Highlights of 2015

Sustainable Development Goals? Think forests.

Throughout the year that produced the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate, CIFOR’s research continued to demonstrate how forests contribute across all areas of sustainable development, from climate change mitigation and adaptation, to livelihoods and food security, biodiversity conservation, energy, sustainable agriculture … and the list goes on.

Revisit these research highlights from CIFOR, with the editors’ picks for 2015.

Publications

Highlighted publications

The potential of Indonesian mangrove forests for global climate change mitigation

Mangrove deforestation in Indonesia is only 6 percent of its total forest loss, but the country’s 2.9 million hectares of mangroves are such globally significant sinks of carbon that halting deforestation would reduce Indonesia’s total emissions from land use by 10–31 percent. This study concludes that conservation of carbon-rich mangroves in Indonesia should be a high-priority part of strategies to mitigate climate change.

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. This study used a pan-tropical tree inventory database from closed-canopy forests and found, contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region is as species-rich as the Neotropics. The paper also provides a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees.

Revisiting the concept of payments for environmental services

This article revisits the payments for environmental services (PES) concept and reviews existing PES definitions. It argues that an ideal PES type, strongly embedded in PES theory, is needed to understand their logic. A modified narrow PES definition is proposed, outlining conditionality as the single defining feature, avoiding the buyer-seller terms and linking PES to offsite externalities.

Social impacts of oil palm in Indonesia: A gendered perspective from West Kalimantan

Oil palm plantations and smallholdings are expanding massively in Indonesia but the social impacts of oil palm are not well understood. This report draws upon primary research in West Kalimantan to explore the gendered dynamics of oil palm. It concludes that the social and economic benefits of oil palm are real but restricted to particular social groups.

People in motion, forests in transition: Trends in migration, urbanization, and remittances and their effects on tropical forests

Human mobility has recently increased in numbers and scope. Because migration involves rural populations and spaces in the tropics, it affects forest resources. Yet links between forests and migration have long been overlooked. Focusing on landscapes that include tropical forests, this paper explores trends and diversities in the ways in which migration, urbanization and personal remittances affect rural livelihoods and forests.

IN-DEPTH

HIGHLIGHTED FEATURE ARTICLES

Don’t inhale: Scientists look at what the Indonesian haze is made of

In October, when uncontrolled fires were sweeping through the peatlands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, a group of scientists went into the fire zone to test new equipment and methodologies for measuring the impact of the fires. What they found in the smoke shocked them – and sent this article viral.

10 views on the future of REDD+

In the lead-up to the UN climate change conference in Paris – and the agreement that has since been made – 10 experts from around the world gave their thoughts on where they saw REDD+ heading, producing an interesting convergence of views.

The long road to ‘zero deforestation’ … whatever that means

On the first anniversary of the New York Declaration on Forests, this article looks at what progress has been made toward achieving the ambitious goal of “zero deforestation” by 2030. The challenges are becoming clear, in relation to implementation, equity and notions of what the term even means.

For forests, food and the future, it’s all about biodiversity

For International Day of Biodiversity in May, this article looked at the importance of biodiversity for the well-being of the planet, for modern agriculture and for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, pointing to evidence and arguments that all these are connected and should be treated accordingly.

It’s a forest, not a ‘museum’: What sustainable development means in the tropics

Tropical forests are an integral part of sustainable development: they contribute to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation, local economies, health, food security and fuel, among others. Which suggests that they should be factored into efforts to achieve a wide range of Sustainable Development Goals.

ANALYSIS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM CIFOR’S SCIENTISTS

The science is clear: Forest loss behind Brazil’s drought

Amid the prolonged drought in southeastern Brazil, CIFOR’s Louis Verchot joined the debate with the evidence he presents in this article: The great tropical rainforests, and the Amazon in particular, play a pivotal part in regulating rainfall around the tropics and South America.

How does land tenure affect agricultural productivity? A systematic review

The contribution of formal land rights to agricultural development is a complex one, CIFOR’s Steven Lawry explains. Evidence from a systematic review indicates that landholders are best served by bigger policy and investment packages beyond tenure reforms alone.

Satellites can mislead: policy makers beware!

Remote-sensing data are relatively low cost and often seen as a quick-and-easy way to track changes in land use. But, say CIFOR’s David Gaveau and Romain Pirard, assessments of deforestation or fire are prone to oversimplification and misinterpretation, leading to misguided policy decisions and wrongful blame.

Global dry forests: Time to take notice

Dry forests are essential for hundreds of millions of people across Africa, Asia and Latin America – yet they are disappearing fast and knowledge about them remains limited. In this article, CIFOR’s Terry Sunderland calls for the science and policy communities to act fast.

One wicked problem, three major challenges

Goals to end deforestation come up against competing goals to secure smallholder farmers’ rights and meet booming demand for commodities such as palm oil, beef and soy. Looking at the cases of Brazil and Indonesia, CIFOR’s Pablo Pacheco lays out the “wicked problem”.

‘Forgotten guardians’: Local communities in natural resource management

Some local communities are displaced in favor of national parks, on the assumption they are a risk to natural resources. But, as Douglas Sheil, Manuel Boissiere and Guillaume Beaudoin argue, research shows it’s often the other way around and local communities can support conservation in areas where governments can’t.

DG’S COLUMN

Highlights from CIFOR’s Director General

Preventing fire & haze: sustainable solutions for Indonesian peatlands

“Solving the factors underlying the fires in Indonesia will take time. Now is the time to decide on proper actions for the long term, before the haze – and the attention it generates – blows over.”

Can we trust country-level data from global forest assessments?

“Regardless of how accurate these assessments may or may not be, this omission means they aren’t directly suitable for monitoring progress towards recent political commitments to reduce or end deforestation.”

The new global assessments and the forest

“Looking at the net area change is therefore an incomplete perspective, albeit one that is easy to report for a complete set of countries.”

Watchers of forests – what news from above?

“GFW should be commended for providing open access to the new data, including country-by-country statistics. Myself, I could not resist the temptation to look into these numbers.”

Rights, returns and restoration: 3Rs for landscapes

“The task we have set ourselves is to move forward with solutions for scaling-up investments in sustainable landscapes, with particular attention to the needs of the world’s smallholders.”

RESEARCH NEWS

HIGHLIGHTED NEWS STORIES

Peatland loss could emit 2,800 years’ worth of carbon in an evolutionary eyeblink: study

Thousands of years’ worth of accumulated carbon could be released in under a century if carbon-rich peatlands continue to be cleared, drained and burned for agriculture, mainly oil palm, research shows. And once lost, that carbon takes millennia to restore.

In Ethiopia, jobs might grow on trees

Industrial timber plantations could provide a way for Ethiopia to reduce rural unemployment and conserve natural forests once a range of weaknesses are overcome.

Thinking restoration? Think big and think inclusive

Pledges to restore millions of hectares of degraded land could lead nowhere without improved planning, prioritization and monitoring – research shows that, to scale up to the areas committed, restoration needs to be sustainable, measurable and inclusive.

Where, when, why: Human-orangutan conflict in Borneo

A full-grown male orangutan is sitting in your garden, eating mangoes stolen from your mango tree. You are unhappy about this. So how do you get rid of him? And, more broadly, how can human-orangutan conflict in Borneo be reduced?

That tricky gender thing: Lessons from Amazonia

Women in the Amazon are beginning to organize and empower themselves, making their voices heard – but many questions about gender relations and forest management continue to emerge.

Videos

HIGHLIGHTS FROM CIFOR TV

Where there’s smoke, there’s toxic gas

Travel into the fire zone of Kalimantan, Indonesia, with a group of scientists from CIFOR and Indonesian and international universities – and watch as they conduct tests on the atmospheric effects and comment on what they find.

Green Treasure of the Sahel

Join a family in Burkina Faso as they travel across their country to see how invaluable food trees are flourishing, even in the dusty soil, and learn how simple steps can bring their farms back to life.

Pod of gold: This isn’t just any tree, it’s an African locust bean

The African locust bean grows across the Sudan and Sahel is the source of the valued and highly nutritious néré pods. Just why are this humble tree and the food it provides so important to so many West African families? Hear some local women explain it in their own words.

A new course for the Congo: Forests, climate change and education

The DRC’s forests’ contribution to protecting the world’s climate is immense, but the country’s research and management capacity is small. One part of the solution lies not in the forests, but in the classrooms where students and agents are learning how to manage forest resources sustainably.

Brazil nuts and selective logging

Journey into the heart of the Amazon to see how Brazil nuts are produced – and where, resaerchers find, timber harvesting at the right levels does not necessarily threaten Brazil nut production.

VISUALIZATION

HIGHLIGHTED INFOGRAPHICS

Got a minute? Get facts on dry forests … fast

You’ve probably heard a lot about tropical RAIN forests, but how much do you know about tropical DRY forests? This quirky animation is a quick introduction to these incredibly important, but less well-known, ecosystems.

Just how many tropical tree species are there?

Why do we strive to protect the world’s tropical forests? Tropical Latin America and the Indo-Pacific alone contain more than 200 times the number of tree species found in Europe. Watch the numbers go up and up and up…

Millions of reasons to love mangroves

They’re ugly, smelly and overlooked, but Indonesia’s mangrove ecosystems are of enormous value to the environment and the lives of millions of people – this has all the facts to help you spread the word.

VIDEO COMPETITION

THINK FORESTS VIDEO AWARD

Our land

“The forest is like a mother on Earth – helping us grow.” Amin Panji Wijaya and team show us how forests secure our lives and that it’s not too late to repay them.

Behind the tree

“Art. Music. Religion…” Ludo Pigeon, Marco Bustamante, David Torres and Frank Hajek show us how closely civilizations, development and our daily lives are linked to forests.

One single tree

“One tree is a miracle!” Carolin Winter and Florian Schnabel show us the benefits to people and the environment that stem from just one humble tree.

Forests

“1.6 billion of us depend on forests.” Tristan Thompson takes us on a journey through the forest to show us their complexity, beauty and the threats to their existence.

The smartest creatures

“Of all the mammals we have the biggest brains.” Gregory and Julia Korsak explain why, even in a new age of cities and technology, forests are still vital to human life.

PRESENTATIONS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM CIFOR'S SLIDESHARE

Political economy study of fire and haze in Indonesia

This presentation, delivered at the British Embassy in Jakarta in October 2015, examines the complex political and economic causes of the forest and land fires in Indonesia

View

Indonesian mangroves the best hope for global climate change mitigation

This presentation, made as part of the SWAMP program, demonstrates why mangroves are such a valuable ecosystem.

View

The role of bushmeat in food security and nutrition

This presentation, delivered at the XIV World Forestry Congress in Durban in September, sets out data on consumption of bushmeat and how its depletion would negatively affect human nutrition.

View

Biodiversity and carbon conservation in the face of oil-palm development in Indonesia

This presentation looks at how oil palm expansion is leading to loss of biodiversity and carbon stocks and offers a framework for generating benefits.

View