33rd Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC)

About LACFC

Based on national and regional priorities of the countries, the FAO regional initiatives, and the international and dialogues and agreements based on forestry items, the mandate of the LACFC is to advice FAO on the forestry programme to be developed in the Region. This includes the formulation of policies for the sustainable management of forests and wildlife and to analyze, facilitate and coordinate their execution at a regional level, change of information and, in general, through special bodies (technical cooperation networks), advises on suitable practices and actions with regard to technical problems and makes appropriate recommendations in relation to these matters.

• FO:LACFC/2023/REP:Report of the Thirty-Third Session of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission
• FO: LACFC/2023/1:  Provisional Agenda
• FO: LACFC/2023/2: Follow-up activities to the recommendations and requests of the 32nd Session of the Commission
• FO: LACFC/2023/3: Sustainable Wood Value Chains
• FO: LACFC/2023/4: Non-wood forest products
• FO: LACFC/2023/5: Scaling Up Finance for Sustainable Forests Management
• FO: LACFC/2023/6: Implementation of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030
• FO: LACFC/2023/7: Our Forests Keep Burning
• FO: LACFC/2023/8: Forest Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
• FO: LACFC/2023/9: FAO Framework for Forestry 2024-31
• FO: LACFC/2023/10: Input to FAO governance
• FO: LACFC/2023/11: Update on global and regional initiatives and processes of relevance for the Commission

• FO: LACFC/2023/Inf. 1: Inf.1 Provisional Timetable (Quito time)
• FO: LACFC/2023/Inf. 2: List of documents

Virtual event at the 33rd Latin American and the Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC)
Forests, forests products, and forestry: Cornerstones for the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean

27 June 2023 | 12:15 - 13:45 (ECT, Quito local time)

Trees and forests play a significant part in the livelihoods of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) by providing food, energy, medicine, building materials and income through harvested forest products, in the form of wood products as well as non-wood forest products. The region is making substantial efforts towards enhancing biodiversity and sustainable forest management, expanding the forest area, promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and building sustainable bioeconomies. On the other side, in some parts of the region, forest areas are still facing deforestation mainly driven by agricultural expansion and animal husbandry. With the population expected to double by 2050, new approaches are needed to further enhance the sustainable use of the region's forests and the sustainable consumption and production of forest products to sufficiently meet the needs of a booming population and transit to sustainable food systems and a carbon-neutral bioeconomy.

This event, organized by FAO and its Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries as well as the World Bioeconomy Forum, will provide an opportunity to discuss how Latin America and the Caribbean could further develop its bioeconomy based on its forest resources. It will outline how the sustainable use and production of forest products can help countries reaching their climate, biodiversity and land degradation neutrality targets. Opportunities and challenges for the sustainable production and use of forest products will be discussed through the lens of forest-linked economic sectors such as agriculture and a forest-based bioeconomy. The discussion aims at triggering recommendations to FAO, its Members and other stakeholders, including civil society, academia and the private sector, on how to further expand the contribution of forests, wood-based and non-wood forest products to the sustainable bioeconomy.

Agenda

Moderator: José Carlos da Fonseca Junior, Executive Director, Brazilian Tree Industry (IBA), Vice Chair, FAO’s Advisory Committee on the Sustainable Forest-based Industries (ACSFI), Advisory Board member of the World Bioeconomy Forum *

12:15	Welcome remarks	Moderator
12:25	Forests and forest products – a cornerstone of FAO’s Priority Programme Area on Bioeconomy for Sustainable Food and Agriculture: Opportunities and challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean	Mr Sven Walter, Senior Forestry Officer, Forestry Division, FAO
12:35	Status of the global bioeconomy and its relevance for Latin America and the Caribbea	Mr Jukka Kantola, Founder, World Bioeconomy Forum*
12:45	Panel discussion: Sharing of experiences on the contribution of forests, forests products, and forestry to the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean	Panelists María Alexandra Moreira López, Secretary General, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization ACTO Marcello Brito, Executive Secretary, Legal Amazon Consortium Carlos Faroppa, Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Uruguay Bibiana Rubini, Executive R&D&I Manager, CMPC Ms Mayra Esseboom, Center for Agricultural Research, Suriname Tamia Salazar, Wiñak Association, Ecuador
13:20	Q & A	Moderator
13:40	Wrap up & closing	Moderator