text of speech form participants from Asia and the Pacific.

Forests and woody vegetation cover a total surface area of 1.3 million ha in 2015 (FAO 2015) that represents 8% of the country surface area. It includes 1 million ha of forests and 0.3 Million ha of shrubs and other woody area. The forest area has increased from 643,000 ha in 1990 to 1,041,000 ha in 2015 ((FAO 2015) that corresponds to an increase by 62% in the last twenty five years or an annual increase of 1.9%.

This paper represents part of an area of work in support of enhancing access to land and forest resources in support of rural livelihoods in Mongolia. . This synthesis report draws on field studies undertaken recently in five rural areas of Mongolia, covering all ecological zones from montane and northern taiga forest to arid forest in the Gobi. Our findings document and explain, with case studies and documentation from participatory analysis, the downward cycle of resource depletion and descend into poverty that is in action.

text of speech

Meeting Name: Committee on Forestry
Meeting symbol/code: COFO/2014/REP

The WOCAT-LADA-DESIRE mapping tool is based on the original WOCAT mapping questionnaire (WOCAT, 2007). It has been expanded to pay more attention to issues such as biological and water degradation, it also places more emphasis on direct and socio-economic causes of these phenomena, including their impacts on ecosystem services. It evaluates what type of land degradation is actually happening where and why and what is being done about it in terms of sustainable land management (SLM) in the form of a questionnaire.

Meeting Name: Committee on Forestry
Meeting symbol/code: COFO/2014/REP

This document is the second part of a two part manual on local level assessment of land degradation and sustainable land management: ? Part 1 ? Planning and Methodological Approach, Analysis and Reporting ? Part 2 ? Field Methodology and Tools The two parts should be used together as Part 1 provides the background information for the conduct of the methods and tools that are provided in Part 2.

This Infographic will report on the Key Messages of the related "Discussion Paper on Sustainable Financing for Forest and Landscape Restoration" (jointly producded by UNCCD/FAO) currently under finalization.

Extensive grazing is the predominant form of land use on at least a quarter of the world’s land surface, in which livestock are raised on food that comes mainly from rangelands. Extensive grazing differs from crop or forestry production, in which the produce remains in situ whilst growing. Evaluation for extensive grazing, unlike that for cropping or forestry, must take into account the production of both grazing forage, termed primary production, and the livestock that feed on this forage, termed secondary production.

Saffron production is confined to a limited geographical area in the State. Saffron has traditionally been associated with the famous Kashmiri cuisine, its medicinal values and the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir. Its role in enriching the local cuisine, its medicinal value and its use in important religious rituals is well known. However, Saffron production is currently suffering on several counts, especially those relating to productivity as well as post harvest management. This has resulted in lower production and poor quality.

This publication has been prepared as a background paper in view of the UN conference on the human environment that was held in Stockholm in 1972. This background document had contribution from UNESCO, IAEA and WHO. While the demand for land for land increases at a very rapid rate through population growth, technological progress and industrial development, soil resources remain fixed. The maintenance of their productivity is therefore of paramount importance.