The involvement of communities in watershed management is essential. Communities are effected by what happens in a watershed, and their actions influence the downstream availability and quality of water, as well as other ecosystem services. Ensuring gender balance in decision-making processes is a key element in the new generation of watershed management programmes and projects. A case study from Pakistan supports the importance of gender equality in watershed management.

Since the Shiga Declaration and the Warsaw Resolution 2, many events on forests and water were organized by FAO and other institutions between 2008 and 2011. Experiences ranging from research to project implementation , were presented. These events provided up-to-date insight into the topic as well as recommendations for the way forward. To guide future action, FAO took the initiative of synthesizing the main outcomes and recommendations resulting from this process to develop a comprehensive and practical International Forests and Water Agenda.

Vol. 27, 2012/1. Special issue on integrating sustainable use of land, forests and fisheries. Integrated management and better coordination are obviously important. However, too little water is managed in Africa, resulting in overwhelming need for more management effort at all levels. The articles reflect the interface between water resources and land, forestry and in-land fisheries management in the continent. Content and subject matter of articles featured contribute to the assessment of best practices, and offer applicable measures to ensure a secured access to abundant and good quality water, land, forests and fisheries...

Vol. 58, 2007/4. Special issue on the state of knowledge of forest and water interactions and related policy issues. Foresters and water management specialists are cooperating more closely than ever before, but their exchange of expertise could be developed further. Informed decisions about integrated forest and water management depend on applied research and its dissemination to policy-makers. With this issue of Unasylva we hope to enhance the flow of information, knowledge – and safe water.

This booklet aims to separate fact from fiction on issues related to forests and water and to dispel some of the commonly held misconceptions about the role of forests in flood mitigation. It does not pretend to provide an exhaustive overview on the subject; rather, it aims to brief policy-makers, development agencies and the media, and so constructively contribute to the development of sound watershed and river-basin management, and flood-mitigation policies, for the Asia-Pacific region.