Forests & Water in Action:

Transcription

1 Forests & Water in Action: Integrating science, policy and practice Elaine Springgay Forestry Officer (Forest & Water) Asia-Pacific Forestry Week Clark, Philippines 26 February 2016 FAO

2 Why Forests and Water? Forested watersheds and wetlands supply 75% of the world s accessible fresh water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs Approximately 80% of the global population live in areas where water resources are insecure Every US$1 invested in watershed protection can save anywhere from US$7.5 to nearly US$200 in water treatment Yet only 25% of the world s forests have soil and water conservation as their main objective

3 Why Forests and Water? At least one third of the world s biggest cities Singapore Jakarta Rio de Janeiro Bogotá New York Cape Town Madrid draw a significant portion of their drinking-water from protected forested areas

4 Forests & Water Agenda

5 Partners CIFOR Weyerhaeuser ICIMOD Forest Research Institute (IBLES) ICRAF Universitat Politècnica de València University of Lisbon University Putra Malaysia Beijing Forestry University IUFRO Science Chinese Academy of Forestry Practices & Economics CSIR Policy IUCN INBAR FAO FORIG Kenya Forestry Research Institute Stockholm International Water Institute FOREST EUROPE PlanBleu Forest Trends Government of Alberta, Canada

6 From Discourse Main recommendations Improved understanding of forestwater interactions Climate change, scale, forest types Communicating research Integrated landscape approach Collaborative partnerships Capacity building Monitoring systems Economic values for forest-water resources Inter-sectoral policies

7 Forests & Water Dialogue Key Messages XIV World Forestry Congress, 9 September The interaction between trees, forests and water deserves greater recognition at national, regional and international levels; 2. The Dialogue reaffirmed that there is a strong demand, need for, and willingness to participate in and contribute to a newly established network of partners; 3. There is a need for decision-makers to allocate greater resources for research on forest-water interactions and the translation of this research into policy action and practical implementation, including at the community level.

8 Forests & Water Action Plan Transition from discourse to action Tangible integration of science, policy and practice Collaboration and consolidation Project portfolio of US$16.5 million: Research Projects to improve water resources and livelihoods Network? Launched at the International Forests and Water Dialogue XIV World Forestry Congress, 9 September 2015

9 To Action Forests are important for the water supply of humanity Kunming Expert Meeting (March 2014) Integrated management Incentive mechanisms Collaboration with private sector Climate change Practice Promote informed policy Institutional mechanisms Capacity building Improve understanding Inter-disciplinary research activities Knowledge sharing tools Monitoring systems and tools Science Policy

10 Forests & Water Action Plan Goals 1. Science: Increase international research on forest-water interactions, addressing knowledge gaps. 2. Policy: Support forest-water policies, governance institutions and mechanisms. 3. Practice: Integrate scientifically based understanding of forest-water interactions in the management of diverse landscapes. 4. Capacity Building & Communication: Build the capacity of network members and the international community at large to address gaps in forest-water science, policy and management.

11 Forest & Water in SDGs

12 Forest & Water in SDGs Forests and water in the SDGs 6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity 6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands

13 Forest & Water in Policy Redefine forest? Inclusion of function in addition to physical attributes Forest ecosystem: It is a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their abiotic environment interacting as a functional unit, where trees are a key component of the system. (CBD)

14 Forests & Water at FAO 2016 Coordination and implementation of Action Plan Forest-Water Monitoring Framework (September 2016) Consolidation of indicators and field methods Improved FRA data on soil and water functions of forests Include category in national statistics Promote new method: Line-point transect forest cover and erosion assessment method 1. Visual forest cover assessment 3. Line-point Transect Forest Cover Assessment 2. Forest canopy & Floor Cover Assessment 4. Forest Floor Cover Assessment

15 Forests & Water at FAO

16 Thank you.