Forests have four major roles in climate change: they currently contribute about one-sixth of global carbon emissions when cleared, overused or degraded; they react sensitively to a changing climate; when managed sustainably, they produce woodfuels as a benign alternative to fossil fuels; and finally, they have the potential to absorb about one-tenth of global carbon emissions projected for the first half of this century into their biomass, soils and products and store them - in principle in perpetuity. More
27 July 2023 Forests and trees have a pivotal role to play in helping humanity adapt to climate change. A recent workshop organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) considered practical ways to ensure this potential is realized. [more]
24 November 2022 Forest and landscape restoration has “huge potential” to strengthen, accelerate and scale up local-level and national capacity for climate action. Forest and landscape restoration aims to recover the ecological functionality and enhance human well-being in deforested and degraded landscapes. Forest and landscape restoration practices have also proven to have significant benefits for addressing the impacts of climate change. These include carbon sequestration and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improving the resilience of landscapes and reducing disaster risks. [more]
17 November 2022 Peatlands contain huge carbon stocks yet they cover only 3 percent of the world’s land area. Improved peatland management provides climate change mitigation and adaptation opportunities. Peatland conservation and restoration also secures ecosystem services that support adaptive capacity and resilience. This brief is part of the Global Peatlands Initiative’s work to support national governments in the process of enhancing their climate commitments, such as the nationally determined contributions as well as the long-term strategies through the inclusion of climate action on peatlands. [more]
16 November 2022 This report provides an overview of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) modalities for REDD+ reporting and additional technical Measurement, Reporting and Verification requirements from different standards for accessing jurisdictional REDD+ results-based payments, focusing on REDD+ reference levels and results reported, illustrating the choices countries have made when constructing their reference levels. [more]
12 November 2022 Forest-based adaptation is an ensemble of climate actions that employ forests and trees in support of climate change adaptation and resilience, including sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration, reforestation and afforestation. Forest-based adaptation can help address the gaps between current adaptation actions and the adaptation needed for reducing climate-related risks and impacts, while contributing to most of the Sustainable Development Goals and promoting strong synergies with mitigation. [more]
9 November 2021 In this study, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) teamed up to investigate how transformational change is understood in the scientific literature. The study, the first of its kind to review academic studies on transformational change, focuses on two main questions: (i) What does ‘transformational change’ mean? and (ii) What drives it? [more]
19 October 2021 This review of protective forests in 12 European countries shows that the resilience of mountain forests in Europe are facing common challenges. Countries have identified the challenges and by developing appropriate governance and management approaches the forests are able to provide sustainable ecosystem services. This report will support actions in transboundary and international cooperation for maintaining and enhancing protective forests. [more]
