A team of researchers led by the University of Sheffield has discovered that rates of deforestation and degradation in tropical forests are lower in Indigenous lands compared to other areas. The findings, published in Nature Sustainability, show that across the tropics, Indigenous lands had a fifth less deforestation on average compared to non-protected areas, and in Africa, Indigenous Lands reduce deforestation more effectively than protected areas.

At an event at COP26 in Glasgow, a new $345 million, seven-year program, The Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR), will launch projects in 27 countries, targeting the production and value chains of eight key commodities: beef, cocoa, coffee, maize, palm oil, rice, soy, and wheat. FOLUR aims to transform global food and land use systems through a Global Platform and 27 country projects that restore degraded landscapes and intensify sustainable land management practices.

With reference to the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use of 2 November 2021 and its commitment ‘to working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation’, we, the Ministers and representatives from the countries and organisations listed below make the following statement, that we...

With reference to the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use of 2 November 2021 and its commitment ‘to working collectively to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation’....

In a show of support for those most at risk from climate change, 12 donor governments have pledged $413 million in new funding for the Least Developed Countries Fund during the COP26 climate summit. The LDCF, hosted by the Global Environment Facility, is the only dedicated source of climate resilience funds for the 46 Least Developed Countries, which have contributed the least to carbon emissions and face some of the highest risks from the effects of climate change.

The Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is home to 70% of Africa’s forests and is one of the most important places for biodiversity and carbon stocks on the planet—yet only 17% of the area is protected today. Each year, large areas are lost to deforestation, while remaining forests are degraded by logging, mining, agriculture, the building of new roads, fuelwood collection, hunting, and other pressures.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board at its twenty-ninth meeting, has allocated USD 500 million in GCF resources for new climate projects, and taken significant steps to strengthen results management for its growing portfolio. During the meeting, four (04) new climate projects were approved and will mobilise a total sum of USD 2,949 million for climate action in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, with three of the four new projects targeting support to the most vulnerable countries including Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, and African states.

A lot has happened since we were last in touch. Most importantly, after a year’s delay, COP26 finally took place. Debate continues on whether it was a good COP or a bad COP, but we made sure voices from over 15 countries were heard as they made this demand: stop corruption from diluting climate action. Before finishing up with 2021, let’s take a glance at our activities around the world.

This publication analyses the funding flows over the last decade in support of nature conservation and sustainable management of the Congo Basin, presents various themes covered by the current financing and identifies possible imbalances.

During the official opening of the ECOFAC6 Regional Programme’s Steering Committee, (organized in Douala, Cameroon from 4 to 6 May) EU Ambassador, Ms. Rosario Bento-Pais, recalled that the EU invests more than 80 million Euros in the ECOFAC6 Programme. The other 17 million are invested by the partners. Amounting to approximately 100 million Euros, the investment makes ECOFAC6 the largest European environmental programme in Central Africa and a one-of-the-kind initiative in the world.

Indigenous territories in the Bolivian, Brazilian and Colombian Amazon avoid between 42.8 million and 59.7 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. To commemorate the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, David Kaimowitz explains why it’s time to join forces with indigenous peoples for the good of the planet.

With this newsletter we would like to inform you about some of the current activities of FSC on behalf of the FSC Congo Basin team, and furthermore interest you with the actualities relevant to the tropical timber trade and our network partners.

Conclusions and outlook: Adapted local LUP processes can serve as a foundation for securing tenure, reducing social conflicts between external and local actors, or even within forest adjacent communities meeting the SDGs, implementing REDD+ and operationalizing the many commitments to zero deforestation commodity production.

This study was carried out to shed light on issues related to this activity and provide basic knowledge of various aspects relating to livestock rearing, neo-pastoralism and unsustainable transhumance. The study area covers the Sudano-Sahelian region of Africa – specifically, the area stretching from the northern fringes of the Congo Basin (Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic) and the south-eastern part of the southern Lake Chad Basin, namely the Sudano-Guinean savanna mosaics. The methodology adopted was to collect data from various sources, including from key stake-holders and literature review.

The report draws on a thorough review of the available literature. It is complemented by 21 semi-structured anonymous interviews with key REDD+ experts. The authors conducted the interviews between November 2020 and February 2021. Interview partners include represent-atives of Congo Basin countries, donor states, academia, NGOs and independent technical experts. Instead of going to lengths in elucidating the entire range of options for reducing deforestation and forest degradation, the study report lists concrete courses of action which might be pursued in the future.

Earlier today, the wood industry’s COP26 International Partners Advisory Body launched its wood manifesto entitled “Growing our Low Carbon Future: Time for Timber”. Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has been a leading partner in this collaborative global effort to profile the key role timber and wood use in construction can play in our move to a net-zero carbon economy.

This is a second polite reminder to let you know we are conducting an anonymous evaluation funded by the World Resources Institute (WRI) of forest monitoring information and tools, and their usefulness, with a particular focus on Global Forest Watch (GFW), and stakeholder perspectives.

Recognising the important role of agricultural commodities to address climate change as well as achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, notably promoting economic development, reducing poverty, underpinning food security and improving the livelihoods of billions of people; Recognising also the shared responsibility of the agri-commodity sector, including traders, processors, manufacturers, retailers and consumers, as well as governments...