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.

IUFRO 2018 “Adaptive Management for Forested Landscapes in transformation”

event

The 2018 International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) conference on “Adaptive Management for Forested Landscapes in transformation” will highlight the changes in the era of the Anthropocene have on our planet. Transformation of forest use that is occurring in response to the pressures of globalization, population growth, resource scarcity...

Cool forests at risk! The critical role of boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy and climate

event

The International Boreal Forest Research Association is pleased to announce, in collaboration with International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) and International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the 2018 "Cool Forests at Risk! The critical role of boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy and climate"...

Landscape Restoration in Africa: Prospects and Opportunities

event

With an estimated 2.8 million hectares of forests lost each year, deforestation and land degradation remain significant challenges in Africa. Bringing together diverse public and private sector voices, alongside Indigenous Peoples, scientists and youth, the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) Africa Conference will foster political and community support to implement...

Our Journey in 2017: Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report

publication

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat Annual Report outlines its key achievements in promoting sustainable mountain development last year in its 2017 annual report. The publication documents the Secretariat’s work in the areas of advocacy, communication and knowledge management, promoting International Mountain Day, brokering joint action and leading capacity development initiatives

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Sustainable bioeconomy in the Mountains

news

The International Programme on Research and Training on Sustainable Management of Mountain Areas (IPROMO) 2018 came to a close this week after two weeks of lessons dedicated to sustainable mountain development in Ormea and Pieve Tesio, Italy.

“IPROMO is a great networking mechanism that allows practitioners from around the world to...