Innovation is unlocking the forests’ long-kept secrets and allowing us to use trees in ways we never imagined possible. Materials derived from forests and trees are being developed as sustainable substitutes for plastics, building materials, fabrics, medicines and many other everyday items. At the same time, rapidly evolving drone and satellite technology is helping us to monitor and manage our forests, detect and fight fires and safeguard ecosystems. Innovation can help us restore, protect, manage and use our forests sustainably. [more]

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A growing population means more buildings to fit everyone. By 2030, we will have to house an additional 3 billion people. Using wood from sustainably managed forests means we can create homes that don’t cost us the Earth. [more]

More people live in cities than ever before and by 2050, 6 billion people or as much as 70% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. But rapid urbanization does not need to result in polluted urban sprawl. Trees and urban forests can make our cities greener, healthier and happier places to live. [more]

Built with wood, cities could become extensions of our forests, helping to combat climate change and keep the planet healthy. Wood is renewable and stores carbon for its lifetime, helping to keep it locked away from the atmosphere. Buildings and the construction sector currently emit almost 40% of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions globally. [#print("more")]

In Senegal, the Acacia project has involved the planting and managing of Acacia forests in arid lands helping combat desertification while providing life-changing benefits to local communities. [more]

Action Against Desertification is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification. It is a key partner of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa's flagship programme to combat the effects of climate change and desertification across North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. [more]

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In Ghana, small producers are revolutionizing the production of charcoal. By using savanna grasses to make charcoal briquettes producers promote renewable energy and green jobs. It burns slower, making it ideal for cooking. The Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers and the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies with Forest and Farm Facility support trained five forest and farm producer organizations on the production of grass charcoal. [more]

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An experimental documentary-performance hybrid video by the ‘A Common Future’ artistic collective, produced by UNIT9, raises awareness around desertification and the Great Green Wall. The Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) works directly with producer organizations to help them become stronger, amplify their potential and connect with each other. [more]

Globally, agriculture remains the most significant driver of global deforestation. Yet in Viet Nam, food security and forest cover have both increased significantly in the last 25 years thanks to economic and agricultural reforms. In a changing climate, mountain regions are among the most vulnerable. They provide the world with resources such as water, timber, biodiversity and hydraulic energy and they are at risk. Restoring mountain ecosystems is the theme of International Mountain Day in 2023. 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. [more]

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 11 December the International Day of Mountains. From 2003, the day is observed each year to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of mountains. [more]

Forest pathways have the potential to provide decentralized solutions that are highly cost-effective and can be implemented comparatively rapidly and at scale. In this graphic animation, the fictional character of Geya, who works as scientific policy advisor to the prime minister of her country, explores ways how to implement forest-based pathways (protect – restore – sustainable use) as a basis for green recovery.

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Forests are vital to our water supply. They influence how and where rain falls, and they filter and clean our water. By protecting the world’s forests, we are also protecting the clean water that we depend upon for our survival.

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In the run up to the first International Day of Forests on the 21st March 2013, the countries of the Mediterranean are meeting to discuss the state of Mediterranean forests and what can be done to safeguard them. [#print("more")]

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In Ghana, small producers are revolutionizing the production of charcoal. By using savanna grasses to make charcoal briquettes producers promote renewable energy and green jobs. It burns slower, making it ideal for cooking. The Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers and the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies with Forest and Farm Facility support trained five forest and farm producer organizations on the production of grass charcoal. [more]

In northern Tanzania, recurring drought in recent years has put pressure on communities who make their livelihoods by keeping cattle. A group of Maasai women have turned to producing honey from beehives in the forest to generate additional income. This has enabled them to pay for their children’s education, buy more livestock and is helping to regenerate the forest around their hives. [more]

Action Against Desertification is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification. It is a key partner of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa's flagship programme to combat the effects of climate change and desertification across North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. [more]

Experimental cultivation of water lily in the Senegal River delta is one of the RESSOURCE Project flagship initiatives. This nature-friendly activity benefits and involves the local communities, such as rice-farmers, women cooperatives and restaurant owners. Water lily production can help the local economy as well as wetlands and waterbirds conservation. [more]

For many households in developing countries, forests and trees are indispensable and some 2.4 billion people rely on wood for cooking. [more]

Land restoration in northern Niger is making degraded areas productive again, providing economic opportunities in a region where migration has become a tradition. [more]

Forests are vital to our water supply. They influence how and where rain falls, and they filter and clean our water. By protecting the world’s forests, we are also protecting the clean water that we depend upon for our survival. Wood can be a material of the future, helping to build a bio-economy for the planet's health and economic recovery. Durable “cross-laminated timber” panels (CLT) are replacing concrete and steel in building construction, helping build carbon-neutral homes, offices and schools. Artificial leather, biomedical devices, and even electronics are now also made from wood. [more]

The World Expo has always been a showcase for state-of-the-art building, science and technology. [more]

After decades of clear-cutting forests for cattle pastures and commodity crops, Costa Rica’s forest cover has now increased to 54 percent, thanks to more sustainable agriculture practices, stronger legal controls over land use, and funding for forest protection. [more]

Almost half of Panama is covered by rich forests. By sustainably managing these forests the opportunities for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) are huge. [#print("more")]