Making African Forests Fit For Climate Change

12 May, 2010 - 13:15 - 14:45

A side-event organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) that will take place during the 14th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA14) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nairobi, Kenya.

Location: UNEP, United Nations Office of Nairobi Room number CR-7 (Upper floor)

At the side event the policy brief 'Making African Forests Fit for Climate Change' will be launched and the results of the underlying scientific assessment led by IUFRO will be presented.

Some of the key messages that will be presented include:

  • There is a significant risk that the adaptive capacity of many African forest ecosystems to provide vital goods and services will be exceeded. Therefore, effective adaptive strategies need to be put in place.
  • Climate change is adding to a range of other pressures – such as agricultural expansion and the over-use of forests – on forest ecosystems in Africa, some of which are currently more pressing than climate change.          
  • Strategies for adapting forests to climate change should be coordinated with those of other sectors and integrated into national and regional development programmes and strategies.          

The policy brief will be available for download from Tuesday, 11 May 2010, at: 
http://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/

For further information please contact: 


Alexander Buck

CPF Global Forest Expert Panels Email: buck@iufro.org

Or

Michael Kleine

Coordinator, IUFRO Special Programme for Developing Countries. Email: kleine@iufro.org 

Regions: 
Congo Basin