26 March 2015
ECE Reports Regional Trends in Achieving Global Forest Objectives
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The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have released a report, 'Forests in the ECE Region – Trends and Challenges in Achieving the Global Objectives on Forests' that highlights a continued expansion of forest area in the region, but notes a decline in forest related jobs and income.

FAO UNECE20 March 2015: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) have released a report, titled ‘Forests in the ECE Region – Trends and Challenges in Achieving the Global Objectives on Forests,’ which highlights a continued expansion of forest area in the region, but notes a decline in forest related jobs and income.

The publication reports that between 2000 and 2015 the net forest cover in the UNECE region expanded by more than 28 million hectares, with the regional average forest cover reaching 41%. The area of forests under protection and certification as well as the amount of carbon sequestered in above ground biomass has all grown.

However, according to the report, the contribution of the forest sector to gross domestic product (GDP) has dropped to 0.8%, down from 1.2% in 2005, while forest sector employment shrunk by 38% between 2000 and 2010.

The publication, which is meant to serve as a regional contribution to the upcoming session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), makes a number of recommendations for consideration by the Forum. They include: exploring options for mitigating climate change through the substitution of forest products; enhancing sustainable wood energy supplies; further developing the forest sector within the framework of the green economy; and improving financing for sustainable forest management (SFM) including through the valuation of ecosystem services. [Publication: Forests in the ECE Region – Trends and Challenges in Achieving the Global Objectives on Forests] [UNECE Press Release]

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