Frances Seymour, the director-general of the Centre for International Forestry Research, a non-governmental agency, said it had only been in the last six months that a consensus had developed that the solutions had to be connected. “It started with biofuels taking off as an issue because of climate change and now we’ve got food security too,” she said. “Recognising that all these are interlinked is significant progress but there’s still a long way to go to solving them.”
Media Coverage
Le Cameroun subit plus les conséquences des changements climatiques qu’il n’en est l’auteur.
Le point focal de la convention cadre de l’Onu sur le changement climatique s’est exprimé vendredi dernier lors de la Journée de la forêt au Palais des congrès de Yaoundé.
Forestry policies should aim to fight poverty, says Asia-Pacific commission
Delegates from the Asia Pacific ended a meeting here Saturday calling for forestry policies to focus on people-centered development to help alleviate global poverty. They said the now much-debated climate change issues had been one of the vehicles to return forestry affairs to the top of the world’s agenda during the past two years. Indonesian climate expert Daniel Murdiyarso urged the speeding up of discussions about criteria for preparedness in implementing REDD projects. "We are in a hurry since we only have two years to discuss the REDD concept," he told the forum.
Forest Day – Stakeholders Seek to Mitigate Climate Change
Discussions on strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change took centre stage when stakeholders of the Congo Basin Forests met in Yaounde on April 24 to celebrate Forest Day.
Initiated by the Central Africa Regional office of the Centre for International Forestry Research, CIFOR, the Forest Day aims to bring together regional stakeholders to chart ways of stemming the tides of a phenomenon that remains a bane of progress to humanity.
Similar article appeared in All Africa.com
Asia’s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge
The illegal timber trade, fuelled by poverty and corruption, is rife in much of Asia, where 78 percent of forests are state-owned and often managed by the armed forces, not the people who live in or near them, experts said. Tropical timber is relatively cheap because key functions of forests — clean air and water, and biodiversity — are not factored into market prices, said Dr Daniel Murdiyarso of the Center for International Forestry Research. "These services are underpriced or unpriced. It’s a market failure."
Similar articles also appeared in Tehran Times, Taiwan News, Khaleej Times Online, Yahoo news Canada, Yahoo news UK & Ireland, Times of India, AFP, Turkish Daily news, Manila Times
Vietnam manages forests to deflect climate change
In an effort to fight climate change, Vietnam will continue to work to increase forest coverage and importantly, ensure the quality of forest, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said on April 23. Dr Daniel Murdiyarso from the Centre for International Forestry Research, said the strategy is a promising start to improvement and provides a solid policy tool to support further work.
Illicit timber trade rife in Asia Pacific, NGO says
Asia’s forests account for over half a billion hectares, around 1 percent of which is being cleared every year, according to a report from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which sponsors the Asia Pacific forestry week. The Center for International Forestry Research (Cifor) said solving the problem of illegal logging required cooperation across national boundaries as well as the involvement of the stakeholders. "Many people think we can stop deforestation by stopping illegal logging," said Cifor director general Frances Seymour. "There are a number of factors that drive forest law, many of which originate outside the forestry sector, and we have to be careful that law enforcement efforts do not harm millions of people who rely on forests for their livelihood."
Forest, Climate Change – Urgent Need to Readapt
If nature can’t adapt to man’s aspirations then man should adapt to nature’s aspiration. Recent climatic changes in Cameroon characterised by early rains and increased temperatures in the northern part of the country tell of the consequences of man’s negative activities on the forest. This, in a nutshell, is the whole spirit behind the one-day first ever Forest Day commemorated in Yaounde yesterday. Organised by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the occasion, presided at by the Secretary General at the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Koulanga Denis, created a veritable arena for brainstorming.
Media coverages Forest Day Cameroon also appeared in All Africa, CRTV Radio& TV, Le Messager and Radio Environnement.