The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has reported from the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, which is calling for urgent action to address deforestation and land degradation in order to avoid significant negative impacts on livelihoods and food and nutrition security.
12 March 2014: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has reported from the 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific, which is calling for urgent action to address deforestation and land degradation in order to avoid significant negative impacts on livelihoods and food and nutrition security.
In particular, FAO notes that in Asia alone, land degradation in grasslands is continuing at a rate of 2 million hectares per year, while there is an estimated 400 million hectares of degraded forests in the region. Given the billions of people relying on these resources in the region, FAO has issued a call for action on restoration.
Although forest cover is increasing in the region, FAO suggests that unless there is stronger political will for restoration combined with payments for ecosystem services (PES), improved governance and capacity building for sustainable resource management, livelihoods and production will remain threatened.
The Regional Conference is being held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 10-14 March 2014 and focuses on improving food security and nutrition, increasing agricultural productivity, raising the rural standard of living, and supporting sustainable economic growth. [FAO Press Release] [Website: 32nd FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific]