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Fostering sustainable wood use in the building sector for greener cities: Lessons-learned from wood encouragement policies
15/07/2020
For building back better after the Covid19 pandemic, wood-based solutions offer a green construction material. It is renewable, recyclable, can be sustainably sourced and has low fossil carbon and environmental footprints.
On 15 July 2020, FAO’s Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-...
New survey to assess state of forest education worldwide
15/07/2020
FAO, the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) today launched a comprehensive survey on forest education across the world.
EcorNaturaSí and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat to boost rural, mountain, forest and island communities’ livelihoods
09/07/2020
EcorNaturaSí and the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, hosted by FAO, today joined forces to better the lives of people living in rural areas and fragile ecosystems, such as mountains, forests and islands, and develop more inclusive food and agriculture systems.
Lalita’s story: how a narrative label is changing lives in mountain communities
09/07/2020
Lalita Rokaya’s family could barely make ends meet and education was a luxury it could not afford. Now, thanks to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Mountain Partnership Products (MPP) initiative, Lalita is continuing her education and her family have enough to eat and can afford health care.
Changing the public’s perception of forestry
24/06/2020
The public’s perception of foresters and forestry must change in order to convince young people that forestry is a viable career choice, a breakout session heard at the International Conference on Forest Education.
Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries identifies ways to Build Back Better Together and Informed
22/06/2020
FAO hosted the COVID-19 Forestry Webinar Week. As part of this series, and to complement the webinar that the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based ...
After COVID-19: Building back better for sustainable forests
22/06/2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the globe, forests and forest communities are feeling the pressure.
Saving forests can protect public health
22/06/2020
Aside from claiming high numbers of victims, what do Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS), Ebola and COVID-19 have in common? The answer is that all three are zoonoses, the term given to an infectious disease caused by a pathogen that has jumped from animals to humans.
COVID-19 Forestry Webinar Week tackles pandemic’s impact on forestry
22/06/2020
Heads of forestry and government representatives from around the world are among participants examining how forests can play a vital role in economic and social recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic as a four-day webinar series kicks off today.
Why we need a “new normal” for production and consumption
17/06/2020
People are consuming more than ever. Our choices are having an unprecedented impact on the environment. The jeans, skirts or suits we wear, the pharmaceuticals and cosmetics we use, the food and drink we consume – all of these products have an impact, to varying degrees, on the environment.
Towards innovative, conflict-sensitive and human rights-based approaches to forest monitoring
16/06/2020
The Governments of Myanmar and Finland today launched a trailblazing project designed to allow for monitoring of forests in a manner that is sensitive to local conflicts and protects human rights.
Satellite data to upscale forest monitoring in francophone countries
12/06/2020
African forest experts are using satellite imagery to assess the forest resources of the continent through a virtual training held this week as part of the 2020 Remote Sensing Survey of the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).
Forests and pollinators – close companions with a shared destiny
09/06/2020
Unobtrusive and often unobserved, the insects, birds, and mammals that help to keep plant populations diverse and abundant are easily overlooked as they go about their tasks. Yet their contribution to food production in terms of quantity, quality, and diversity is incalculable, through the act of...
Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-based Industries identifies priorities for building back better
09/06/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting all parts of our lives across the world including food trade, food supply chains and markets as well as people’s lives, livelihoods and nutrition.
Forest products have supported livelihoods throughout the pandemic delivering essential items, such as hy...
Forests are critical for promoting pollination in agriculture and biodiversity, says FAO report
09/06/2020
Forests and trees are critical for promoting pollination by bees, butterflies and other animals, and there is an urgent need to stop their habitat degradation and safeguard biodiversity, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
FAO Forestry helps launch Living Chapel installation
05/06/2020
Nature is sending us a message that we must change our behaviour for a more sustainable future, FAO Forestry Assistant Director-General Hiroto Mitsugi said today at the launch of a new green artwork for World Environment Day.
How producer organizations help empower women
04/06/2020
Women in rural area have seen the benefits of participating in forest and farm producer organizations, such as improving their ability to start businesses and sell their products, getting specialized training and accessing social and cultural services.
Watch the high-level virtual launch of the State of the World’s Forests 2020: Forests, Biodiversity and People
22/05/2020
The State of the World’s Forests reports on recent major policy and institutional developments and key issues in the forest sector. The high-level virtual launch event organized jointly by FAO and UNEP was held on 22 May 2020 to mark the International Day for Biological Diversity.
UN report: As the world’s forests continue to shrink, urgent action is needed to safeguard their biodiversity
22/05/2020
Urgent action is needed to safeguard the biodiversity of the world's forests amid alarming rates of deforestation and degradation, according to the latest edition of The State of the World's Forests released today.
Forest producer organizations stepping up during COVID-19
13/05/2020
Forest and farmer producer organizations are stepping up emergency responses to help millions of rural small-scale producers during the COVID-19 crisis as it disrupts lives and livelihoods worldwide.