Mainstreaming Biodiversity In Forestry Report: FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization’s recently released report titled “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Forestry Report”, integrating biodiversity into such ‘production forests’ is paramount.
Recommendations of the Report:
- Recognizing the forest tenure of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, with emphasis on enhancing the equitable sharing of benefits.
- Preventing the conversion of natural forests into monospecific forest plantations.
- Ensuring the sustainable management of harvested species to control overharvesting of plants and wildlife.
- Adopting a multisectoral perspective by mainstreaming biodiversity across other land use sectors.
- Providing economic incentives, like compensation for reduced production to promote biodiversity benefits and investing in knowledge and capacity development.
- Facilitating market-based instruments like engaging in public–private partnerships to leverage corporate social responsibility commitments.
- Leveraging global momentum on restoration to enhance biodiversity conservation.
Mainstreaming Biodiversity
- It is the process of embedding biodiversity considerations into policies, strategies, and practices of key public and private actors to promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
- Threats to Mainstreaming Biodiversity:
- Deforestation: Deforestation continues at an alarming rate of 10 million ha per year (mainly for agricultural expansion) especially in lower income tropical countries.
- Illegal Forest Activities: Illegal timber harvesting is estimated to account for 15–30% of global timber production.
- Low Conservation Profile: Low profile of conservation outside protected areas.
- Insufficient Capacity: Developing countries struggle to enforce forest and biodiversity regulations.
- Lack of Participation: Lack of Indigenous People and local community participation.Weak Governance: Weak governance and law enforcement are the biggest stumbling blocks behind biodiversity conservation in protected areas.
