Conference Agenda

Deforestation and forest degradation harm biodiversity, contribute to climate change and increase poverty. From 2010 to 2015, 32.5 million ha of natural forest - an area larger than Norway - was lost. Evidence suggests that for every million hectares of forest destroyed, up to a billion tonnes of CO2 (equivalent) are lost into the atmosphere. Close to 1.6 billion people – more than 25% of the world’s population – rely on forest resources for their livelihoods and most of them (1.2 billion) use trees on farms to generate food and cash. Forest clearance primarily for large-scale agriculture and illegal logging resulting in forest degradation, and the related trade in commodities and timber, therefore also deprive forest-dependent people of their livelihoods.

The master class aims at enhancing knowledge on forestry governance related issues and on how these contribute to poverty reduction while supporting sustainable development, market growth, equity and land rights. It also aims at expanding the community of practitioners with the purpose of exchanging information and lessons learned in order to enhance effectiveness of actions. It will do so through a participatory methodology including presentation, Q&A session and group discussions.