Committee on Forestry: Transformational changes in forests and food systems policies needed

Transformational change is urgently needed in the way we manage our forests and their biodiversity, as well in the way we produce and consume our foods and interact with nature. This was the key message of the speech delivered by FAO Director-General QU Dongyu at the 25th session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO). He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that forests can serve as a safety net for human beings, particularly the poor and vulnerable, offering huge potential in "building back better" after the global health crisis.

The opening session also saw the participation of EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius. "Forests and trees contribute to all four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization and stability. If we fail to achieve SDG 15, in particular, managing forests sustainably and halting and reversing biodiversity loss, we will also fail to deliver on achieving a world free from hunger and more generally on the 2030 Agenda," he highlighted.

The European Union supports many forestry projects where FAO plays an active role. Their cooperation includes the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme, which seeks to reduce and eliminate illegal logging as well as the UN-REDD Programme which aims to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It also covers the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme, being implemented by FAO and the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), whose focus is to develop innovative, collaborative, and scalable new approaches to conserve wild animals and protect ecosystems, whilst improving the livelihoods of the indigenous peoples and rural communities that depend on them. The EU also supports the Forest Resource Assessment project led by FAO which provides essential information for understanding the extent of forest resources, their condition, management and uses.