Biblioteca

This brief describes the role of forests and forestry in the prevention and rehabilitation of landslides in Asia, noting that landslides may increase over the coming decades, in part due to climate change. It underscores the role of forests in preventing landslides, and describes how in some areas of China and Mongolia, climate change is causing landslides due to rapidly thawing permafrost. Additional climate change implications include increased rains and severe weather, which could lead to soil inundation and tree falls. The document also notes that climate change-induced drought will increase the chances of devastating wild fire and forest die-back, which by removing or damaging forest cover will induce root decay, resulting in loss of slope stability. It concludes by providing recommendations for maintenance of forest cover and forest health.

This manual aims to translate available climate science and current international climate policies into the tools for practical action in Africa, in the context of sustainable development. In this regard the guidebook focuses on the potential climate change impacts on key sectors in Africa and appropriate adaptation and mitigation options. It outlines the governance, technological, financial and capacity building opportunities available to the continent to work effectively towards sustainable development. The manual is self-contained and stands alone, but provides guidance to intended users to other relevant materials in the form of links and annexes. The primary audiences for the guidebook are policymakers, decision makers, practitioners from public and private sector, civil society organizations, environment and climate change negotiators and experts

This technical document reviews existing laws and regulations relevant to REDD+ in Zambia. It identifies key legal challenges associated with REDD+, including equitable and secure land tenure, decentralized governance, integrated land-use planning, benefit distribution systems, inter-ministerial coordination and definitions in the forest sector. The findings also reveal how legal instruments already in place in the country, for instance those related to payments for ecosystem services, could provide context-specific solutions for REDD+ implementation.

This technical document reviews existing laws and regulations relevant to REDD+ in Vietnam. It identifies key legal challenges associated with REDD+, including equitable and secure land tenure, decentralized governance, integrated land-use planning, benefit distribution systems, inter-ministerial coordination and definitions in the forest sector. The findings also reveal how legal instruments already in place in the country, for instance those related to payments for ecosystem services, could provide context-specific solutions for REDD+ implementation. Also available in Vietnamese.

This technical document reviews existing laws and regulations relevant to REDD+ in Mexico. It identifies key legal challenges associated with REDD+, including equitable and secure land tenure, decentralized governance, integrated land-use planning, benefit distribution systems, inter-ministerial coordination and definitions in the forest sector. The findings also reveal how legal instruments already in place in the country, for instance those related to payments for ecosystem services, could provide context-specific solutions for REDD+ implementation.

This booklet identifies tangible challenges and best practices that have emerged among its 12 partner countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including examples and case studies related to information, monitoring and MRV, benefit distribution systems, safeguards and the formulation of national REDD+ strategies.

This analytical report aims to demonstrate and illustrate how integrating gender equality principles into REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) results in improved sustainability of climate and development outcomes. In particular, it examines why integrating gender considerations may increase efficiency, efficacy and sustainability, and proposes initial recommendations on how to do so. It also examines what gender equality and equity mean and entail for stakeholder engagement, land and resources tenure, multiple benefits of forests, benefit distribution systems, anti corruption efforts and inclusive growth and development. The report includes brief case studies.

This technical document introduces 24 economic (e.g. price and supply of food, change in income, jobs, productivity, energy balance, infrastructure), ecological (e.g. emissions, soil quality, water use, biodiversity, land-use change) and social (e.g. unpaid time of women and children, injury and illness, training, land allocation and tenure) indicators pertinent to the sustainability of bioenergy. One chapter is dedicated to each indicator, describing the measurement units, relevance, scientific basis, methodological approach, anticipated limitations, data requirements, knowledge gaps, relevant international processes, and references.

This brief highlights the impacts that climate change has on the forest ecosystems of Asia. It stresses that forest adaptation activities that assist mitigation should be eligible for carbon financing, and that the adaptive capacity of forest-dependent people can be improved by the allocation of forestland use rights, local-level capacity building and improving forest-based products access to markets. It also underscores that national adaptation strategies should address adaptation within a broader framework of sustainable forest management (SFM) activities.

This analytical report highlights ways to reduce the environmental impact and improve the environmental, economic and social sustainability of traditional and emerging ocean-oriented economies. The chapters show where fisheries, tourism and maritime transportation and other industries can take steps to reduce their impact on the marine environment. Throughout, the report demonstrates that creating a green economy in the blue world, one that improves human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities means creating sustainable jobs, lasting economic value and increased social equity.

This policy document aims to demonstrate the foundational significance of ecosystems for human well-being in the African region. It highlights some of the key policy challenges and opportunities in ecosystem management and makes some recommendations for enhancing capacity of policy makers in the region.  The document also aims to stimulate discussion and debate on how, in the effort to prevent and reverse degradation of ecosystems and the services they provide, the continent can promote and utilise healthy ecosystems to support a sustainable and more climate-resilient development path.

This manual focuses on climate change mitigation financing for smallholders. It is divided into sections on the role of climate change finance in the context of agricultural development and poverty reduction, and a guide to developing soil carbon sequestration crediting projects. Highlighting the interest in climate-smart agriculture, the guidebook describes opportunities that provide food security and mitigation benefits, but stresses that concerns remain over the ability to monitor and report on soil carbon emissions.

This activity report presents a summary of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) challenges and successes in 2011. The report notes that the CDM continued to grow in 2011, with over 3500 registered projects currently, in 72 countries, and over 3600 projects in various stages of the registration process. The annual report also outlines measures undertaken by the CDM Executive Board and its support structure to enhance the efficiency of many processes under the CDM, such as guidelines for standardized emissions baselines and simplification of the CDM requirements. It concludes that the CDM is an effective tool for incentivizing low-carbon development.

This technical document presents a systematic overview of current European forest ecosystem and its interaction with climate change impact through a new geo-climatic lens. It discusses the assessment of climate change impacts on forest regulating services using an ecosystem based valuation approach and finally presents the economic valuation exercise, and corresponding monetary estimation results of forest sequestration services in the context of climate change. 

This policy document consists of a COP 12 position paper stressing the importance of the fact  that decision makers are able to formulate their policies based on the latest unbiased, scientific data such and the role of WMO in providing them. It aims to facilitate the discussions at the Conference of Parties at their twelfth (COP-12) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2006.

This policy document consists of a COP 13 position paper stressing that adaptive management approaches do not only require a coherent policy framework from governments, but also high quality climate information and tools for risk management through better and systematic monitoring, assessments and predictions at the regional, national and even local scales. It aims to facilitate the discussions at the Conference of Parties at their thirteenth (COP-13) meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007.

This policy document consists of a COP 14 position paper presenting the role that the hydrologic, meteorological and climate communities can play in achieving the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This note is designed with the objective to help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and their national partners play an effective role within their national delegations to provide the scientific basis to the negotiations and at the same time enable the delegations to move forward in the technology transfer part of the negotiations thereby facilitate the discussions at the Conference of Parties at their fourteenth (COP-14) meeting in Poznan, Poland in December 2008.

This policy document consists of a COP15 position paper presenting the role that the climate, weather and water communities can and do play in achieving the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This note is designed with the objective to help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and their national partners provide the scientific underpinning to the negotiations, to enable them to play their expected role within the national delegations and, in so doing, facilitate the discussions at the Conference of Parties at their Fifteenth (COP15) meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

This policy document consists of a COP 16 position paper presenting the role that the weather, climate and hydrological communities can play in effectively addressing the objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This note is intended to help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and their national partners to provide the scientific underpinning to the negotiations and enable them to play their role within their national delegations.

This brochure aims to contribute to the emerging debate on adaptation to climate variability and change and sustainable development. Specifically, it provides Parties attending COP11 and COP/MOP1 with information on the activities carried out by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and partners to mainstream climate knowledge into adaptation and sustainable development decision-making. It also contributes to ongoing efforts to foster a common, coordinated response by the United Nations system to climate variability and change, in the light of the 2005 World Summit and a number of newly emerging initiatives and partnerships such as the 2005 G8 Gleneagles Summit to advance the international Climate Agenda.