FAO playing a key role in management of forests

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is playing a key role in the management of forests in line with its mandate as a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

This was revealed during the 2022 commemoration of International Day of Forests yesterday by Dr Patrice Talla, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, and FAO Representative to eSwatini and Zimbabwe in Mt. Selinda.

Dr. Talla reiterated the FAO goal to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active healthy lives.

He said FAO’s work contributes to the achievement of Zimbabwe’s 2030 Agenda through its Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Dr. Talla said the world is facing unprecedented challenges, with climate change being among the most pressing of all. These challenges threaten the well-being of people and nature and call for immediate action to develop innovative and creative solutions that set the world on a path to peace and prosperity on a healthy planet.

FAO’s work in Zimbabwe is guided by the Country Programming Framework which focuses on better production, better Nutrition, better environment, and better life. FAO has some on going and past initiatives focusing on Forestry and Natural Resources Management which it has been implementing with government and stakeholders.

“From 2014 to 2019, through the Forest FORCES project, FAO supported the development of the Forest Policy, valorization of forest products and this has resulted in the development of value chains on Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), out-grower schemes on forest plantations, and management of forest fires, pests, and diseases.

“FAO is part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) partnership that assisted the government of Zimbabwe to revise and raise the ambition of the country’s NDCs,” Dr. Talla said.

As an implementing agency under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 2021, FAO managed to mobilise 10.4 Million USD for supporting Sustainable Forest and land management initiatives in the Save-Runde Dryland Landscape for the next 5 years. Under this initiative, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is the executing agency working closely with Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the Forestry Commission, and Civil Society Organizations.

As an accredited entity for Green Climate Fund (GCF), FAO has been rendering support to developing projects targeting GCF, and currently, it is working with the Forestry Commission and sister UN agencies on two concept notes targeting Green Climate finance.

It also has ongoing work under Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) focusing on mitigating Human-Wildlife conflict.FAO is working on the promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture and is also supporting rural youths to benefit from decent public employment opportunities provided under the Green Jobs initiative.

The UN agency continues to play a key role in supporting governments in developing programmes and projects to ensure sustainable management of natural resources, contribute to people’s livelihood and food security.

“Today is a very important day on the UN calendar, we are gathered to celebrate the International Day of Forests held under the theme “Forests and sustainable production and consumption”. We are discussing how forest-based innovations, resource efficiency, forest-based products, and ecosystem services can contribute to a sustainable lifestyle and accelerate a shift towards more sustainable consumption and production. These efforts help to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, health, well-being, and a transition towards low-carbon and green economies. ”

Forests play a key role in our lives that we don’t even recognize. Here are few ways:

1) Provider for Food – More than the occasional apple or orange that we pluck from a tree, forests are veritable food markets. Almost 50 percent of the fruits we eat comes from trees, not to mention the nuts and spices that we also get from these food baskets. Most of our communities rely almost exclusively on forests for their food sources. Around 40 percent of the extreme rural poor – around 250 million people (globally) – live in forest and savannah areas. For these communities, vibrant forests and trees are their lifeline and insurance against hunger

2) Water – Forests provide a large part of the drinking water for ourselves, animals, and what we grow. Many rivers and streams have their sources in forests. Trees act as filters and provide us with the clean water that is vital for life.

3) Energy – Around one-third of the world’s population use wood as their source of energy for necessities such as cooking, boiling water and heating. Wood from forests supplies about 40 percent of global renewable energy – as much as solar, hydroelectric and wind power combined. Trees grow back, but we need to place more emphasis on using these resources sustainably to protect our forests from degradation.

4) Resilience to climate change – Forests and trees are our heroes in the fight against climate change. They make our localities and cities more sustainable by naturally cooling the air and removing pollutants. They safeguard our health by giving us places to retreat to and relax in. They tackle land degradation and stand up against biodiversity loss by providing plant and animal life with habitats.

5) Carbon sinks – As a force for good, our forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing the equivalent of roughly two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Deforestation is their kryptonite. When trees are cut down, they release this carbon dioxide back into the air. Deforestation is, in fact, the second-leading cause of climate change after burning fossil fuels. It accounts for nearly 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions — more than the world’s entire transport sector.

6) Recreation – Trees are stress relievers, that beautify the environment and protect and nurture nature.

In brief, forests have been our quiet helpers, and many times as stepping stones. They have been playing a bigger role in our day-to-day lives than we realize. We cannot lead the healthy, productive lives that we would otherwise be without them and we cannot hope to have a #ZeroHunger world or in Zimbabwe without enlisting their help, the help of the governments, agencies and bodies that manage and protect them and your help in respecting them.