Forests in Zambia cover about 60% of the total land area and are crucial in supporting low-income communities in both urban and rural areas. A variety of wood and non-wood forest products are utilised on a daily basis by rural and urban households in various parts of the country. The Government of Zambia is advancing in activities aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). This is an opportunity for them to directly address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation while pursuing its long-term development vision to reduce poverty and develop participatory forestry by 2030. According to Vision...

Historically, bamboo has played a key role in the lives of many people in tropical countries around the world. Considering that bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, with many uses, its booming global popularity comes as no surprise. According to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), Ethiopia has two-thirds of all bamboo found in Africa. From traditional handmade, woven baskets to furniture shops, the Ethiopian bamboo industry has the potential to contribute to Ethiopia’s ambition of becoming a middle-income country in the next ten years. However, given the increasing degradation of bamboo caused by...

The Government of Liberia in partnership in with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have launched the final phase of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) in Bong and Grand Bassa Counties. According to FAO’s Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015, 43 percent of Liberia is covered with forests which a large portion of the country’s rural population depends on for their livelihoods. The NFI is, therefore, an important tool in monitoring changes in land use and providing national estimates of forest resources in Liberia. The information produced is key for sustainable forest management activities that will, in future, benefit...

Representing the most carbon-dense terrestrial ecosystem, peatlands can be found in all climatic zones across 169 countries worldwide. Their sustainable management, restoration and conservation play a crucial role in the process of tackling climate change, as drained and degraded peatlands represent a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, releasing an estimated 5 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions globally. As more and more countries are joining the efforts to halt further conversion and restore this precious type of wetlands, the need for robust tools and integration of various tools into a holistic land use monitoring system has never been more...

  As forests continue to disappear at alarming rates, a possible solution is at hand: the recognition and expansion of collective tenure rights for local communities and indigenous peoples, in a context of overall improved land and forest governance. Join us on 29 May 2019 (16:00 – 17:30 CEST) to learn concrete experiences from the ground (Peru, Nepal and Tanzania) and perspectives from international key experts (CIFOR, McGill University, Rights and Resources Initiative, Tenure Facility, World Resources Institute, and FAO). Participate interactively, post your questions and share your own views to enrich the discussion.    Register here: https://forms.gle/UBQ11utGQJ7DcHnw6   DATE: 29 May 2019 TIME: 16:00 – 17:30 Rome (CEST) 9:00 – 10:30 Panama/Lima...