Over the past three years RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have brought together regional experts to reflect on the outcomes of the 15th, 16th and 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The resulting booklets “Forests and Climate Change after Copenhagen,” “after Cancun” and “after Durban” were distributed widely and very well received.

Future forest cover changes were simulated under the business-as-usual (BAU), pessimistic and optimistic scenarios using the Markov-cellular automata (MCA) model in Pakxeng district, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR). The Markov chain analysis was used to compute transition probabilities from satellite-derived forest cover maps (1993, 1996, 2000 and 2004), while the “weights of evidence” procedure was used to generate transition potential (suitability) maps.

This research attempts to elucidate the beneficial role of the REDD+ mechanism in the mitigation of climate change, as well as justice-related issues to its implementation. It examines equity issues involved in climate change and carbon trading through the REDD+ mechanism. Addressing its shortcomings without entering into deeper debates about the legitimacy of the market system in which most of us operate.

This paper points out some defects of the current forest register and proposes a concept of next-generation forest register from the view point of GIS application to forest management. Since the fundamental purpose of the GIS is to conduct spatial analysis of multiple thematic maps, one of the basic requirements for the next-generation forest register is the management of forest information on a thematic map basis by using the spatial analysis function of the forest GIS. The main proposals are as follows.

Vegetation mapping provides basic information for forest management and planning. In remote sensing research, the process of creating an accurate vegetation map is an important subject. Recently, there has been growing research interest in the object-oriented image classification techniques. The object-oriented image classification consists of multi-dimensional features including object features and thus requires multi-dimensional image classification approaches.

This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in December 2012 by a community member describing events occurring in Hpa-an District, between November and December 2012. The report details the concerns of villagers in T'Nay Hsah Township, who have faced significant declines in their paddy harvest due to bug infestation. The community member also raises villagers' concerns regarding the cutting down of teak-like trees by developers, for the establishment of rubber plantations.

Esta tesis tiene como objetivo general estudiar el efecto de la transformación del paisaje, a través de los procesos poblacionales, productivos y la deforestación asociada a ellos, sobre los patrones estructurales del paisaje y proponer herramientas para la incorporación del enfoque ecológico en la planificación territorial. La deforestación es uno de los principales problemas ecológicos que enfrenta la humanidad, que causa la transformación de los territorios boscosos como producto del accionar del hombre.

This report highlights the great potential of the agribusiness sector in Africa by drawing on experience in Africa as well as other regions. The evidence demonstrates that good policies, a conducive business environment, and strategic support from governments can help agribusiness reach its potential. Africa is now at a crossroads, from which it can take concrete steps to realize its potential or continue to lose competitiveness, missing a major opportunity for increased growth, employment, and food security. The report pursues several lines of analysis.

In many Asian countries, communities and smallholders are faced with barriers to exercising their tenure rights and to making a living from selling timber and other forest products. This study puts forward an effort to respond to the issue of restrictions, in the form of regulatory barriers, in the pursuit of sustainable forest management.

This project combines efforts of Canadian civil society and Nigerian communities to better understand the Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) process to further environmental sustainability in forest dependent communities. The research project documented from the perspective of forest communities in Cross River State, the minimum set of rules for any effective REDD scheme to enhance livelihoods of poor communities using forest resources in West Africa.

Draws from the Avante Consulta tool designed for the forestry sector and includes a tool in respect to consultation processes, which are mandatory in the context of the state taking decisions in relation to the award of land and natural resource rights to external investors. Consists of a set of steps that aim to empower the communities in these consultations. Designed to be applied in situations where the co-management of natural resources is being encouraged and the poor must compete with other, often stronger, stakeholders to ensure that their rights are recognized.

This paper argues that legal reform of land tenure will not take place fast enough to enable developing countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation through REDD+. It highlights that a global agreement on REDD+ is needed by 2020, if the mechanism is to have a significant impact on mitigating climate change. However, legally defensible and enforceable land tenure rights, while a key enabling condition for effective and equitable REDD+, will not be achieved in most forest countries before this date.