Harnessing forest potential: cost-effective climate solutions with co-benefits
Protected, restored, and sustainably managed forests store and sequester carbon, provide global cooling effects, stabilize local climates, contribute to the bioeconomy, and supply products and ecosystem services that enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of people and ecosystems.
FAO catalyzes local forest solutions by advocating and enhancing sustainable forest management at national and local levels to integrate multiple social, economic, and environmental functions of forests. Community based forestry and social forestry are central to this approach for forest protection and securing rural livelihoods.
FAO’s work in this area supports countries with informed decision-making through data use, promotes the adoption of sustainable forest management practices, and develops low emission- livelihoods in forest value chains. In particular strengthening the role of indigenous peoples, women and marginalized groups are central to our work.
Latest news
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Understanding the impacts of social forestry in Lao PDR
18/05/2026
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Media release: Advance Forest Conservation through Climate Finance and Community Development
09/04/2026
From farm to consumer: Strengthening deforestation-free coffee value chains
25/03/2026
On March 13, 2026, the webinar series “From Farm to Consumer: Articulation for Resilient, Sustainable and Forest-Friendly Agrifood Value Chains” was launched, organized by the UN-REDD Programme, a joint initiative of FAO, UNDP and UNEP. The inaugural session focused on the coffee sector, one of the main drivers of rural development in Latin America and a crop closely linked to the region’s forest landscapes.
Latest events
24/2
2026
27/2
2026
Regional exchange on scaling solutions for decoupling agricultural production from deforestation in Africa
24/02/2026 - 27/02/2026
This regional workshop will convene 50–60 participants from government, civil society, academia, the private sector, producer organizations, and development partners across more than ten African countries to strengthen collaboration on addressing agriculture-linked deforestation and enhancing cross-sectoral synergies between agriculture and forests.
Latest publications
Climate change mitigation through social forestry actions in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries
19/03/2026
The UN-REDD Social Forestry Initiative (2022–2025), supported by Switzerland, strengthens ASEAN countries’ capacity to integrate social forestry into...
Global transformation of forests for people and climate: Focus on West Africa
16/03/2026
West Africa is home to over 72 million hectares of forests and woodlands that support biodiversity and sustain millions of people’s livelihoods. Yet,...
Community forest management groups in North Western Province, Zambia. Assessment report Covering the districts of Kalumbila, Mwinilunga, Manyinga, Ikelenge and Kabompo
30/12/2025
Zambia has embraced community forestry (CF) as a strategy that places local communities at the centre of sustainable forest management.
Community-based forestry for forests, people and climate in West Africa
28/10/2025
Community engagement in forest management and restoration, as well as in climate action, has been increasingly recognized and implemented in West Africa...
Community-based forestry (CBF) in West Africa series
28/10/2025
The report compiles stocktaking data on Community-Based Forestry (CBF) across West African countries.
Comparative legal study on forests in West Africa
19/11/2024
This publication offers a comparative analysis of forest legal frameworks in seven West African countries — Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,...
Strengthening decentralized forest governance in West Africa
18/10/2024
This publication presents lessons learned from subregional dynamics, national legal frameworks, and best practices in forest governance in West Africa....
Open Foris: collection, analysis and reporting of forest information
14/10/2024
Open Foris is a set of free and open-source tools that supports countries in collecting, analyzing, and reporting reliable forest data to improve monitoring,...
Halting deforestation from agricultural value chains: the role of governments
29/09/2022
This paper summarizes the current state of concepts and approaches for addressing deforestation in the trade, marketing, and production of agricultural...
Latest impact stories
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