INVESTING IN HEALTHY FORESTS VITAL FOR TRANSITION TO GREEN ECONOMY, UN SAYS

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 17 Apr 2013 11:00:01 -0400
Subject: <SPAN CLASS=TEXT-SUCCESS>FORESTS:</SPAN> INVESTING IN HEALTHY
FORESTS VITAL FOR TRANSITION TO GREEN ECONOMY, UN SAYS
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

<SPAN CLASS=TEXT-SUCCESS>FORESTS:</SPAN> INVESTING IN HEALTHY FORESTS
VITAL FOR TRANSITION TO GREEN ECONOMY, UN SAYSNew York, Apr 17 2013
11:00AMInvesting in healthy forests is not only vital for human and
environmental well-being but also crucial in the transition to a
low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy, says the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP).

Over a billion people worldwide depend on forests for shelter, jobs,
food, water, medicine and security. Forests also serve as carbon sinks
and stabilize global climate, regulate water cycles and provide
habitats for biodiversity while hosting a wide variety of genetic
resources.

"Forests provide essential services to all of us," said UNEP's Tim
Christophersen, Senior Programme Officer dealing with forests and
climate change.

"It has a lot of multiple benefits for the work that we do for
livelihoods, for water security, for food security, for landscape
management and also for agriculture," he added in an interview during
the tenth session of the UN Forum on Forests
(<"http://www.un.org/esa/forests/index.html">UNFF10) in Istanbul.

"Forests provide a lot of essential services for food production – for
example, by generating the rainfall that we need for agriculture, by
retaining drinking water and water for irrigation, and by providing
also the habitat for insects that pollinate agricultural crops.
Without forests, there would be no functioning agricultural
landscapes."

Yet despite the myriad benefits derived from forests, they are still
being destroyed at a rate of 13 million hectares annually, according
to UNEP, which stresses that investing in forest management and
reforestation activities could contribute significantly to the
transition to a green economy – one that is low carbon, resource
efficient and socially inclusive.

"Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income
and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce
carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource
efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem
services," the agency stated.

Investing in forest management and reforestation, it added, would also
reduce the vulnerability and risk posed by increasing climate change.

The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) – joint venture by UNEP,
the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) – seeks to create financial value for the carbon
stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to
reduce emissions and invest in low-carbon technologies to sustainable
development.

<div id="EmbedPhotoLeft" style="width:335px;"><iframe width="325"
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frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div>

"The aim," said Mr. Christophersen, "is to support developing
countries to reduce deforestation so the forests can capture more
carbon, mitigate climate change, help those countries adapt to climate
change and make a contribution to their national economies."

"One of the best things about forests is that they are renewable," he
continued. "You can actually harvest from the forests but still retain
the natural capital that the forests present. That's called
sustainable forest management. You can take from the forest but
maintain it at the same time."

He noted that REDD+ is not a "hands-off approach." It focuses both on
conservation as well as on improving sustainable forest management.

"It's about how you can restore forests so that they are more
productive, produce more for the local populations and store more
carbon."

Among the projects connected with REDD+ is a programme called Socio
Bosque in Ecuador that provides funding to forest owners and
communities to better manage their forests. The programme was launched
in 2008 with the aim of conserving over five million hectares of
forest, avoiding 13.5 million tons of carbon emissions per year and
providing additional income to more than two million poor people in
the country.

"The money that those communities receive has to be reinvested into
the community infrastructure into education and healthcare services,"
Mr. Christophersen said. "And for the rural population in Ecuador,
this is a very important incentive for them to keep their forests."
Apr 17 2013 11:00AM
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