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African forestry sector critical to climate change debate -
FAO
Accra, Feb. 19, Ghanadot/GNA – The UN Food
and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has again highlighted the
critical role forests play in climate change, saying the
forestry sector, mainly deforestation in tropical areas,
causes 17 per cent of global emissions of greenhouse gases.
“Sustainable forest management is a necessary component of a
global strategy to combat climate change,” Jan Heino, FAO
Assistant Director-General for Forestry, said on Monday
during the opening day of the first-ever joint meetings
between the Near East Forestry Commission and the Africa
Forestry and Wildlife Commission in Khartoum, Sudan.
A statement from FAO in Accra on Tuesday said trees were
even more important in countries that did not have a large
forest area.
The meetings in Khartoum are the largest single gathering in
history of the heads of national forestry and wildlife
agencies in the two regions.
The wildlife experts will develop strategies to address the
conflict between humans and wildlife, which destroy hundreds
of hectares of food crops and claim human lives each year in
Africa.
FAO said over 80 per cent of wood was used for energy in
Africa, mainly for cooking and heating.
In the Near East, most wood products are imported, and oil
products are the main source of energy.
Heino said the importance of forests in the energy
strategies for countries in both regions would be addressed
throughout the week of meetings in Khartoum.
”Clean water is increasingly scarce in many parts of Africa
and the Near East. The joint sessions will consider options
for improving the conservation of water, with a focus on new
approaches to watershed management that take into
consideration the impact of human development activities in
each watershed,” he said.
Heino said the commissions would also consider ways to
improve the management of wildfires.
“Africa accounts for about half of the area burned by
wildfires throughout the world. As global temperatures rise,
the need to manage wildfires increases.”
The joint meetings bring together about 160 participants
from more than 50 countries, including Ministers, heads of
national forestry and wildlife agencies, representatives
from the private sectors and non-governmental organizations,
and United Nations experts.
Discussions will emphasize ways to mobilize resources and
ways to improve international cooperation to address these
critical issues.
GNA
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