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).
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.
![]() World Mountain Forum 2018 Kyrgyzstanpeak to peakIssue 120 – Month 10 – Year 2018 The November 2018 issue of Peak to Peak starts with the fourth in the series of World Mountain Forums (WMF) which was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. in October. The newsletter continues with stories from members about Bridging the gap on mountain resilience , Cultural heritage at the European...
|
![]() Caucasus Mountain Forum 2018eventThe second Caucasus Mountain Forum, organized by the Scientific Network for the Caucasus Region under the theme “The Caucasus Research Agenda – a Key to Sustainable Regional Development”, will be held from 30 October to 2 November 2018 in Ankara, Turkey. The 2018 Caucasus Mountain Forum theme encompasses the subject... Read more » |
![]() Forum Carpaticum 2018eventThe Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative that occurs every two years. The fifth Forum Carpaticum will cover a wide range of topics related to sustainability in the Carpathians, including land cover and land-use change, renewable energy, climate change vulnerability assessment and... Read more » |
![]() New mountain research and development issuenewsThe newest issue of Mountain Research and Development,Vol 38, No 3 is now available online. Papers in this issue cover a broad range of topics including the foresight process as a means of conservation in a national reserve in Peru, local perception of a dam construction project in the... Read more » |
![]() IUFRO 2018 “Adaptive Management for Forested Landscapes in transformation”eventThe 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... Read more » |
![]() Cool forests at risk! The critical role of boreal and mountain ecosystems for people, bioeconomy and climateeventThe 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"... Read more » |
Mountain Partnership
| Our work
| Focus areas
| Follow Us Subscribe to Peak to Peak Newsletter
|