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Halting deforestation, degradation and emissions

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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
Stakeholders validate analytical framework to enhance forest policy coherence and public expenditure in Ghana's AFOLU sectors
26/05/2026
Accra, Ghana — On Tuesday, 26th May, 2026, a high-level stakeholder workshop was convened at the Miklin Hotel, East Legon, to review and validate the final draft of the policy coherence analytical framework under the Forest Policy Coherence and Public Expenditure Analysis (FoRCE) initiative.
Understanding the impacts of social forestry in Lao PDR
18/05/2026
Social forestry (SF) has been expanding in Southeast Asia for over 40 years. Between 2010 and 2024, the area under SF grew from 6.7 to over 15.3 million hectares. This growth has coincided with stronger legal frameworks that secure rights and deliver greater benefits to local tenure holders.
Media release: Advance Forest Conservation through Climate Finance and Community Development
09/04/2026
The Government of Papua New Guinea through the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) in partnership with The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), an accredited entity of the Green Climate Fund has launched a national inception workshop to initiate implementation of the Papua New Guinea Green Climate Fund (GCF) Results-Based Payment (RBP) Pilot Programme.
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...

Regional assessment of above-ground biomass using field, airborne light detection and ranging and satellite data integration
17/03/2026

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
Story
Seeds of Change: How the Xingu Network Is Restoring Forests and Livelihoods
16/04/2026
Story
Managing the monte: A story of Ana María and 12 women redefining forest stewardship in Argentina
08/03/2026