Restoring mountain ecosystems is the theme of this year's International Mountain Day on 11 December. This theme was selected to fully include mountains in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the UN Environment Programme. The Decade is an opportunity to draw together political support, scientific research and financial resources to significantly scale-up restoration and prevent further degradation of mountain ecosystems.

在吉尔吉斯斯坦天山山脉的雪山峰顶上，一群人正徒步前往偏远区域，检查并重新安放隐藏相机，用于监测野生动物，如行踪隐秘的“山中幽灵”——雪豹。这群当地人曾是猎人和渔民，现在担任社区护林员，负责巡视巴伊布孙（Baiboosun）自然保护区。该微型保护区是由村民与当地非政府组织——中亚山区伙伴关系阿拉套区域组织（CAMP Alatoo）——合作建立的，旨在保护当地动植物群落。在与当地社区进行磋商后，该保护区划定了范围，覆盖14000公顷的草地和冰川，对狩猎和放牧等活动制定了严格的监管措施。

This workshop seeks to foster information exchange, across regions, on the key factors affecting, and effective approaches for, conserving agrobiodiversity. The objectives are to identify and analyze effective approaches and measures which can assure a balance between agricultural production and agrobiodiversity conservation, highlighting the collaboration among all local stakeholders, and with the support of diverse activities and their synergetic effects; and  to discuss the conditions, challenges and key factors for achieving the successful conservation of agrobiodiversity in GIAHS sites. 

Time: 19 December 2023, 15:00-16:00 CET / 09:00-10:00 ET. Please register here.
The FAO Biodiversity Knowledge Hub will support users to access and use existing tools, guidance and other resources on biodiversity developed under FAO to mainstream biodiversity in agrifood sectors and assist policymakers and other actors to implement and monitor the GBF.

2023 年世界土壤日（WSD）及其活动旨在提高人们对土壤和水资源在实现可持续和有弹性的农粮系统中的重要性和关系的认识。世界土壤日 "是一个独特的全球平台，它不仅是对土壤的赞美，而且还增强了世界各地公民的能力，使他们参与到改善土壤健康的行动中来。

This side event at the COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai, organized by FAO, put a spotlight on the role of agrifood systems in mitigating climate change, protecting and conserving biodiversity, and building inclusive and resilient livelihoods.

The Collaborative Partnership on Sustainable Wildlife Management (CPW) has launched a two-year roadmap aimed at sustainable using and conserving wildlife while ensuring benefits for local people and their livelihoods. The CPW Secretariat is hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and comprises 13 international organizations working to support the sustainable use and conservation of wildlife.

FAO headquarters is the venue of a week-long global gathering of over 600 participants, including national delegates, diplomats, policy-makers, plant genetic experts, researchers, international organizations, NGOs, seed sector representatives, and civil society organizations from around the world. They have come together for the Tenth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, to deliberate on policy issues regarding the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), which comprise the building blocks of the world's food basket.

From November 22nd to 24th, FAO, in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Environment Programme will be co-hosting a significant workshop focused on developing a roadmap for supporting ecosystem restoration under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at FAO headquarters in Rome.

Launched at the 5th International Congress on Planted Forests, co-organized by FAO, the latest issue of the FAO forestry journal Unasylva #254, entitled Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests highlights how well designed and sustainably managed planted forests have a vital role to play in meeting Sustainable Development Goals.

You are invited to attend a webinar on 17 November 2023 13:00-14:30 CET. The webinar aims to present the results of a global survey on the status of the world’s soil biodiversity metrics, methods and related initiatives. In addition, proposed metrics and methods for the Global Soil Biodiversity Observatory (GLOSOB) will be presented to the International Network on Soil Biodiversity (NETSOB) for community input. Please take a minute to register for the webinar HERE; If you are not a member of NETSOB, please join the network HERE.

The Secretariat of the International Treaty released a study, The plants that feed the world – Baseline data and metrics to inform strategies for the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, bringing together crucial data on over 350 food and agricultural cr...

World Food Day 2023 shines a spotlight on water as the foundation for life and food. Water is vital to all species and to all ecosystem functions and services which are essential to food and agriculture. In turn, a myriad of species and ecological processes influence the quality and quantity of water.  Read more here.

Kaveh Zahedi, leading FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment is attending high-level events at the UN General Assembly and events in partnership with businesses, climate philanthropists and other stakeholders, as part of Climate Week NYC. He bears a clear message for countries and leaders that FAO will carry to COP28 in Dubai and beyond: Agrifood system solutions are critical climate and biodiversity solutions that are often overlooked. “Agriculture and food systems hold a range of solutions, from agroforestry to tackling food loss and waste, and from sustainable livestock management to decarbonizing aquatic food value chains,” said Zahedi. “These solutions are the essential thread that binds together action on biodiversity, climate, resilience and food security.”

FAO took part in the World Biodiversity Summit to highlight the importance of tackling the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and food security through comprehensive and integrated approaches in the framework of sustainable food systems. Scaling up biodiversity-friendly practices in crop and livestock production, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture can help to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and adapt to and mitigate climate change; thus contributing to food security and nutrition for all. Maximizing these opportunities depends on financial, human and infrastructure capacity. Public-private partnerships can play a key role in enhancing this capacity.

On the 12th September, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held a knowledge exchange session for parties to the CBD titled “Workshop on ecosystem restoration-related planning and capacity-building needs for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)”. At the event, attended by 114 participants from 41 countries, a special attention was given to GBF Target 2 and the role of monitoring and their implications on ecosystem restoration actions were thoroughly examined. The discussions shed light on the importance of understanding the present state of ecosystems, setting clear baselines, the scope of restoration, and ensuring synergy with other targets and global commitments like the SDGs.

在联合国可持续发展目标峰会第二天、联大一般性辩论前夕，联合国粮食及农业组织（粮农组织）总干事屈冬玉在联合国总部召集了一次部长级对话。多国部长级官员齐聚一堂，共同探讨如何加大行动和投资力度，推动农业粮食体系转型，应对生物多样性丧失和气候危机。会议由加拿大共同主持。

Launched at the SDG Summit, the High Impact Initiative on Nature Driving Economic Transformation aims to bring together countries undertaking significant economic shifts, and catalyzing a global movement in evidence-based policies and investments for an inclusive green transition that accelerates progress on the SDGs, recognizes and supports nature contributions and dependencies, and reduces related risks to support a Biodiversity Economy. Overview of SDG Action Weekend; Overview of all High Impact Initiatives; High Impact Initiative: Nature Driving Economic Transformation. Live Webcast on Sunday at 11:45 AM Eastern Time (6:45 PM Eastern Africa Time).

Antananarivo, August 24, 2023 - A decisive step toward biodiversity protection and sustainable agricultural development was taken today at the conclusion of the national workshop on biodiversity mainstreaming across agricultural sectors, held in Antananarivo.  Organized under the FMM project (Flexible Voluntary Contribution), this milestone is the result of a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MINAE), the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy (MPEB), with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), funded by Sweden. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed the launch of a Global Biodiversity Framework Fund at the 7th GEF Assembly held in Vancouver from 22-26 August.   The new fund will facilitate financing for developing countries — often the most biodiverse — to enhance their ability to conserve, restore and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources as established through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).