SDG indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 - Forest area and sustainable forest management

This course has been developed to guide countries in reporting on Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1. It illustrates the rationale of the indicators, the definitions and methodologies on which monitoring activities are based, and explains the process and the tools available for compiling data related to the two indicators through the Global Forest Resources Assessment Programme (available in English, French and Spanish).

SDG 15 - Indicators of sustainable forests and mountains

Mountain forests

 

Mountains cover around 27 percent of the earth’s land surface, and forests cover more than 40 percent of the global mountain area.

Healthy mountain forests are crucial to the ecological health of the world. They protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half of humankind. They also harbour wildlife, provide food and fodder for mountain peoples and are important sources of timber and non-wood products. Moreover, they protect the earth and contribute to shielding the atmosphere from CO2 emissions.

Protecting these forests and making sure they are carefully managed is an important step towards sustainable mountain development. In the last decades, tropical mountain forests have been disappearing at an astounding rate. Deforestation is generally driven by population growth, the expansion of intensive agriculture, uncertain land tenure, inequitable land distribution and the absence of strong and stable institutions.

Crucially, mountain forests perform a protective function against natural hazards, so that when forest cover is lost and the land is left unprotected, runoff and soil erosion increase, provoking landslides, avalanches and floods, to the detriment of villages, transport systems, human infrastructure and of the food security of vulnerable populations.

Putting power back into the hands of mountain people is one important step towards alleviating their poverty and, in turn, protecting mountain forests. Measures that could accomplish these aims include providing incentives for biodiversity and agro-biodiversity conservation as well as the inclusion sustainable forest management plans into national policies. 

Restoring mountain ecosystems: celebrations to mark International Mountain Day

Restoring mountain ecosystems: celebrations to mark International Mountain Day

peak to peak

The December 2023 issue of Peak to Peak highlights the upcoming events to celebrate International Mountain Day. Top news stories cover innovation in mountains and communities coming together for change. This month's newsletter also features the work of two members of the Mountain Partnership, the International Network for Bamboo and...

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The Canadian Mountain Assessment

The Canadian Mountain Assessment

publication

The Canadian Mountain Assessment provides a first-of-its-kind look at what we know, do not know, and need to know about mountains in Canada. It is based on insights from Indigenous knowledges of mountains, as well as findings from an extensive assessment of pertinent academic literature. The Canadian Mountain Assessment's inclusive...

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Launch of the African NGOs Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (ANAES)

Launch of the African NGOs Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (ANAES)

event

Africa faces numerous environmental challenges, including ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, wildlife poaching, poverty and pollution, all accelerated by climate change. These challenges are complex and require collective efforts to address them effectively.

In collaboration with the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, the Albertine Rift Conservation Society (ARCOS Network) has initiated the African...

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MPS announces updates to mountain funding and education databases

MPS announces updates to mountain funding and education databases

peak to peak

The September 2023 issue of Peak to Peak announces updates to the Mountain Partnership's online education and mountain resource mobilization databases. Top news stories cover a village in the Greater Caucasus region of Azerbaijan developing a participatory land-use plan to protect mountain soils, Mountain Partnership (MP) member The Little Earth...

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Ahan village in Azerbaijan develops participatory land-use plan to protect mountain soils

Ahan village in Azerbaijan develops participatory land-use plan to protect mountain soils

news

Ahan is a village with a population of 519 people located in the high mountains of the Greater Caucasus region of Azerbaijan. The majority of the population engages in livestock farming, continuing a tradition of nomadic herding with a transhumance lifestyle. The community migrates to the winter pastures located in...

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Advancing sustainable mountain development recognized as a commitment of action ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference

Advancing sustainable mountain development recognized as a commitment of action ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference

peak to peak

The March 2023 issue of Peak to Peak highlights a commitment of action titled "Advancing sustainable mountain development and protecting the 'water towers' of the world" submitted by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat ahead of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Top news stories announce the call for applications for IPROMO 2023,...

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