Enhancing forest potential for climate action in NENA countries

28 March 2022 – Forests and trees are fundamental to tackling climate change worldwide. Halting deforestation and reducing forest and land degradation are among the best nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.  

Understanding and enhancing the potential of forest resources for climate action is even more vital in arid and semi-arid lands with low forest cover, like those of the Near East and North Africa region. Here, goods and services provided by forests are closely linked to the sustainable management of land and water resources . Water scarcity and soil degradation, already a problem in most countries of the Region, will be further exacerbated by climate change.

Hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates, the first-ever Middle East and North Africa Regional Climate Week is taking place this year from 28 to 31 March in Dubai. The event aims to gather key stakeholders to accelerate collaboration and integrate climate action into global pandemic recovery. To support climate action in countries, FAO has made its resources related to forestry and climate available in Arabic and French.

Integrating forestry and agroforestry into climate adaptation 

Forests mitigate global warming by absorbing and storing carbon from the atmosphere in their vegetation and soils. Moreover, they provide products and sustain livelihoods, ensure water availability, prevent flooding, erosion, and desertification. Thanks to the crucial ecosystem services they provide, forests help other sectors adapt and build resilience to the changing climate. Crops, livestock, fisheries, infrastructure, economies, people – all depend on forests. 

Yet climate change also threatens forests, including by the increasing variability in temperature and precipitation, storms, pest outbreaks and more frequent and intense fires. In fact, the ability of forests and trees to adapt to these impacts will influence their ability to mitigate climate change.

The potential of trees and forests to adapt to climate change while simultaneously helping other sectors, especially vulnerable systems, is one of the core elements of the publication Addressing forestry and agroforestry in National Adaptation Plans (NAP): Supplementary guidelines (in Arabic and French). This report provides specific guidance for national adaptation planning in the forestry sector.

These guidelines are intended to be used by national planners and decision-makers working on climate change issues in developing countries, as well as by authorities and experts who are contributing to climate change adaptation and NAP formulation and implementation. Watch the video interviews with the authors or read this story to learn more. 

Boosting transparency of forest data for better decision-making

Transparent and accurate information, on the status and trends of countries' forests and land use, is necessary for countries to track progress towards major international commitments ‒ such as keeping global temperature rise to under 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels (Paris Agreement) and halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals, the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land). 

In particular, the Paris Agreement encourages all countries to articulate actions to tackle climate change in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to track progress in achieving NDCs and promote environmental integrity, transparency, accuracy, completeness, comparability and consistency.

To support countries' efforts to collect, analyse and disseminate forest-related data, in line with these requirements, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations launched the project “Building Global Capacity to Increase Transparency in the Forest sector” (CBIT-Forest), with the financial assistance of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Among many other activities, the initiative supported the development of the following resources in Arabic.

The Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) is a flagship report (EN l AR l FR) compiled by FAO and based on official country data. For a summary overview, take a look at the digital report: a fresh perspective (EN l AR l FR) – a 5-minute read. Interactive data visualizations, metadata, statistical summaries at country, regional and global levels, as well as for custom groupings are available through the data platform. 

National forest monitoring systems (NFMS) and the data they produce are the cornerstones of reliable, credible, and transparent reporting for national and international reporting needs. The FAO elearning course “Forests and Transparency under the Paris Agreement” (EN l AR l FR)introduces users to the Enhanced Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement and explains how NFMS, and forest-data collection, analysis and dissemination can help countries meet international reporting requirements. The course is free, and users will receive a digital badge certification upon completion.

The NFMSAssessmentTool and its Quick Guidance(EN l AR l FR) have been designed to help governments and other stakeholders identify needs and gaps to establish or strengthen NFMS. The Excel-based tool guides users through an analysis of institutional dynamics, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and presents examples that fall within three themes—institutional arrangements, measurement and estimation, and reporting and verification. In the last year, this tool has been implemented in six pilot countries (Cote d'Ivoire, Guatemala, Honduras, Laos, Thailand and Uganda).