The Food and Agriculture Organization's Forest Invasive Species Network for Africa (FISNA) is marking a significant milestone as it transitions leadership after seven years of impactful coordination. The change brings both a moment to honor past achievements and an opportunity to map the path forward. 

Forests across Africa and the Near East face mounting threats from invasive species, native pest outbreaks, and climate change. In response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently convened a regional webinar that brought together forest health experts, researchers, and practitioners to share knowledge and strengthen early detection systems for forest pests. 

Aggressive and invasive plant species continue to undermine biodiversity, ecosystem safety and sustainable land management in Europe and Central Asia. Both forest ecosystems and urban green spaces face ecological imbalance, loss of native species, increased fire risk and human health risk due to ...

The FAO Forest Health and Invasive Species Network for Latin America and the Caribbean (FHISLAC) hosted a technical session during the 34^th Session Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission, bringing together leading experts to confront the growing crisis of invasive species threatening the region’s forests and other ecosystems.

Forestry experts, policymakers, and practitioners from around 10 countries across the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region gathered on 1 October 2025 to share perspectives and experiences and address the increasing threats to forest health from pests, invasive species, drought, and the impacts of climate change.  

When Davis Ssemanda began his undergraduate degree in forestry in Uganda, he was already deeply interested in the natural environment. But it wasn’t until his thesis research that he began to fully grasp the scale and complexity of the challenges facing Uganda’s forests.

A silent destroyer is threatening biodiversity, national economies, agriculture, food systems, and cultural heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

The Red Palm Weevil (RPW, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), a beetle no larger than a human thumb yet considered the most devastating palm tree pest in the world, has already left a trail of destruction across three continents—and now it has arrived in the Americas

What happens when trees and crops grow on the same land? How do trees on farms help shape healthier communities and ecosystems?

The Near East Network on Forest Health and Invasive Species (NENFHIS) convened its first focal point meeting of 2025 through a virtual webinar, drawing participants from across the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region to discuss the growing threats to forest health and the urgent need for coordinated regional action.

Showcasing the next generation of forest health leaders across the Near East and Africa

The Youth Action in Forest Health competition, co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Near East Forest Invasive Species Network (NENFHIS), and the Forest Invasive Species Network for Africa (FISNA), brought together over 110 participants from Africa, the Near East, and beyond to witness the research efforts being championed by emerging scientists addressing forest health challenges.

A stage for young forest health leaders

The Youth Action in Forest Health competition, co-hosted by FAO and its Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network (APFISN), took place on April 25, 2025, and brought together over 160 participants from across the region and beyond. The event celebrated the energy, creativity, and innovation of young researchers tackling one of today’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The event, hosted by FAO’s Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe and Central Asia (REUFIS), is part of the Voices of Future Forest Health Leaders webinar series; which provides a platform for young experts to share their experiences and emphasize the urgent need for innovation, collaboration, and investment in forest protection.

Five young forest health professionals shared their experiences in FAO’s latest ‘Voices of Future Forest Health Leaders’ webinar, organized in collaboration with the Forest Invasive Species Network for Africa (FISNA) and the Near East Network on Forest Heath and Invasive Species (NENFHIS). 

FAO's Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Network (APFISN) launched a new webinar series, ‘Voices of future forest health leaders’, aimed at connecting and empowering young professionals in the field. 

FAO today launched an updated Guide to implementation of phytosanitary standards in forestry, including good practices for forest health protection to help reduce the human-facilitated spread of forest pests and their impacts.

Climate change is increasing the susceptibility of the world's forests to stressors such as wildfires and pests, according to a new flagship publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) that emphasizes the role of innovation in achieving a sustainable future fo...

FAO and the Regional Centre for Forestry and Rural Development (REFORD) in North Macedonia hosted the annual international meeting of the Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe...

The vital role forests play to ensure environmental health and healthy societies came under the spotlight today at a global event which brought together ministers, experts and youth activists to mark International Day of Forests 2023.

FAO published a new study on forest-related disasters that will help contribute to the development of effective responses for future incidents.

The Food Chain Crisis has recently published a flyer on the polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB). The polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) is an ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculeonidae: Scolytinae) native to Asia, together with its fungal symbiont Fusarium euwallaceae. PHSB attacks agricultural and forestry crops, street and garden trees, as well as several native tree species.