Introduction to International Forestry

Issues, Institutions and Prospects

FRST 100, October 2017

Dr. Hosny El-Lakany

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Global Forestry Perspectives

I. Why study International Forestry?

II. State of the World’s Forests (2016).

III. Actors and Forums of International Forestry Discussions.

IV. Forests in the Climate Change and Global Sustainable Development Agendas.

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I- Forests are of global concern

Sovereign rights of countries to control their natural resources including forests, while forestry issues are trans-boundary:

1. Forest dwellers, especially indigenous people usually move across national borders;

2. Emission of GHG’s initiated locally but with local, national, and global effects; adaptation and mitigation of climate change are global challenges;

3. Watersheds cross boarders, sometimes upstream located in one country while downstream in another;

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Forests are of global concern, cont.

5. Ecosystems and biodiversity cross boarders; 6. Forest fires, pests and diseases frequently cross boarders; 7. Globalized timber and non-timber forest products processing and trade; forest business multinational; 8. Forest education and employment are becoming increasingly international. 5-Oct-17 4

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State of world’s forests 2016

Global forest area

• 1990: 4,128 Mha (31.6% of total land area)

• 2015: 3,999 Mha (30.6% of total land area)

• Net forest area loss in last 25 years: ca. 130 mil. ha.

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State of world’s forests

• Humans converted forest land to agricultural use for thousands of years for food and economic development.

• Large scale deforestation in Europe and NA until late 19th century, but now greatest in the tropics.

• Recently, net gains in forest and net losses in agricultural area in Europe, NA and NE Asia.

• Factors contributing to net increases in forest cover: reduced pressure on forests as a result of economic growth, declining rural populations, improved agricultural productivity, and effective policies to expand forest area.

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• 2000 – 2010 period: in tropical regions, mainly in low-income countries, net forest loss of 7 and net gain in agricultural land of 6 mil. ha / year.

• Deforestation in tropics and subtropics due to: large-scale commercial agriculture (40%), local subsistence agriculture (33%), infrastructure (10%), urban expansion (10%) and mining (7%).

• Agriculture remains most significant driver of global

deforestation; due to population growth and changing food consumption patterns and agricultural technological developments.

• Urgent need to promote positive interactions between agriculture and forestry policies, nationally and internationally.

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• Global forest losses in 2010–2015 (mostly

natural forest) were offset partially by a combination of natural expansion, often on abandoned agricultural land (2.2 mil ha/yr), and establishment of planted forests (3.1 mil. Ha/yr).

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Deforestation

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Deforestation

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Deforestation (forest conversion and degradation)

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Deforestation: Large-scale conversion to agriculture land

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Deforestation (Fuelwood)

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Fire wood and charcoal

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Deforestation (Forest fire)

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Deforestation (Mining)

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2015: Planted forests amounted to 7% of global forest area (Afforestation and reforestation).

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(Planted) Black Forest, Germany

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II- Ultimate objective of International Forestry Debate:

Sustainable Forest Management

Issues under discussion 1. Forests and Climate Change and Sustainable

Development 2. Illegal forest activities/Forest law enforcement, 3. Land Tenure, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights, 4. Food Security and Poverty Reduction, 5. Restoration of degraded forests, 6. Payments for Environmental Services and Carbon

Markets, 7. Financing Sustainable Forest Management, 8. Landscape Approach to Forest Management.

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III- Examples of International Organizations participating in discussing Forestry Issues

1. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Rome, Italy

2. UN Forum on Forests , N Y 3. World Bank, Washington, DC 4. Center for International Forest Research

(CIFOR), Indonesia 5. UNFCCC (Convention on Climate Change) 6. NGO’s (WWF, WRI, etc) 7. Civil Society (Industry, Private forest

owners, Scientific Community, Indigenous People, Youth, Women),

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IV- Forests in the Sustainable Development Goals

TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). World Leaders: eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development (SD). Agreed on 17 S D Goals and 169 targets Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 5-Oct-17 25

Forests in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change

• Adopted by the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, Paris, 2015.

• “Parties should take action to conserve and enhance sinks and reservoirs of GHGs including forests and activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+)”.

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References

• Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (2016). State of the World’s Forests. FAO, Rome, Italy.

• UN General Assembly (2015). Transforming our world: the 2030

Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

• UNFCCC (2015). Conference of the Parties Twenty-first session Paris, 30

November to 11 December 2015. ADOPTION OF THE PARIS AGREEMENT. http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf

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