Global Forest Expert Panels present latest report

This year's International Forest Day took place on 2 December in Doha, Qatar. The Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative, which is coordinated by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), presented the latest report on REDD+.

This year's International Forest Day, an integral component of the annual UN Climate Change Conference since Bali in 2007, took place on 2 December in Doha, Qatar. The Global Forest Expert Panels (GFEP) initiative, which is coordinated by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), presented the latest report on REDD+ (REDD = reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation)

The report was prepared as part of a project financed by the International Climate Initiative (ICI) in Viet Nam. The publication primarily highlights the causal links between forest and land management and their impact on the carbon balance, biological diversity in forests and the local population.

In the panel discussion that followed, Dr Horst Freiberg, Head of Division and forest conservation expert at the German Federal Environment Ministry, emphasised that the report centred on the importance of the role consistent policy plays at all relevant levels, from local to international. A key focus should be on socio-economic aspects to ensure that social, economic and environmental objectives are all taken into account.