World Forestry Congress, 7-11 September 2015, Durban, South Africa

The XIV World Forestry Congress, hosted by the Republic of South Africa, will bring together the global forestry community to review and analyse the key issues and to share ways of addressing them. 

The Congress – the first to be held in Africa - is inclusive of people from all countries, regions and sectors, whether they belong to a government organization, NGO, private company, scientific or professional body, a forestry society, or simply have a personal interest in attending. The broad participation and inclusive discussion on forestry issues will facilitate their mainstreaming in global agendas on sustainable development as well as building new partnerships.

The Congress programme will be professionally and culturally rewarding, with a variety of sessions, events and dialogue, to ensure that all participants are engaged in defining a vision and strategies for the sustainable future of forests and forestry. 

 

Read more info: http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/world-forestry-congress/en/

Commercial agriculture and forestry could have a net positive impact on biodiversity – IUCN report

A new IUCN study examines, for the first time, how commercial agriculture and forestry production could reduce global biodiversity loss by applying innovative approaches already used by some companies in the extractive and infrastructure industries. 

The report, No Net Loss and Net Positive Impact: Approaches for Biodiversity, finds that under certain conditions, applying No Net Loss (NNL) and Net Positive Impact (NPI) approaches to agriculture and forestry landscapes associated with companies’ operations and supply chains could have a greater impact in reducing biodiversity loss than in other sectors.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, agriculture impacts 8,482 threatened species globally, while forestry impacts 7,953 threatened species, compared to the infrastructure and extractive sectors, which impact up to 4,688 and 1,692 threatened species respectively.

Read more : http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/?20232/npipressrelease16april2015final1doc

New approach for global deforestation

Global deforestation rates remain high despite their recognition for their environmental, social, cultural, and economic value. Approximately 13 million hectares of forest are lost every year and this is partiicularly high in tropical countries. Although forest cover in industrial countries has reportedly exhibited some expansion during the last decade, a large portion of remaining forest ecosystems is heavily degraded. It is estimated that only about 21 percent of the world’s forests are still intact. The concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) is evolving to become an all-encompassing framework across all types of forest use. According to the United Nations Forum on Forests, SFM is a dynamic concept that aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social, and environmental values of forests, for the benefit of both present and future generations. In densely populated areas, and where many people heavily depend on forests for their income, SFM might be of particular interest because it allows the use of a wide range of forest products while addressing the pressure on forest resources.

Trees and climate modelling

According to agroforestry experts, current climate models and projections may be inaccurate because measurements are based on guidelines that do not include the effects of trees on the local climate. In a book titled , "How people and trees can co-adapt to climate change, by World Agroforestry Centre, trees can influence many of the climate factors predicted by modelling, and their effects should be added to climate maps. According to the book, enhancing tree cover for agricultural purposes is a good adaptation mechanism although "none of this has yet made it into national climate-adaptation planning". Link to the book available here.

New forest trends for Africa

Projects and initiatives which demonstrate the current innovations and challenges to carbon, water, biodiversity payments for ecosystem services (PES) implementation in Africa are featured in this booklet. It is hoped that this publication, (coupled with training sessions, policy advice, legal analysis, and network building) will enable community leaders, government actors, NGO technical staff, project developers and other interested persons to gain access to PES best practice, build a local community of PES learning, craft policies that are supportive of PES, and design PES projects which provide lasting ecosystem services and livelihood benefits. Link available on foresttrends site.

African agroforestry needs better quality seeds

A study has found that poor farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa could benefit from wider distribution of certified tree seeds to boost the quality of agroforestry schemes. Agroforestry — the practice of integrating trees into agricultural landscapes — can improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. But many of the trees planted do not reach their yield potential because of the poor quality of seed germplasm, say the authors of research published in the September issue of Agroforestry Systems. Their research found that just three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa — Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Rwanda — have seed certified according to the international standard from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Although countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe have national tree seed centres, they lack legislation that determines which seeds can be used for agroforestry. Compulsory certification is not in place partly because it would increase the cost of seeds for farmers, say the researchers.

A sustainable livelihoods mainstreaming strategy

This document outlines the major areas of scope whereby the mainstreaming strategy will address the underlying root causes, threats and drivers that affect the achievement of twin conservation and livelihoods goals. These include: Forests and habitat, species, wildlife trade and crime control, freshwater and wetland conservation, response to climate change impact and adaptation measures, and good governance and social inclusion including policy and advocacy for equity and capacity. The document also describes the expected major areas of change and broader impacts that will be brought about after mainstreaming the sustainable livelihoods strategy.This article is available at:http://zunia.org/uploads/media/knowledge/sustainable_livelihood_strategy_low_4_mb_june_20111318138361.pdf

ORI Research Scholar Dr. Demel Teketay Fanta receives historic promotion.

Dr. Demel Teketay Fanta, a Research Scholar at ORI, has recently been double-promoted to Associate Professor rank. Prof. Fanta who received his PhD from the Faculty of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, has previously worked at various capacities in different institutions prior to joining the institute as a Plant Ecologist in July 2009, i.e. the first African Regional Director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – African Regional Office; Director General of and Director of Forestry Research in the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization; Graduate Assistant – Assistant Lecturer - Lecturer and Assistant Professor of Forest Vegetation Ecology at both Alemaya University and Wondo Genet College of Forestry. He has taught several courses and supervised/co-supervised 13 (3 currently) PhD and 18 Mphil/MSc students (1 currently). He has served as examiner/pre-reviewer of 12 PhD (Ethiopia, Finland, Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden) and 4 MSc (Ethiopia and South Africa) theses. He has published 153 scientific articles: 96 in peer-reviewed national and international journals, 11 book chapters, 19 in proceedings, 12 published articles,15 in quasi-scientific journals and different bulletins. He has also published 2 books and edited 2 books 1 special issue of a journal as well as a national report. His research and publications focus on the flora of Ethiopia; forests and livelihoods; responsible/sustainable forest management; diversity, structure, dynamics and conservation of forest resources; regeneration ecology; flowering and fruiting phenology; forest fire and its impact on forest species; restoration of degraded (forest) land; impact of plantations on indigenous woody species regeneration; medicinal and edible wild plants; and Ethno-botany and ecology. He is a member of several professional associations and serves/served as a member of the Governing Council and Executive Committee of the African Forest Forum (since 2007), Executive Committee of the International Association of Tropical Ecology (since 2005), Associate Editor of five national and international scientific journals: Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources, Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences, Environmental Management, New Forests and Tropical Ecology, and Editorial Board of two international journals: FLORA and Journal of Science and Development. He has also been the recipient of seven national and international awards. The double promotion he got is the first in the history of University of Botswana. Congratulations Prof on this historic achievement!

Climate change and forest diseases

With climate changes, the effects of forest diseases on forest ecosystems will change. The authors discuss four types of forest and disease management tactics – monitoring, forecasting, planning and mitigation – and provide case studies of yellow-cedar decline and sudden aspen decline to illustrate how forest diseases might be managed in the face of climate change. The uncertainties inherent to climate change effects can be diminished by conducting research, assessing risks, and linking results to forest policy, planning and decision making. Report available here.

Responses by Households to Resource Scarcity and Human–Wildlife Conflict

In conserved areas like parks and forest regions which are surrounded by dense agricultural settlements,land use and resource extraction is severely limited. Local people are forced to turn to resource pools outside these areas for survival. The authors of this article combine remote sensing techniques and household surveys to examine landscape change and the implications for securing rural livelihoods. Forests and wetlands outside the park provide important resources such as fuel wood,building poles, and water, but they are also problematic for local farmers since crop raids by primates and elephants emanate from these fragments. Their analysis shows that since 1984 forests and wetlands have decreased in size and number and those that remain have become increasingly isolated within the agricultural mosaic. Farmers have adapted to resource shortages and human–wildlife conflict in different ways.This article is available at:http://pubpages.unh.edu/~jnz6/Professional/Publications/Hartter%20et%20al.,%202010.pdf

FAO: International Year of Forests Special Issue

The year 2011 is a special year for forests and all who care for them. As a tribute to this theme, FAO has created a special issue of Unasylva on this theme. With only photos and the briefest of stories, the issue expresses the theme of the International year-'Forests for people"-by showing how forests are important to nearly all kinds of human activity. Some of the photos highlight FAO activities and those of their partners. The special issue is now available in the ORI Library.

International Year of Forests 2011

The year 2011 has been declared as the International Year of Forests in an attempt to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. Not only do forests provide shelter, they are a source of food, medicine and clean water; and provide a wide range of environmental services, including biodiversity conservation, water supply, carbon sequestration, flood control, and protection against soil erosion and desertification. They play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate and environment. Forests are vital to the survival and well being of people everywhere, all 7 billion of us.Full report available on the UNESCO site.

Sustainable Forest Management as a Strategy to Combat Climate Change

Results of recent studies of community forest management in Mexico are presented in this study in the belief that it can inspire other countries and peoples to follow similar paths. Devolving rights over forest land and its resources, including carbon, to the local level is not a panacea for deforestation and forest degradation or the only necessary ingredient for forest-based carbon capture. For full report visit: http://www.rightsandresources.org/documents/files/doc_2018.pdf

Forests and Society – Responding to Global Drivers of Change

This publication of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations – Special Project on World Forests, Society and Environment (IUFRO-WFSE), by Gerardo Mery and others, focuses on identifying the main global drivers of change and their direct and indirect effects on forests, forestry and forest-dependent people. It proposes ways to reduce the adverse effects of these drivers and to take advantage of the benefits and opportunities they might bring. Full article available on the IUFRO site.

Biodiversity Conservation in Certified Forests

The volume consists of 33 articles by a wide variety of authors involved in certification and/or the conservation of tropical forest biodiversity. Providing their views on whether certification is a good conservation strategy for tropical forests, the authors report on practical experiences from concessions and community forests, on the challenges of monitoring biodiversity, high conservation value forests and other topics. The evidence indicates that certification has helped to conserve tropical forest biodiversity but the extent of both the evidence and the implied conservation benefits remain limited. In spite of these uncertainties, certification, and therefore regulated timber harvest, remains a viable strategy in the fight against biodiversity loss in tropical forests. for more on this article you can visit the European Tropical Forest Research site.

Forests, trees and livelihoods

The latest issue of this journal focuse on selected papers on tree domestication from the Second Agroforestry Congress held in Nairobi from 23-29 August 2009. All the papers in this issue illustrate the importance placed on the involvement of local communities in the process of tree domestication.The first four papers link domestication with commercialization and follow a progression aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and the final three papers present domesticatiopn case studies for different products. i.e. edible nuts, fuelwood and essential oils. The journal is now available in the HOORC Library.

Forest Governance in Africa

This paper sets out to provide an overview of key forest governance issues across the African continent, particularly on the experiences in western, central and, to a lesser extent, eastern subregions of the continent. Particular emphasis is given to the divergence between the forest as a provider of means to rural people and governance mechanisms that have predominantly focused on national economic activities and political priorities. The paper considers where the forests are, the differences between them, and their uses and value to African people. Issues and challenges around the state of knowledge of the continent’s forests, is considered describing several ‘forest paradigms’ that have played an important role in setting the current, or emerging, context for forest governance. The role of some of the key stakeholders in forest governance systems is also considered. Current trends in the development of forest policies and legal frameworks are described, and the key issue of the decentralisation of forest governance is discussed.

Our Planet: UNEP Magazine: May 2010 issue

Climate change has been described as the biggest market failure of all time, but loss of biodiversity and of nature’s economically important services must surely be running it close, if not equaling it. Year in and year out, the world economy may be losing $2.5 to $4.5 trillion-worth of natural capital as a result of deforestation alone, quite apart from the cost of the losses of other key ecosystems. For more visit the UNEP website

IUFRO's recent work on African forests and climate change

On 11 May 2010, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) launched a Policy Brief with the title “Making African Forests Fit for Climate Change: A regional View of Climate-Change Impacts on Forests and People and Options for Adaptation”, at the current fourteenth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the result of cooperation between the IUFRO-led initiative “Global Forest Expert Panels” (GFEP) of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, the IUFRO Special Programme for Developing Countries (IUFRO-SPDC), and key experts from the Forestry Research Network for Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA).For more information, you can go to http://www.iufro.org/news/article/2010/05/11/african-forests-and-people-need-to-adapt-to-climate-change/ or http://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/african-policy-brief/

Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010

The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010 (FRA 2010) offers a comprehensive assessment of forests and forestry to date, not only in terms of the number of countries and people involved but also in terms of scope. It examines the current status and recent trends for about 90 variables covering the extent, condition, uses and values of forests and other wooded land, with the aim of assessing all benefits from forest resources. Information has been collated from 233 countries and territories for four points in time: 1990, 2000, 2005 and 2010. The results are presented according to the seven thematic elements of sustainable forest management.
The full report is available on:
http://www.fao.org/forestry/static/data/fra2010/KeyFindings-