10 December 2013 Fernando Salinas, Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Sub-regional Office for West Africa, talks about the launch of the project GCP/RAF/447/GFF “Development of a Trans-Frontier Conservation Area Linking Forest Reserves and Protected Areas in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire”. [more]
14 November 2013 In recognition of the 26 percent of land: Forests. Throughout history, the world’s forests have contributed to the prosperity of nations. Indeed, many individuals have also profited — some handsomely — by cutting down trees and selling forest products. The writer is Pat Durst, Senior Forestry Officer with the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. [more]
1 November 2013 The Seeds of Change. If current trends continue, two-thirds of Africa’s arable land could be lost to desertification by 2025. But sprouting from the parched earth are the green shoots of optimism, writes Gavin Haines [more]
26 September 2013 In the margin of the Eleventh Conference of Parties to the United Nations Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD-COP11), the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization and Global Mechanism of the UNCCD held a joint side event on the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI) on 20 September 20, in Windhoek, Namibia. [more]
13 September 2013 How can the wood industry foster sustainable development in the Congo Basin countries? An interview with Eva Muller, Director Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division, FAO, for the International Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Wood Industry in the Congo Basin. [more]
30 July 2013 Asia is a paradigm in turning the tide of deforestation. As increasing attention is now being given to the benefits of forests and to sustainable forest management, the worst phase of deforestation has already passed, says Eduardo Rojas-Briales. Following the example of success in a number of developing countries, particularly in Asia, he stresses that others will need to work hard over the coming decades to improve their forest services and protect their forest reserves. [more]
22 July 2013 Tree loss in one of the world's largest rainforests has slowed, a study suggests. Satellite images of Africa's Congo Basin reveal that deforestation has fallen by about a third since 2000. [more]
11 July 2013 Indonesia’s recurring forest fires threaten environment. Indonesia’s forest fires, a predictable annual ritual, will continue to have serious implications for health and the environment in Southeast Asia unless the government strengthens forest protection, warn environmental groups. [more]
17 June 2013 Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification? “Trees provide us with many benefits,” explains Mustafa, as we sit on a mat in the centre of his village. “They are good for the soil and important for food security.” [more]
30 May 2013 The future of food? 2 billion people eating insects.Afton Halloran, consultant at Food and Agriculture Organization, describes the use of insects as food in developing nations to provide nutrients missed in local food supplies and how the practice is spreading globally. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "The Pulse." [more]
21 May 2013 Conferência sobre florestas discute metas do milênio pós-2015. Os países reunidos na Conferência Internacional sobre Florestas para Nutrição e Segurança Alimentar, em Roma, debatem as Metas do Milênio pós 2015. [more]
16 May 2013 U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try. A report released Monday by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reminds us that there are more than 1,900 edible insect species on Earth, hundreds of which are already part of the diet in many countries. [more]
16 May 2013 UN looks to insects to help combat world hunger. While many people might balk at the idea of eating insects, for billions of people in developing countries they are a readily available source of protein and minerals. [more]
14 May 2013 UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger. Eating more insects could help fight world hunger, according to a new UN report. The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution. [more]
3 May 2013 'Green wall' to target Sahel terrorism. Desertification in Africa's Sahel region may be driving a range of problems including terrorism. Gavin Haines investigates whether a project to reforest the region could help. [more]
21 March 2013 UN chief, marking International Day, urges greater protection for world's forests. Governments, businesses and civil society must commit to protect forests by reducing deforestation, preventing environmental degradation, and providing sustainable livelihoods for all of those who depend on this precious ecosystem, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today. [more]
This paper, developed under the framework of the RECCAP initiative, aims at providing improved estimates of the carbon and green house gases (GHG) balance of continental Africa. Published in Biogeosciences.
A globally integrated carbon observation and analysis system is needed to improve the fundamental understanding of the global carbon cycle, to improve our ability to project future changes, and to verify the effectiveness of policies aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. Published in Biogeosciences.
Accurately mapping forest carbon now has important financial and livelihood implications for many smallholder farmers, businesses, investors, land-use projects and governments. Thus there is an urgent need to reduce uncertainties in the carbon cycle with the increasing focus on global sustainable forestry, and the international agenda on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation. Published in Nature Climate Change.
In the context of the adoption at the 16th Conference of the Parties in 2010 on the REDD+ mitigation mechanism, it is important to obtain reliable data on the spatiotemporal variation of forest carbon stocks and changes (called Emission Factor, EF). Published in International Journal of Forestry Research.
Developing countries that are willing to participate in the recently adopted (16th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) in Cancun) mitigation mechanism of Reducing emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation - and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+) - will have to establish a national forest monitoring system in order to assess anthropogenic forest-related greenhouse gas emissions by sources and removals by sinks. Published in Carbon Balance and Management.
