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Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an unprecedented rate across the planet putting a great number of species on the brink of extinction. A decline in the plants, animals and micro-organisms threatens food security, sustainable development and the supply of vital ecosystem services. In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, there is an urgent need to take action to halt biodiversity loss and consequently ecosystem degradation. Since the introduction of the Aichi targets, released by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, the United Nations have been empowered with greater influence on decision-making impacting biodiversity. [...]

As the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011–2020 comes to a close and countries prepare to adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, this edition of The State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) examines the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.Forests cover just over 30 percent of the global land area, yet they provide habitat for the vast majority of the terrestrial plant and animal species known to science. Unfortunately, forests and the biodiversity they contain continue to be under threat from actions to convert the land [...]

The sustainable utilization of natural resources is a major element of rural livelihoods and economic development in Brazil. From 2011 to 2019, FAO implemented the project “Strengthening the national knowledge and information framework to foster sustainable forest resources management policies". This project helped to establish and consolidate a National Forest Inventory (NFI) model approved by, and agreed with, different partners and stakeholders in the forest sector. The focus given to institutional strengthening and data collection was strategic to achieve an unprecedented level of qualified knowledge on the topic. To date, there is some evidence on the use of NFI results [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many changes in the daily lives of people around the world, but there are things that can be done to maintain a healthy lifestyle in these difficult times. Everyone is encouraged to follow World Health Organization (WHO) guidance and governmental advice to protect against COVID-19 infection and transmission. Social distancing and good hygiene are the best protection for yourself and others against COVID-19. Good nutrition is very important before during and after an infection. While no foods or dietary supplements can prevent COVID-19 infection, maintaining a healthy diet is an important part of supporting a strong [...]

The project's specific objective is to “evaluate, adapt, and implement relevant best practices derived from the successful management of Huangshan National Scenic Reserve to strengthen and upgrade the existing municipal system of protected areas (PAs).” This is to be achieved by adopting a tiered, sequential approach applied to different classes of Nature Reserves (NR) grouped to best benefit from project-supported activities in a cost-effective manner. This MTE is being conducted for the purposes of both accountability and learning of GEF, GCU, FAO, and other participating institutions. This MTE documents important lessons to guide the remaining phase of the project and [...]

This course focuses on how to practically operationalize the indigenous peoples’ right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) throughout all stages of the project cycle. The course describes each of the recommended six steps of the process and the related actions to be undertaken.System RequirementsThe online version of this course runs on the latest versions of the major browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.The downloadable version only runs on Windows PC’s and no additional software is needed.AudienceThe course is primarily intended for professionals directly engaged in the development and implementation of projects involving indigenous peoples. In particular, [...]

The cultivation of diverse farmers’ varieties/landraces, which tend to be well-adapted and suited to local production systems, confers increased resilience for crop production. Farmers’ varieties/landraces are also potential sources of traits for crop improvement, especially for developing varieties tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses and for incorporating farmer-preferred traits. Unfortunately, many of these genetic resources have been replaced by modern cultivars in recent decades, resulting in a reduction in the total number of different varieties grown and/or loss of heterogeneity. Such losses make farming systems less resilient, especially to shocks from abiotic and biotic stresses. These guidelines, intended as reference [...]

While all pesticides can be dangerous when used inappropriately, highly hazardous pesticides are of particular concern due to the severe adverse effects they can cause to human health and the environment. With adequate investment in scaling-up existing and new ecological alternatives for pest control, pesticides that pose unacceptable risk to humans and the environment can be phased out from agriculture and other use sectors. The brochure explains the risks pose by HHPs, the possible alternatives and what can be done to phase them out and opt for more sustainable solutions.  

Well-performing CBF has the potential to rapidly restore forests in ecological terms and scale up sustainable forest management to the national level, while improving local livelihoods of billions of the most marginalized people around the world. The purpose of this framework is to facilitate assessment of the extent of CBF, the status with regards to the enabling conditions, and the impact of CBF on forests and local livelihoods at the country level. Thus, this assessment framework can serve to provide important insights into the successes, as well as the continued shortcomings of CBF at the country level. Also available in Spanish [...]

This report summarizes the state of biodiversity for food and agriculture in Near East and North Africa based on the information provided in country reports submitted to FAO as part of the reporting process for The State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture.