What's new in the UN-REDD Programme?

Greetings!

With the successful launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration on World Environment Day, it is now up to each of us to act in order to conserve and restore the nature around us. The next 10 years are critical in combating climate change and saving 1 million species from extinction. Check out the “Ecosystem Restoration Playbook” which has practical guidance for everyone, everywhere, on how to restore ecosystems – including forests, trees on farms and urban forests.

There are many ways to go about it: from the urgent need to transform our food systems to using innovative technologies, such as Open Foris, a system for monitoring forests and other land uses, which will also be deployed to monitor the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The landmark ruling in The Hague ordering Royal Dutch Shell to cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 is an important development that demonstrates that climate action is a human rights issue. As several articles in this Resource show, UN-REDD has been successfully mainstreaming the human rights dimension since its inception through its safeguards workstream, the full and early involvement of IPLCs in decision-making and, more recently, by integrating a OneHealth approach in its work.

An all-inclusive approach is urgently needed for a sound future. His Holiness Pope Frances said during the launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: “The current environmental situation calls us to act now with urgency to become ever more responsible stewards of creation and to restore the nature that we have been damaging and exploiting for too long. Otherwise, we risk destroying the very basis on which we depend. We risk floods and hunger and severe consequences for ourselves and for future generations.”

And regarding more ‘classic’ UN-REDD work, we would also like to draw your attention to the inception report of our Norad-funded “Sustainable Forest Trade in the Lower Mekong Region” project.

Happy belated World Environment Day – a day to celebrate each and every day!

PERSPECTIVES

Restoring degrading lands can help us mitigate climate change

Restoring forests, wetlands and other ecosystems can fortify nature’s defences against weather extremes and can create employment, at a time when hundreds of millions of jobs are being lost, hitting women and youth particularly hard in many countries.

How Monitoring Can Spur Investment In Land Restoration

Around the world, 3.2 billion people are affected by degraded landscapes, land that has lost some degree of its natural productivity because of human-caused processes. Restoring these landscapes can improve community resilience and enhance local livelihoods.

Why we need to transform our food systems to halt deforestation

We are at a confluence of crises. Climate change and biodiversity loss threaten our natural and human systems. COVID-19 has disrupted lives and livelihoods. Incentives need to be put in place to shift to sustainable production and consumption patterns.

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STORIES

Chile launches project to restore and conserve 25,000 hectares of native forest

Chile's forests cover 19 percent of the country's territory and represent a valuable biological treasure that has sustained native peoples for generations. As ecosystem threats become more pressing, Chile is now taking significant steps to protect and preserve this treasure.

How deforestation and palm oil plantations impact on the emergence of zoonotic diseases like COVID – an interview

Forests are critical in addressing the climate emergency. But there is more. The world’s forests act as shields, keeping humans safe from new diseases.

Restoration as a mechanism for human & ecosystem reconciliation: the case of Ecuador

Seasonally dry forests are ecosystems that have unique characteristics. The species that inhabit these forests have developed unique adaptations that allow them to survive prolonged droughts and short periods of intense rains.

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Incorporating village-owned enterprises in a zero-deforestation supply chain

UNEP, through the Tropical Landscape Finance Facility (TLFF) and UN-REDD, has been supporting TNP2K, a national poverty reduction program in Indonesia, to unlock the potential of the food sector.

Climate resilience and women’s empowerment: Forest restoration in Northern Ghana

With over five million people, Ghana's Northern Savannah Zone is home to the country’s poorest regions where many people make a living from subsistence farming. Luckily the 'women's gold' can be a game changer.

Indigenous Peoples paving the way for inclusive forest monitoring

The development of NFMS is key in reaching climate and sustainable development goals, and the integration of indigenous traditional forest monitoring makes them more efficient and long-lasting.

A human rights-based approach for forest conservation and management in Kenya

Kenya's development cannot be achieved without the adequate protection and sustainable management of forested lands.This includes enhanced awareness of Human Rights Based Approach Principles in forest management.

Important considerations for gathering information on REDD+ safeguards

Developing countries that implement REDD+ actions are required to respect a set of seven safeguards. But how to go about it?

Open Tenure: newly updated tool enhances recognition of forest tenure rights

Covering 31 percent of global land area, forests are major carbon sinks. But the recognition of the tenure rights of IPs and local communities is a key step forward.

Laying the ground for landscape restoration in Côte d’Ivoire

Côte d'Ivoire has one of the highest rates of deforestation in Africa, estimated at 2.69% annually. Deforestation is mainly attributable to agriculture (62%), with cocoa, rubber and palm oil in the lead, followed by illegal logging and firewood production.