At the conclusion of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), which was held on the margins of the Warsaw Climate Conference, GLF participants handed a draft outcome statement to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Nineteenth Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP 19) negotiators for their consideration.
17 November 2013: At the conclusion of the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF), which took place in parallel to the Warsaw Climate Change Conference, GLF participants forwarded an outcome statement to UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiators for their consideration.
The two-day forum, which focused on the interlinkages of agriculture, forestry and land-use and climate change adaptation and mitigation, discussed an array of landscape solutions and possible policy recommendations meant to inform UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreements. The Forum also held a Youth Forum on the future of sustainable landscapes, as well as a Gender Café to highlight the role of gender in farming, forestry and other land uses.
The Forum commenced with a formal opening plenary session with a panel composed of representatives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), and the University of Warsaw, Poland’s Secretary of State and EcoAgriculture Partners. Following the plenary session, participants convened in 16 technical and networking sessions to discuss specific issues relating to the forum’s theme of ‘Shaping the climate and development agenda for forests and agriculture.’
The following sessions covered, inter alia: landscape-scale planning for REDD+; rethinking governance strategies for integrated landscape management; certifying ecosystem services; climate-smart agriculture; integrated watershed management for rural development, resilience and empowerment; impact of climate change on farmers in Africa; bridging the gap between science, policy and action; achieving synergies between adaptation and mitigation approaches for policy makers and land managers; and financial strategies for integrated landscape management.
The second day of discussions opened with a morning plenary session followed by four parallel sub-plenaries on: investing in sustainable landscapes in forests and on farms; landscapes policy and governance for forestry, agriculture and other land uses; synergies between adapting to and mitigating climate change in forest and agricultural landscapes; and building resilient landscapes for food security and sustainable livelihoods.
A high-level panel discussion ensued on the future of the landscapes approach from 2015 and beyond. Following this, participants convened in 12 parallel discussion sessions. During the closing plenary in the evening, GLF participants submitted an outcome statement to UNFCCC negotiators.
The Forum was jointly coordinated by CIFOR on behalf of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), on behalf of a global consortium of leading Agriculture and Rural Development organizations. CIFOR and CIAT are members of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [IISD RS coverage of Global Landscapes Forum] [Global Landscapes Forum website] [CGIAR Consortium News Video] [CGIAR Consortium News]