climate change and renewable energy, as well as to forest managers, students and general audiences interested in learning more about the role of forests in energy production and the resulting mitigation potential. [more] |
 29 October 2010 As the Forest Industries Investment and Financing Forum approaches, José Urtubey, Vice President / AFoA shows that Argentina holds a wealth of advantages for developing its forest-based sector. High potential for forest productivity comes with responsible management practices, supporting global efforts to sustainably manage and safeguard forests. The Forum will be held in Buenos Aires on 16 and 17 November in conjunction with a Bionergy Seminar. [more] |
 27 October 2010 Do you ever wonder how much paper is produced each year? Where is it produced and where does it go?At the recent Committee on Forestry, Mr Felice Padovani from the FAO Forestry Statistics Team engaged participants in face-to-face dialogue, based on an "along-the-corridors", open-space approach aiming to give non-technical users a straight-forward understanding of the process of assembling the facts on forest products."The facts on forest products?," you may ask. Watch this video and find out. [more] |
 27 October 2010 A key database for understanding financial flows in the forest sector was presented in the recent Aichi-Nagoya Ministerial Meeting of the REDD+ Partnership on the 26th of October. The voluntary database contains information on REDD+ financing, actions and results, and aims to improve the transparency and coordination of REDD+ actions and support of the REDD+Partnership. FAO (represented by Natural Resources and Forestry Departments) have played a key role in its development, together with REDD+Partnership partners. [more] |
 25 October 2010 Just published, this guide aims to support countries in planning and conducting forest policy development processes. Based on a review of practical experiences, it outlines the rationale and purpose of a national forest policy and the different elements of the forest policy development process. This publication will help senior officials in government administrations and other stakeholder representatives, including civil society organizations and the private sector, in developing or revising national forest policy. Through this publication and related capacity-building support, FAO hopes to contribute to the development of forest policies that, based on emerging trends and broad agreement among stakeholders, can affirm and enhance the value and sustainable contributions of forests to society. Also published in Spanish and French. [more] |
 23 October 2010 "Forests are seen as a victim of climate change. Actually, forests should be seen as a carbon absorber. They are an asset which should be made competitive in a market economy". Mexico and Indonesia have a lot to say on climate change mitigation and beyond. Discover why they hold the key in a video presented by Alberto Sandoval, REDD coordinator working for FAO's Natural Resources Department. [more] |
 21 October 2010 One of the strategic goals of FAO is the sustainable management of the world’s forests and trees. FAO Forestry works to balance social, economic and environmental objectives so that present generations can reap the benefits of the Earth’s forest resources while preserving them to meet the needs of future generations. A new publication “Moving forward” highlights some of the activities carried out by FAO in this respect during the last biennium. [more] |
 18 October 2010 Publications are key to promoting the social values of forests - from their environmental services to poverty reduction. Two major pieces of work were launched during the recent Committee on Forestry 2010 meeting: the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (also known as FRA) and the World Atlas of Mangroves. Follow Susy Tafuro and Valentina Delle Fratte as they give a short tour of the wealth of publications available from FAO's Forestry Department. [more] |
 15 October 2010 The Argentina Forest Association and INTA strongly believes that the Forest Industries Investment and Financing Forum, followed by a bioenergy seminar to be held in Buenos Aires 16-17 November, is a real opportunity to promote the potential of Argentina for forest investments and support the country in becoming a world leader in the forestry and forest industry sector. [more] |
| 13 October 2010 In mid-October 2010, FAO's Central African projects on non wood forest products and FAO's Right to Food Team organized a study tour and training with participants from 10 countries in the Congo Basin in order to sensitize decision makers how the legal and institutional framework governing the NWFP sector in Cameroon and Gabon influence livelihoods of local producers and traders. Participants learnt about the linkage between non wood forest products, food security and right to food and discussed the use of regional toolboxes on how to implement the right to food in the Central African NWFP sector. [more] |
| 12 October 2010 FAO Forestry is looking for a skilled Java developer, who would like to join the department as a consultant. The work is related to the ongoing Foris development. Foris is a web based system developed for supporting the work of the department – world wide. [more] |
 6 October 2010 “ The future of forests is in your hands. You are the key!” Eduardo Rojas Briales, Assistant Director-General at FAO’s Forestry Department, opened the 20th session of the Committee on Forestry/World Forest Week 2 highlighting the importance of realizing that “forests are primarily about people.” In fact, “You are the key” is the slogan of this year’s COFO. Click to watch the video and listen to COFO delegates explaining why. [more] |
 4 October 2010 The world's forest biodiversity is threatened by a high global rate of deforestation and forest degradation as well as a decline in primary forest area. In many countries, however, there is a continued positive trend towards the conservation of forest biological diversity via dedicated conservation areas.These are some of the key findings of the final report of FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 ( FRA 2010 ), the most comprehensive assessment of the state of the world's forests ever undertaken. The final report of FRA 2010 was published today at the start of the latest biennial meeting of the FAO' Committee on Forestry and World Forest Week, in Rome. [more] |
 2 October 2010 “Real forest policies seeking to have impact in the future need to be discussed not with the Ministries of Agriculture downwards, but with the Ministries of Finance, of Planning and with the President of the Republic: from those Ministries up.” The picture is clear for Hans Thiel, ex Vice-Minister for the Environment in Ecuador now working for all Latin America as Forestry Officer based at the Investment Centre of FAO. It is no coincidence that REDD+, Financing for the forest sector, Communicating the importance of forests to the finance sector will be key topics for discussion at this year’s Committee on Forestry. Hans Thiel goes on to explain that the global dialogue on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, also known as REDD, poses an enormous challenge and opportunity to the forestry community. “It is now time to position forests and forestry on the highest political agenda of the countries,” says Thiel. See why “You are the key”. [more] |
 25 September 2010 Improving livelihoods, increasing employment, improving nutrition at the same time as cutting carbon emissions and hanging on to the forests: it can be done! Watch the interview with Tony Juniper, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic's Green magazine and current adviser for the Prince of Wales' Rainforests Project. [more] |
 21 September 2010 In many developing countries, woodfuels are still commonly used for household cooking and heating and are also important for local processing industries. In many developed countries, wood-processing industries often use their wood by-products for energy production. In some countries, notably the Nordic countries, forest residues are increasingly used for industrial-scale electricity generation and heating. Several developing countries have enormous potential to produce energy from forests and trees outside forests, for both domestic use and export. However this potential is not often properly reflected in national energy-development strategies. This publication sets out principles, criteria and indicators to guide the sustainable use of woodfuel resources and the sustainable production of charcoal. It is designed to help policy- and decision-makers in forestry, energy and environment agencies, non-governmental and other civil-society organizations and the private sector ensure that the woodfuel sector reaches its full potential as an agent of sustainable development. [more] |
 20 September 2010 “The forest products and paper industries are part of the solution to climate change mitigation”, stated Michael Peter, member of FAO’s Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products (ACPWP) during the ACPWP’s 51th Session held in Tokyo earlier this year. Not only are forestry activities well placed for biodiversity conservation, but they are crucial in a future scenario in which fossil fuels will become a constraint. National and international climate change policies relevant to the forest industry is one of the key issues that ACPWP members will be discussing at FAO headquarters during the upcoming Committee on Forestry (COFO), from 4 to 8 October 2010. [more] |
 17 September 2010 FAO Forest Products and Industries Team, Asociación Forestal Argentina (AFoA) and Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) will organize the first Argentina Forest Sector Investment and Financing Forum in Palacio San Miguel, Buenos Aires 16 November 2010. The one-day meeting is followed by half day bioenergy seminar on 17 November. The Forum will bring together the most influential players of the Argentinean forestry and industry, government and financial community members, and international investors and experts. The purpose is to stimulate the investment climate and international collaboration in the forestry sector of Argentina. The bioenergy seminar will explore the feasibility and potential for bioenergy development in the forestry sector. Further information: Mr. Jukka Tissari (Jukka.Tissari@fao.org) [more] |
 14 September 2010 The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Interafrican Forest Industries Association (IFIA), FAO and the National Forest Programme Facility (NFP Facility) are organizing a meeting “Towards a strategy to promote the forest industry development in the Congo Basin” on 21 and 22 September 2010 in Yaoundé. The meeting, which will be attended by the main stakeholders coming from the forest and timber industry, public administration, international cooperation, NGOs and research institutes, aims to explore how to strengthen (i) local investment in wood processing as well as (ii) national markets of wood products. Two specific objectives have been set, namely, to identify priorities for national and sub-regional strategies aiming to promote the development of forest industries in the Congo Basin and to establish a roadmap for their implementation. [more] |
 6 September 2010 Logging has been, for many, considered the only possible source of income from forests. Trees, however, provide much more than timber. For example, they play a variety of roles in Central Africa. In the arid Sudano-Sahelian zones, trees serve as dune stabilizers and supply a wide number of resources to the poorest communities. In or around the Congo Basin rain forest, more than 100 million people depend on non-wood forest products for food. [more] |
 30 August 2010 The quality of forest governance is known to have effects on deforestation, together with other factors. However, assessing its impact is challenging due to the diverse mechanisms leading to deforestation, and data availability. In a new paper Umemiya, Rametsteiner and Kraxner analyse interrelations between governance quality and deforestation rates using governance quality indicator data of the World Bank and deforestation rate data of the FAO Forest Resources Assessment 2005. Results show that an increase in governance quality tends to be associated with a decrease in deforestation rates. [more] |
 24 August 2010 FAO is stressing the importance of integrated fire management following the release of the report on the causes of Australia's 2009 Black Saturday fires. The Select Committee on Agricultural and Related Industries that investigated the incidence of bushfires noted that the fire management voluntary guidelines coordinated by FAO would be a good basis for a common approach to a national bushfire policy. [more] |
 20 August 2010 "The first condition is that, the governmental policies should be based on bottom-up participation." Professor Gerard Buttoud (University of Tuscia, Italy) presents an event that will be held within the upcoming World Forest Week at FAO headquarters, Rome. Click to watch the video. [more] |
 11 August 2010 The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations announces the third call for proposals for pilot projects and technical assistance through the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Support Programme for African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP-FLEGT Support Programme) . The four-year initiative has two main components: providing assistance to ACP countries in putting the European Union FLEGT Action Plan into practice, and supporting the collection, analysis and dissemination of FLEGT-related information and lessons learned among stakeholder groups in ACP countries. [more] |
 1 August 2010 Preparations unfold for the 20th session of COFO (Committee on Forestry, FAO's highest forestry statutory body) and World Forest Week 2. Both events will be held in conjunction from 4 to 8 October 2010 at FAO headquarters, Rome. Why do forests embody strong cultural values, even after millennia? Listen to the interview with Hosny El Lakany, former Assistant Director-General at the FAO Forestry Department. Discover forests in ancient Egypt and today. [more] |
| 29 July 2010 Guanacaste, Costa Rica, 2-6 of May 2011. CATIE in cooperation with FAO and TEAKNET will organise in 2011 an international forestry conference that will focus on planted teak forests as a globally emerging forest resource. The conference will offer the opportunity to.. [more] |
 26 July 2010 A toolkit produced by FAO is designed to help resolve, prevent and mitigate the growing problem of conflict between humans and wild animals. With the world’s population growing at some 75 million a year, humans and wildlife are having to squeeze ever more tightly together, thereby increasing the risk of conflict between them. [more] |
 23 July 2010 The Collaborative Partnership on Forests and the Government of Mexico, through the National Forestry Commission, are pleased to announce that registration for Forest Day 4 is now open. [more] |
 15 July 2010 As we step into the Giardino degli Aranci (Rome’s Orange Garden), Ivonne is wearing her red veil. It is certainly not the first garden she has been to. And it is smaller in size than the many forests she has visited since she started studying Forestry at Bogor University (Indonesia). Here, the trees we see are predominantly orange trees – a different species from the mangrove trees among which she has learned tropical forest management. Ivonne’s veil, however, is the same red as the pomegranate flowers that she walks past before finding a soft spot to sit on. Suddenly, she plucks an orange and pine cone and smiles: “I am so happy I got a chance to work with FAO for my specialization.” [more] |
 9 July 2010 Planted forests cover ca. 264 million hectares, an area nearly the size of Argentina or Kazakhstan. They account for 7 percent of the global forest area, but have the potential to provide two thirds of the global industrial roundwood demand. In many countries planted forests have become a substantial component of the productive forest resource. A new FAO publication on planted forests appreciates the prominent role planted forests play for the global wood supply, the protection of the environment and the livelihood support in rural areas. It gives a concise summary of the principles for the responsible management of planted forests, which have been developed in a two-year multi-stakeholder process. [more] |
 8 July 2010 China and Siyang County have undergone a remarkable economic transformation, showing how the practice of agroforestry can be a successful, alternative way of addressing poverty, hunger, malnutrition and deterioration of the environment. In fact, the adoption of poplar-based agroforestry in Siyang County has benefited millions – this has been largely the result of a long-standing international transfer of germplasm, scientific knowledge and technology, between Italy and China, facilitated by the International Poplar Commission of FAO. [more] |
 24 June 2010 Could insects be the healthy and nutritious answer to the world's growing food shortages? According to FAO, the commercialization and marketing of edible insects could create money-making opportunities and add key nutrients to the diets of vulnerable populations. In Laos, this innovative project could have a significant impact, chronic malnutrition being a major development challenge. “When we sell, on average, we can earn 1 million kip (115 US dollars) a month,” says Ms Vankham, a cricket farmer for the past five years. She’s now receiving support from FAO in the form of expert advice and equipment to try and recreate that success with grasshoppers. [more] |
 22 June 2010 This new FAO forestry publication examines the complex connections between the global forest products industry and the global carbon cycle, with the objective of characterizing the carbon footprint of the sector. The analysis finds that the industry’s main sources of emissions are manufacturing and disposal of used products in landfills. Data from some countries suggest that sustainable forest management practices can be effective in keeping forest carbon stocks stable over time. Indirect greenhouse gas benefits resulting from the activities or products of the forest products industry, while difficult to measure, can be large and could be increased. [more] |
 17 June 2010 FAO marks World Day to Combat Desertification with the publication of a manual that shows how a project in Mauritania successfully fixed dunes and stopped sand encroachment. The new FAO Forestry publication, compiled with the support of the Walloon region of Belgium and Mauritania’s Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, explains sand encroachment processes and control techniques, with an emphasis on involving local people in sand control activities. [more] |
 16 June 2010 In Africa, conflicts between humans and wildlife have become more frequent and severe over recent decades. This FAO Forestry paper was published to facilitate the coexistence of humans and wildlife and assist communities in applying best management practices. With a focus on large herbivores and carnivores such as elephants, lions, baboons and crocodiles, the book presents the issues, describes different methods of conflict management and outlines a three-step framework for decision-making. [more] |
 16 June 2010 Chaovalit Ekabut, President of SCG Paper, Thailand, explains that forest products like bio-paper are complementary with agriculture in Thailand, a country with high food needs. The interview has been produced on the occasion of the 51st meeting of the Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products (ACPWP), held in Tokyo on 27 and 28 May 2010. [more] |
 10 June 2010 “Our government has become a world leader with initiatives to mitigate climate change”, stated Director-General Taisuke Shimada, Japan’s Forestry Agency, on the occasion of the recent 51st meeting of the Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products (ACPWP) and International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), held in Tokyo, Japan (27-28 May 2010). The evidence is clear: less energy is used in manufacturing and using wood building assemblies; green house gas emissions are lower and far more carbon is sequestered for the lifetime of the buildings. Click to watch the video containing the speech delivered by Mr Shimada at the 51st meeting of the ACPWP-ICFPA. [more] |
 4 June 2010 Watch the interview and listen to Masataka Hayama (President, Japan Paper Association) and R. Michael Martin (Director, FAO Forestry Department) as they discuss how the wood and paper industry, being deeply connected to the renewable life-cycle of forests, is actively committed to combating climate change and global warming. [more] |
 29 May 2010 Industry executives, gathered at the ACPWP-ICFPA meeting in Tokyo (Japan) on 27 and 28 May 2010, agreed that a green future is not just a major concern of non-governmental organizations and environmentalists; it is also a priority on the agenda of the forest products and paper industry. [more] |
 25 May 2010 The 51st session of the FAO Advisory Committee on Paper and Wood Products (ACPWP) will take place on 27 and 28 May 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. It is a meeting with FAO and executives representing the forest products and paper industry world wide. Why is this partnership with the private sector so important for FAO? Watch the interview with Eduardo Rojas, FAO’s Assistant Director General at the Forestry Department. [more] |
| 24 May 2010 The new web site of the German-funded FAO project “Enhancing the Contribution of Non-Wood Forest Products to Poverty Alleviation and Food Security in Central African Countries” is launched. The website provides information on the project, its objectives and activities in Congo, Gabon and Central African Republic in English and French. [more] |
 11 May 2010 FAO unveiled a major online petition calling on people to get angry at the fact that close to a billion people suffer from hunger. Using a whistle as a campaign icon and an innovative online petition as a campaigning tool, “The 1billionhungry project” gives people around the globe the chance to express their discontent that in the 21st century hunger remains a widespread problem. [more] |
 19 April 2010 Fighting wildfires requires the participation of local communities, since most fires stem from human activities, says a new version of FAO's "Wildland Fire Management Handbook for Trainers," co-published today by the UN agency and the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The handbook highlights that the risk, frequency, intensity and impacts of wildfires can be reduced through more integrated approaches to fire management, including fire detection and suppression but also monitoring, early warning, prevention and preparedness. [more] |
 25 March 2010 World deforestation, mainly the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land, has decreased over the past ten years but it continues at an alarmingly high rate in many countries, according to key findings of FAO’s most comprehensive forest review to date, The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010. [more] |
 15 March 2010 A significant increase in national food production, rural employment and reforestation are the keys to a greener, more productive Haiti, said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf during a four-day visit to the country to launch with the government the critical spring planting season. [more] |
| 8 February 2010 The UNECE/FAO Timber section is co-organizing together with the Economic Research and Statistics Division of the WTO Secretariat, and with the Financial support from the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a one day workshop in Geneva on 23 March 2010 on Emerging Trade measures in Timber markets. It will be followed by the meeting of the FAO/UNECE Working Party on Forest Economics and Statistics on 24 March 2010. [more] |
 3 February 2010 Globally, an estimated 850 million hectares of degraded forests exist. Assisted natural regeneration (ANR) offers an effective and cost-efficient silvicultural method for restoring secondary forests and degraded forest areas. ANR protects parent trees and promotes the growth of naturally shed seeds to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. The newly published web site offers information on this issue and its applicability. [more] |
last updated: Monday, January 30, 2012