A Special Session on “Biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry” will be held as part of the 8th World Forest Week (8WFW) at the margins of the 26th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO26).

Forests are home to most of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Yet, forests and their biodiversity continue to be lost at an alarming rate. Deforestation is the greatest driver of the loss of valuable plants and animals, with almost 8 million hectares of forest cleared every year, mainly for agricultural expansion. Other threats include over-harvesting of timber, invasive species, climate change, desertification and forest fires. The conservation of the world’s biodiversity is utterly dependent on the way in which we interact with and use the world’s forests. The critical importance of sustainable forest management in halting deforestation and forest degradation, and the associated decline in supply of ecosystem services, is well recognized. However, much more needs to be done to make sure that the conservation and sustainable utilization of biodiversity are embedded at every level of forest management.  

Background

COFO 25 requested FAO to conduct a review of biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry and share good practices on solutions that balance conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity, and report on progress made at COFO 26.  The Committee also invited Members to strengthen the mainstreaming of biodiversity, conservation and sustainable use in the forest sector, and requested FAO to strengthen forestry considerations in the work on mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors. To address these requests and support member countries in enhancing biodiversity mainstreaming in the forest sector, FAO, in partnership with CIFOR, conducted a review of biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry. The study aimed to: assess the state of mainstreaming biodiversity in the forest sector; take stock of existing concepts and tools for integrating biodiversity in forest management; review the range of policy instruments that, beyond legal protection, can enhance biodiversity conservation; and recommend actions to advance biodiversity mainstreaming in the forest sector.  

Objectives

The objectives of the Special Session are to: 

1) report on the key findings of the review on biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry as requested by COFO 25; 

2) launch the FAO Forestry Paper “Mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry”; and 

3) discuss the way forward with member countries and partner organizations to validate and support the on-the-ground implementation of recommendations from the review.   

Session programme

The Special Session will be moderated by Mr. Henry Bonsu, a distinguished journalist and broadcaster, and will feature opening remarks by Ms. Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO and keynote address by Mr. Robert Nasi, Director General, CIFOR. 
FAO will present the key findings from the review of biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry conducted in partnership with CIFOR, which will be followed by panel discussions with country officials from Ethiopia and Japan, as well as representatives from CIFOR, the CBD Secretariat and the International Model Forest Network. 

When 

6 October, 08:15-09:45 hrs am CEST

Where

• FAO HQ in Rome, Italy.
• Zoom link: click here to register in advance.
• Webcast (details on the link will be provided further ahead).

The FAO-CIFOR publication “Biodiversity mainstreaming in forestry” will be made available on this website after the event.

©FAO/Kenichi Shono