This is a Māori/Ngati Porou-led PES scheme that makes use of government afforestation subsidies and foreign direct investment to enable one of the tribe’s commercial bodies, Ngāti Porou Whanui Forests Limited (NPWFL) to become a provider of environmental services by undertaking afforestation activities to mitigate severe soil erosion and its negative effects on the Ngāti Porou community.

Without human intervention the countries of the Caribbean would be covered in dense tropical forests. The higher the annual rainfall, the higher the trees grow. However, the reality is that especially on the islands of the Caribbean most of the original forest cover has been removed for agriculture and housing purposes. Land use is not static, and so for example, the expansion of the banana industry increased the rate of deforestation on several islands.

The State of the World’s Forest Genetic Resources addresses the conservation, management and sustainable use of forest tree and other woody plant genetic resources of actual and potential value for human well-being in the broad range of management systems. This report complements two other FAO flagship publications in the field of forestry, the annual State of the World’s Forests and the periodic Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA).

Within the framework of modern governance, accountability means acknowledging responsibility for delivery. The UN system, as a global public service, needs to set an example by providing information to its member countries, governing bodies, partners and other stakeholders on its major achievements and resources in an easy-to-read format. Yet many of the activities carried out by the UN system in general, and FAO in particular, are not well known.

Forest genetic resources (FGR) are the heritable materials maintained within and among tree and other woody plant species that are of actual or potential economic, environmental, scientific or societal value. They are crucial to the adaptation and protection of our ecosystems, landscapes and production systems, yet are subject to increasing pressures and unsustainable use.

This paper proposes an approach to assist countries in ensuring that NFM planning more strongly meets the needs and demands of forest-related national policy processes. The approach is based on an understanding that there is a multiplicity of issues and legitimate interests related to forests that require multipurpose information systems.