Forest conservation in the spotlight

Environment News Service: "Climate change has catapulted forests onto the international agenda after years of languishing in the dusty corridors of UN meetings," Dr. William Jackson told the World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires today. Deputy Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, Dr. Jackson said the continued global decline in forest area and quality, particularly in the tropics, has serious social, economic and ecological consequences. But he sees hope for forests in the urgency of tackling global warming.

Given the rate at which climate change is happening, no country, rich or poor, can afford to neglect its forests, Jackson told conference delegates at La Rural exhibition center. "We must seize this moment to promote the sustainable management of forests and to develop sustainable livelihoods for the people who depend on forests." Deforestation generates about 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and halting forest loss has been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to help the world forestall runaway climate change.

The week-long 13th World Forestry Congress, organized by the government of Argentina in collaboration with the Forestry Department of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, has attracted some 4,500 participants from more than 160 countries.

A canopy walk view, shot by Sze Ning from Malaysia, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License