Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs) are high on the list of the world's most threatened ecosystems. In order to achieve the conservation of remaining areas there is an urgent need for information on the location, extent, protection status, biological importance, socio-economic conditions and current threats on a site by site basis. This report describes a first phase of work on the development of a global database and draft directory of TMCFs. Interim results and conclusions are provided from a global overview of the information gathered to date.
Resource Type: ReportsThe conservation of world forests is an important measure in order to address the ever-worsening consequences of climate change. Tanzania has over 34 million hectares of forests and woodland habitats (more than 30% of the whole country). This report concludes that REDD strategies in Tanzania should be integrated with, and improve upon, current conservation strategies.
Resource Type: ReportsUsing global scale maps and statistics, we estimate that the conversion of all vulnerable tropical forests to the most valuable other land use at each location could lead to emissions of 670 Gt carbon dioxide (CO2). We then evaluate the role of the global protected area network in preventing emissions from tropical deforestation.
Resource Type: ReportsThis study assesses the global gaps in forest conservation with reference to the target of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which calls for the effective conservation of "at least 10% of the world's forest types" by 2010 (decision VIII/15). The results are expected to guide forest conservation policies and planning at national and international levels.
Resource Type: ReportsBiodiversity Loss and Conservation in Fragmented Forest Landscapes is the product of over 10 years of intensive field research into the changing montane and temperate rainforests of Mexico and South America. By concentrating on these largely overlooked environments, the studies reported allow for comparative analysis across areas and help identify how human disturbance has impacted the biodiversity of all forest types. Chapters incorporate features of landscape ecology, floristic biodiversity, conservation and policy and vary from in-depth investigations of a single study area to integrated examinations across regions.
Resource Type: ReportsThe paper provides an analysis of the ecosystem-derived multiple benefits of REDD+.
The terminology around multiple benefits is not yet clear cut. Here, the different terms in use are reviewed and suggestions are made about how terms can be used in a consistent way.
Resource Type: ReportsA list of CITES-listed trees has been compiled by UNEP-WCMC.
Resource Type: Tools / ApplicationsThe World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the key source for global and regional forest protected area information. It is in the process of a major redevelopment that will significantly enhance its usefulness for various users. The database already plays a significant role in reporting to major globally-agreed goals and targets, such as Millennium Development Goal 7 and the CBD programmes of work on forests and protected areas. For any global forest protected area network, the WDPA could provide information on officially designated protected areas, including sites that have not been assigned a particular IUCN management category but nevertheless qualify as sites contributing towards national, regional and global efforts and processes addressing forest conservation.
Resource Type: ReportsDeforestation and degradation account for around 20% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, widely believed to drive climate change. Growing concerns about the impacts of climate change have fuelled international interest in developing mechanisms to slow deforestation and degradation rates, such as the ‘Reduce Emissions for Deforestation and Degradation’ (REDD) Programme. Its potential contribution to rural poverty reduction could be immense, but REDD mechanisms may also entail new risks. This paper presents a framework for understanding the linkages between REDD and poverty, and conducts an initial analysis of the poverty implications of REDD.
Resource Type: ReportsThis report considers the measures that have been and might be undertaken to promote environmental co-benefits from REDD. Such measures may be linked to decisions on financing. The report surveys the measures that are found in existing REDD initiatives, including in the proposed UNFCCC REDD mechanism itself. It considers the options and opportunities for how these measures might be amended and developed in the future.
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