FAO today launched a new $7.1 million project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to make forest data more accessible, transparent and available, and, in particular, help developing countries to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's enhanced transparency requirements. Efficient monitoring of and reporting on forests and land-use change is essential for tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as countries adopt climate change-mitigation and adaptation measures. The project is co-funded by GEF ($1.9 million) and FAO ($5.2 million). It is one of only four global projects approved under the GEF's Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT) - a new trust fund aimed at supporting...

Although forests are physically located within the territories of sovereign states, their environmental role extends far beyond these borders. For example, the mismanagement of riparian forests has transboundary implications in terms of soil and water conservation and biodiversity for neighbouring countries. Likewise, airborne pollutants generated in one country may be transported across borders, causing forest decline in others. The role of forests in global ecological cycles highlights the environmental significance of forests beyond the boundaries of the nations. In this context, they are being viewed as global or regional commons, as is the case in West Africa. West Africa is a...

Anyone who decides to visit my country, Bhutan, will undoubtedly admire its unique flora and fauna. Bhutan’s virtually untouched forests are located at a wide variety of altitudes and climatic areas. Travellers visiting Bhutan are often guided through mountainous hiking trails that stretch throughout these forests and along the most beautiful rivers. But breathtaking views are not the only reasons why Bhutan’s forests are so treasured.   Protecting Bhutan’s forests Located between China and India, Bhutan is the only country whose forests fully manage to keep the country carbon neutral. With a total population of only about 800,000 people, we place environmental conservation...

In Sudan, forests are considered among the most important natural resources. Their environmental role in making the first and last defence line against desert creeping southwards, protecting the Nile watershed system and contributing to carbon sequestration in these barren zones of the world give their importance a regional and a global dimension. To protect the country’s natural wealth and at the same time fulfil various national and international commitments, Sudan is taking significant steps to implement activities to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the country in the development...

Agroforestry is gaining new ground in the quest for climate-smart agriculture practices, due to its ability to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change while increasing the socio-economic and environmental sustainability of rural development. However, insecure land and resource tenure is still representing a major obstacle to its promotion and upscaling. Considerable research has established that the likelihood of farmers being able to adopt and reap benefits from agroforestry increases if they have long-term, secure tenure to a sufficiently large area of land and what grows on it. Clarifying land-use policies and regulations, and securing farmers’ access to land is therefore...