External links

SDG indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1 - Forest area and sustainable forest management

This course has been developed to guide countries in reporting on Indicators 15.1.1 and 15.2.1. It illustrates the rationale of the indicators, the definitions and methodologies on which monitoring activities are based, and explains the process and the tools available for compiling data related to the two indicators through the Global Forest Resources Assessment Programme (available in English, French and Spanish).

SDG 15 - Indicators of sustainable forests and mountains

Mountain forests

Mountains cover around 27 percent of the earth’s land surface, and forests cover more than 40 percent of the global mountain area.

Healthy mountain forests are crucial to the ecological health of the world. They protect watersheds that supply freshwater to more than half of humankind. They also harbour wildlife, provide food and fodder for mountain peoples and are important sources of timber and non-wood products. Moreover, they protect the earth and contribute to shielding the atmosphere from CO2 emissions.

Protecting these forests and making sure they are carefully managed is an important step towards sustainable mountain development. In the last decades, tropical mountain forests have been disappearing at an astounding rate. Deforestation is generally driven by population growth, the expansion of intensive agriculture, uncertain land tenure, inequitable land distribution and the absence of strong and stable institutions.

Crucially, mountain forests perform a protective function against natural hazards, so that when forest cover is lost and the land is left unprotected, runoff and soil erosion increase, provoking landslides, avalanches and floods, to the detriment of villages, transport systems, human infrastructure and of the food security of vulnerable populations.

Putting power back into the hands of mountain people is one important step towards alleviating their poverty and, in turn, protecting mountain forests. Measures that could accomplish these aims include providing incentives for biodiversity and agro-biodiversity conservation as well as the inclusion sustainable forest management plans into national policies.

Mountain Partnership Secretariat: Annual report 2023

publication

The Mountain Partnership is the United Nations alliance dedicated to mountain peoples and environments. The Secretariat of the Mountain Partnership is hosted by FAO. The 2023 Annual Report of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) outlines the MPS' key achievements throughout the year, including supporting the observance of the Five Years...

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Training for change

publication

This fact sheet is published by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It details the Secretariat's capacity development initiatives aimed at enhancing expertise in sustainable mountain development and addressing the limited availability of specialized courses on mountain themes. Each year, the Secretariat...

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The Mountain Partnership

publication

This fact sheet, published by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, outlines the mission and impact of the Mountain Partnership. Established in 2002, the Mountain Partnership boasts over 550 members, including governments, intergovernmental agencies, institutions and civil society organizations. It harnesses the...

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27th session of the FAO Committee on Forestry

event

The 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 27) wil be held at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy from 22-26 July in a hybrid format. COFO 27 brings together high-level representatives, heads of forest services, government officials and partner organizations to identify emerging policy and technical guidance, seek solutions,...

Call for case studies, publication on best practices for climate change solutions in mountains

news

The past year marked a turning point for the mountain agenda on climate change. Mountains were recognized in the COP 28 stocktake document, and the first-ever dialogue on mountains and climate change took place at SBSTA 60 in Bonn.

To build on this momentum, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat seeks your contributions...

Evaluation workshop for project "Enhancing community resilience to climate change in mountain watersheds"

event

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) project "Enhancing Community Resilience to Climate Change in Mountain Watersheds" (GCP/GLO/042/JPN), funded by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and supported by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, aims to strengthen the capacities of institutions and communities in forest-based...