Publications
Issue Brief: Sustainable forest management as means to enhance self-reliance and promote climate resilience in displacement settings
2024
Conflict, violence and persecution, climate-related shocks and stresses as well as economic turbulence are increasingly driving humanitarian crises and displacement. As of June 2024, more than 122.6 million people had been forcibly displaced by conflict and persecution worldwide, including more than 37 million refugees. Tens of millions of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stateless individuals come from, and now live in highly climate-vulnerable situations.
Issue Brief: Forests, energy, and livelihoods
2023
The High-Level Political Forum under the auspices of the UN General Assembly Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG Summit) was held in September 2023 in New York. It will be used to review SDG progress and provide policy recommendations for accelerating achievement of the SDGs. This Issue Brief was prepared by the UNFF Secretariat, FAO, IUFRO, and UNDP to inform discussions at the event.
Are policies in Africa conducive to sustainability interventions in the charcoal sector? A preliminary assessment of 31 countries
2023
This publication presents the key findings from a preliminary assessment of the policies of African countries relevant to charcoal value chains. The main objective of this study is to assess the extent to which national energy and environmental policies and strategies in Africa have the potential to provide enabling conditions for sustainability interventions in the charcoal sector. The study was limited to the 31 countries that have pledged commitment to the AFR 100.
The role of wood residues in the transition to sustainable bioenergy - Analysis of good practices and recommendations for the deployment of wood residues for energy
2023
This report provides an overview of the potential use of wood residues as feedstock for bioenergy production as part of the transition towards a sustainable and circular forest bioeconomy. While data and examples are abundant from developed countries, a specific focus will be put on the role and potential of wood residue-based energy in developing countries.
Assessment of forest resource degradation and intervention options in refugee-hosting areas of Western and Southwestern Uganda
2020
Uganda is currently hosting over 1.3 million refugees making it the largest refugee host country in Africa. The inflow of refugees is reported to have exacerbated a range of ongoing environmental impacts and associated challenges, including land degradation and woodland loss, resulting in inadequate access to energy for cooking and competition with local people for water and other natural resources.
Rapid assessment of natural resource degradation in refugee impacted areas in Northern Uganda
2019
This report summarizes the main findings and recommendations of the assessment, updated to reflect the most recent (April 2019) refugee population figures.
Cost-benefit analysis of forestry intervetions for supplying woodfuel in a refugee situation in the United Republic of Tanzania
2018
This report presents a cost–benefit analysis of three forestry interventions aimed at producing a sustainable supply of woodfuel and reducing land degradation and deforestation in the vicinity of three refugee camps (Mtendeli, Nduta and Nyarugusu) in the Kigoma region, United Republic of Tanzania.
Managing forests in displacement settings - Guidance on the use of planted and natural forests to supply forest products and build resilience in displaced and host communities
2018
The massive increase in demand for woodfuel for cooking caused by sudden influxes of refugees and other displaced people is usually the main driver of forest degradation and deforestation in displacement settings. It places enormous pressure on nearby forests and woodlands and is often a source of tension between the host and displaced communities.
Using Prosopis as an energy source for refugees and host communities in Djibouti, and controlling its rapid spread
2018
FAO, in collaboration with Djibouti’s Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fishery, Livestock and Marine Resources and Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Environment, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, conducted the study presented in this report to assess the use of Prosopis woody biomass as a source of energy and options for increasing the efficiency of woodfuel supply chains.
Sustainable management of Miombo woodlands – Food security, nutrition and wood energy
2018
The Miombo woodland is a vast African dryland forest ecosystem covering close to 2.7 million km2 across southern Africa. The woodlands are characterized by the dominance of Brachystegia species, either alone or in association with Julbernardia and Isoberlinia species. It is estimated that the woodlands – through their numerous goods and services, which include various non-wood forest products and woodfuels, sustain the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural poor and 50 million urban people.
Incentivizing sustainable wood energy in sub-Saharan Africa - A way forward for policy-makers
2017
Woodfuel contributes to more than half of energy consumption in 22 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, and over two-thirds of the households in Africa use wood as their main fuel for cooking, heating and water boiling.
Sustainable woodfuel for food security – A smart choice: green, renewable and affordable
2017
With food insecurity, climate change and deforestation and forest degradation remaining key global issues, this paper highlights the role of sustainable woodfuel in improving food security. Food insecurity and a high dependence on woodfuel as a primary cooking fuel are characteristics common to vulnerable groups of people in developing regions of the world.
Rapid woodfuel assessment - 2017 Baseline for Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda
2017
Uganda is host to more than 1 million refugees who have fled famine, conflict and insecurity in the neighbouring countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. The recent influx of refugees from South Sudan prompted one of Uganda’s most severe humanitarian emergencies and led to the establishment of the Bidibidi settlement in Yumbe District in August 2016.
The charcoal transition: greening the charcoal value chain to mitigate climate change and improve locallivelihoods
2017
Charcoal is widely used for cooking and heating in developing countries. The consumption of charcoal has been at high level and the demand may keep growing over the next decades, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Some preliminary studies indicate that among commonly used cooking fuels, unsustainably produced charcoal can be the most greenhouse gas intensive fuels and simple measures could deliver high GHG mitigation benefits.
The charcoal transition - Executive Summary
2017
The full report, The charcoal transition: greening the charcoal value chain to mitigate climate change and improve local livelihoods, is available at: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i6935en
Meeting fuel and energy needs in protracted crises
2016
This note focuses on the topic of access to fuel and energy in protracted crises, and the possible solutions using the SAFE approach, illustrated by case studies from FAO's interventions in protracted crisis situations. Access to fuel and energy – vital for food security – is often highly constrained in protracted crises.
Forestry for a low-carbon future: Integrating forests and wood products in climate change strategies
2016
Following the introduction, Chapter 2 provides an overview of mitigation in the forest sector, addressing the handling of forests under UNFCCC. Chapters 3 to 5 focus on forest-based mitigation options – afforestation, reforestation, REDD+ and forest management – and Chapters 6 and 7 focus on wood-product based options – wood energy and green building and furnishing.
Assessing woodfuel supply and demand in displacement settings
2016
This manual presents a methodology for assessing woodfuel supply and demand at the level of the displacement camp through the collection of primary data in the field and remote sensing analysis. The methodology uses a multi-sectoral approach to assess the energy-related needs and challenges of people in both displaced and host communities.
WISDOM Serbia - Spatial wood fuels production and consumption analysis
2015
The Woodfuel Integrated Supply and Demand Overview Mapping (WISDOM) in Serbia form part of a series of initiatives undertaken by FAO to promote strategic wood energy planning and policy formulation. As in many countries all over the globe the wood energy sector suffers from a widespread lack of recognition in national planning contexts, especially in forest and energy policies.
WISDOM Darfur - Land Cover mapping and WISDOM analysis for emergency and rehabilitation planning in Darfur
2011
This study provides the policy makers, emergency and rehabilitation operators, project managers and technical personnel with a comprehensive and spatially-explicit view on the use and potential productivity of woody biomass in Darfur, with special attention to Internally Displaced Populations (IDP).