The ninth biennial issue of the State of the World's Forests highlights four key areas that warrant greater attention: regional trends on forest resources; the development of sustainable forest industries; climate change mitigation and adaptation; and the local value of forests.
February 2011: The ninth biennial issue of the State of the World’s Forests, published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the outset of the International Year of Forests 2011, considers the theme “Changing pathways, changing lives: forests as multiple pathways to sustainable development.”
The report takes a holistic view of the multiple ways in which forests support livelihoods. The chapters assembled for this issue of the State of the World’s Forests highlight four key areas that warrant greater attention: regional trends on forest resources; the development of sustainable forest industries; climate change mitigation and adaptation; and the local value of forests. Considered together, these themes provide insights on the contribution of forests to the creation of sustainable livelihoods and alleviation of poverty.
The report addresses the driving forces affecting forest industries and some strategic choices for the future of this sector. The chapter on climate change discusses forests in the Kyoto Protocol, progress on forest-related climate change negotiations and forest carbon tenure, and calls for further work on the role of forests in adaptation in climate change policies and actions. The report further explores the role of traditional forest knowledge, community-based forest management, small and medium forest enterprises and non-cash values of forests. [State of the World’s Forests 2011]