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Agriculture & Environment: Forestry

Key Documents

Reports

Displaying 1-4 of 4 key documents

Guide on climate change and indigenous peoples

Source: Tebtebba | September 2008

This guide, published by Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education), outlines the expected impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples around the world, and showcases traditional methods of climate change mitigation and adaption.

Following a basic introduction to climate change and the bodies, mechanisms and processes used for addressing it, the authors outline how climate change is impacting indigenous peoples in diverse ecosystems. For example, food and water insecurity arising from increased flooding or drought, and loss of biodiversity and traditional knowledge from rising temperatures.

The authors discuss the likely impacts of climate change mitigation measures highlighting, for example, the limitations of market-based strategies such as the Clean Development Mechanism. They discuss a range of alternative adaptation measures already being practiced by indigenous people, providing several case studies and examples of innovative strategies used in different regions. For example, African farmers using zero-tillage practices to moderate soil temperatures, Asian farmers growing varieties of crops to minimise the risk of harvest failure, and Honduran farmers using agroforestry and terracing to reduce erosion.

The authors go on to discuss measures for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) and emphasise the need for indigenous people to be fully engaged in the debate.

REDD: An options assessment report

Source: Meridian Institute | March 2009

This comprehensive report on the options for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) under consideration for an international deal on climate change was prepared by the Meridian Institute for the Government of Norway.

The authors focus on four critical areas for successfully developing REDD measures: finance, reference levels, monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) and promoting indigenous peoples' effective participation. They propose a three-phased approach for REDD projects, to account for countries' widely varying capacities. This would start with countries receiving funds to develop national REDD strategies, followed by support to implement those strategies, which finally leads to payment for verified performance compared to agreed reference levels.

The report concludes that successful REDD implementation requires global partnership, led by REDD countries, in which indigenous peoples and local communities are fully engaged.

State of the world's forests

Source: FAO | 2009

This series of reports, published biennially by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, examines the current status of global forest resources and the role of forests in sustainable development. Each report includes one or more regional perspectives on forest resources and focuses on topical issues ranging from the potential economic benefits of forests to forest-based poverty alleviation to the links between forests and climate change.

The 2009 edition considers how forestry will have to adapt over the next 20 years to cope with variations in demand for wood products, environmental services, changes in forest sector institutions and developments in science and technology. It highlights the need to address imbalances in scientific and technological capacity by reducing barriers to international and inter-sectoral technology transfer, and mainstreaming environmental issues.

Economic Opportunities in the Drylands under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification

Source: UN Convention to Combat Desertification | September 2005

This 25-page report summarises the economic opportunities for the 2 billion people who live in drylands. In addition to agriculture, forestry, and livestock-rearing, the report highlights solar energy development, aquaculture, tourism, afforestation, bioprospecting, and mining as areas in which people and governments can (and often do) invest in. This report is aimed at policymakers and policy advisors. It is well written and contains good ideas and insight.