Forests cover 31 percent of the world's land and are fundamental to life on our planet.
Home to more than half of the world’s land animal and plant species, forests are a direct source of food, income and shelter for millions of people, and provide energy for heating and cooking for 2.6 billion. Forests are key to mitigating climate change, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, storing more than half the global carbon stock in soils and vegetation and regulating rainfall. If sustainably managed, forests are also a source of renewable raw materials, helping to build an economy which allows nature to regenerate.
Through its Forestry Programme, FAO seeks to restore forests, improve the lives of forest-dependent people, and support countries to manage their forests in a sustainable way. FAO’s work is fully aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, creating more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.
Highlights
International forestry journal
Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests
FAO Yearbook of Forest Products
Sustainability by numbers: Forest products at FAO
Forestry at FAO
The Forestry Division leads FAO’s work in promoting the sustainable management of forests and balancing economic, social and environmental interests in landscapes surrounding them. It liaises with member countries, partners, civil society and the private sector to encourage more effective policies for management and to strengthen the role of forests in reducing the effects of climate change and helping humanity to adapt to them.
The Division also collects, analyses and shares information on the world’s forest resources and the production, trade and consumption of wood and non-wood forest products. The Committee on Forestry and six regional forestry commissions guide FAO in its technical forestry work.
Multimedia
E-learning
Online self-paced forestry courses
Photography
Forestry events, projects and themes
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Innovating tradition to protect ancient forests in Papua New Guinea
21/03/2024
Harnessing technology and innovation to transform our forests
21/03/2024
International Day of Forests: FAO, Google and partners launch solutions to monitor and protect forests
21/03/2024
Contact
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Pokhara (Nepal)
Forest and Farm Producer Organizations' International Conference on Agrobiodiversity
09/04/2024 - 12/04/2024
Forest and farm producer organizations representing the world’s smallholder farmers will gather in Nepal and online to explore how to best manage the...
New York (United States)
UN Forum on Forests – 19th session
06/05/2024 - 10/05/2024
Working towards the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests and to strengthen long-term political commitment to...
New York (United States)
High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development
08/07/2024 - 17/07/2024
Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions.