FAO Calls for Greater Protection and Investment in Dryland Forests

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has launched a Call to Action on Dryland Forests, urging governments, donors and partners to give greater recognition and financial support to forests in the world’s water-scarce regions.

The call was introduced during a high-level dialogue on dryland forests, food, nutrition and resilience. The meeting formed part of the 10th World Forest Week, held alongside the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry at FAO headquarters in Rome.

FAO said the initiative seeks to strengthen the sustainable management, restoration, governance, conservation and use of dryland forests. It also calls for these ecosystems to be better incorporated into national climate, biodiversity and land priorities.

Support platform proposed

A central proposal is the creation of a Dryland Forest Support Accelerator. The platform would be anchored by FAO and driven by countries, but the source does not state that it has been formally established or funded.

According to the call, the proposed Accelerator would help countries identify their needs, gather evidence and support the implementation and expansion of approaches that have already shown promise. It would also record results and lessons from those efforts.

The platform is intended to help integrate dryland forests into national planning, including nationally determined contributions and land degradation neutrality targets. It would also support access to long-term finance, stronger monitoring and improved cooperation between sectors.

Importance of dryland forests

FAO says forests and trees in dryland areas support the livelihoods, food security and cultural identity of more than two billion people. Drylands cover about 41 percent of Earth’s land surface and account for 27 percent of global forest area.

These landscapes provide wood and non-wood products, help communities withstand drought and offer safety nets for some of the world’s poorest households. Dryland forests also support livestock, protect soil and water resources, and provide food and income when crops fail.

However, around 25 percent of dryland forest ecosystems are already degraded. The pressures include land-use change linked to agricultural expansion and urbanization, as well as unsustainable resource extraction.

Climate change is adding to those pressures through longer droughts, greater water stress and a higher risk of fire. The effects of degradation and climate pressure are felt heavily by smallholders, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, local communities, women and young people.

Call for political and financial priority

The Call to Action urges governments, donors and partners to increase investment in the conservation and sustainable use of dryland forests. It also asks governments, donors and the Rio Conventions to give these ecosystems greater political and financial priority.

One recommendation is that dryland forests receive formal recognition as a priority ecosystem under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu said in a video message that dryland forests are important to present and future generations.

“Yet dryland forests are often underrecognized, under-monitored and under-financed. This must change,” he said.

The call maintains that solutions for restoring drylands already exist, with the main challenge being the creation of conditions that allow them to be applied at scale. The proposed Accelerator builds on FAO’s experience through the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program and the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems.