The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is convening a Workshop on “Forests and Water in Drylands: A Virtuous Cycle,” which will offer an information exchange from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. The workshop will bring together countries and stakeholders from the whole Mediterranean and Central Asia to discuss the nexus forests and water and drylands, with the aim to: discuss the functions of the forests in drylands, their specific relationship to water management, as well as challenges; identify possible solutions, such as trade-offs between water use by trees in drylands, with decreased run-off and water availability for other land uses, and the environmental services and goods provided by forests and other wooded lands; exchange experience on forest and water management tools and policies that enhance both forests and water, including on management and adaptation measures under climate change; discuss case studies of integrated management of forests and water in drylands; explore the potential and challenges of existing or future use of payments for ecosystems services in this area; and identify areas of gaps and future work on forests and water in drylands. The workshop is organized by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the UNECE Water Convention secretariat, in close cooperation with the Forestry and Timber Section of UNECE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the FAO Forest Conservation Team and the secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).  

dates: 7-8 July 2011   venue: Palais des Nations   location: Geneva, Switzerland   www: http://www.unece.org/env/water/meetings/forest_water_drylands_workshop.html