It has been impossible to avoid the glut of criticism from green NGOs and politicians left deeply disappointed by the lack of ambition on display at the Rio +20 Earth summit last week. However, business leaders maintain that that while the so-called "Future We Want" is unlikely to deliver sweeping...
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The world's forests have a major role to play in the transition to a new, greener economy, a theme being discussed at the Rio+20 Conference. But to spark that shift, governments must enact programs and policies aimed at both unlocking the potential of forests and ensuring that they are sustainably...
The United Nations Forum on Forests partnered with a multimedia firm to produce a compelling story line about forests that goes beyond simple conservation. Combing through 10,000 photographs and dozens of hours of footage (much of it drawn from last year's International Forest Film Festival), they...
The world’s countries have committed themselves so far to restoring just 18 million hectares of forests by 2020, barely 12 percent of the goal of 150 million hectares agreed by the Bonn Challenge in 2011. The announcement was made on Monday, Jun. 18 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable...
It is estimated that the human footprint has affected 83% of the global terrestrial land surface and has degraded about 60% of the ecosystems services in the past 50 years alone. Land use and land cover (LUCC) change has been the most visible indicator of the human footprint and the most important...
The Na Hang special-use forest, the land of many kinds of rare and precious trees which are hundreds of years old, have been in serious danger. A local resident said that people and local authorities have been powerless amid the deforestation. Illegal lumberjacks would be ready to “punish” those...
(REUTERS) -- Environmental advocates readied for battle in Congress this week over what they maintain is an erosion of protections for the biggest, oldest trees in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, often called the crown jewel of the U.S. forest system. A vast swath of woodland that stretches along...
The World Resources Institute (WRI) today announced the launch of the Forest Legality Risk Information Tool, an open-access global information website designed to assist purchasers of forest products in securing fiber from legal sources. The risk tool, a project of the Forest Legality Alliance, was...
The REDD+ Social & Environmental Standards (REDD+ SES) launched its public consultation on revised draft ‘REDD+ SES Social and Environmental Standards Version 2′ from 22nd June until 21st July 2012. Drawing on emerging experience from countries using REDD+ SES, the standards have been revised...
Reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation schemes, or REDD+, could be the “game changer” that enables forest-rich countries to meet sustainable development goals and work toward a greener economy, said the Norwegian Minster for Environment at a recent CIFOR event. REDD+ allows us to...
A survey was carried out to improve the understanding of current investment patterns in forestry by investors and of the framework in which such investments are made. It also aimed to reveal barriers and opportunities to investments in forestry assets in developing countries; to identify key issues...
Huge amounts of carbon trapped in the soils of U.S. forests will be released into the air as the planet heats up, contributing to a “vicious cycle” that could accelerate climate change, a new study concluded.
With deforestation responsible for around 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it seemed, on the surface, to be an easy, cheap way to get some quick wins on the climate change board. REDD+ — Reduction in Emissions from Deforestation or forest Degradation (the '+' representing additional...
After more than 500 years of resistance, we, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, peasant farmers, fisherfolk and civil society are not fooled by the so-called Green Economy and REDD+ because we know colonialism when we see it.
Manoel Jose Leite, a small-scale organic farmer, is set to pioneer low-carbon agriculture in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, which for decades has been destroyed by expanding agribusiness. Finding the right balance between agriculture and environmental protection will be one of the major challenges on...
Up to now a forest’s value has been measured mainly in terms of the price of its wood, but the United Nations is currently turning this premise on its head by placing a price on the forest’s capacity to absorb the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
When policymakers and national planners set out to enhance local “quality of life,” they often base their decisions on a variant of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI), a basket of indicators, ranging from income to life expectancy.
Prime Minister of Norway Mr. Jens Stoltenberg has reaffirmed the country’s support for the implementation of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) which continues to be hailed as a model for sustainable development, according to the Government Information Agency (GINA).
REDD+ aims to reduce emissions from forests, prevent deforestation and encourage investment in low-carbon development. Christian Aid’s Latin American and Caribbean partners believe that such projects must be managed by local communities and be truly inclusive.
The forest-friendly package was announced by the Deputy Prime Minster at the UN Earth Summit in Rio - also known as Rio+20- taking place this week. The UK will invest in a forest management 'knowledge bank' to help indigenous people in the poorest and most remote forest areas to protect their...