Large areas of the humid tropics are like mosaics, combining features of forests and agriculture and housing hundreds of millions of people. Land uses that store high quantities of carbon, such as agroforestry and other tree-based systems, make up a large part of those mosaic areas. Yet current discussions on reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) within the UNFCCC do not adequately address these land uses as part of a potential mitigation strategy.

This research paper, published in the international Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation, reports on a study of two community forests', Nomedjoh and Nkolenyeng, Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) projects located in south Cameroon. Focus group sessions and household surveys were conducted to examine the relationship between the adaptation of forest communities and the mitigation of forest-carbon conservation, and the impact this has on local vulnerability.

Agriculture remains a major source of income for more than 80 per cent of the rural population in Lesotho, although the country's arable land is only about nine per cent of the total land area. Moreover, the rural economy has been declining due to poor land and water resources management, unsustainable farming practices and unpredictable weather conditions. Communities living on marginal lands whose livelihoods depend on natural recourses are among the most vulnerable to climate change.

1 KEY MESSAGES

Climate change is expected to alter existing coastal habitats in Grenada, jeopardizing the island's mangroves, such as through the conversion of basin mangroves to fringe habitats as storm surges open barrier beaches, increasing tidal action and flood duration.

Likewise, incremental sea level rise and storm overwash can lead to increased salinity within coastal ponds, backwaters, and estuaries.

Each of these processes, acting alone or in concert, can greatly affect colonization by all mangrove species that occur in the region.

This policy brief examines the role of forests for climate change adaptation in the region of Asia. It is organized into several sections. Firstly, anticipated changes to precipitation and temperature in Asia under a low and a high emissions scenario, between 2010 and 2039, are outlined. Following on from this, the key elements of Forest-Based Adaptation (FBA) are discussed and the current status of FBA in Asia is highlighted. Finally, recommendations aimed at moving forest-based adaptation forward are made.

FAO-Sida report providing evidence and lessons learned from a climate adaptation pilot project in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.

This report analyses evidence linking community forest rights with healthier forests and lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

The fifth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-5) analyses the state, trends, outlook and responses to environmental change. It assesses progress towards meeting internationally agreed goals and identifies gaps in their achievement.The outlook examines the drivers of environmental change and the overarching socio-economic forces that exert pressure on the environment.

Using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model this report identifies the links among economic growth, poverty alleviation, and natural resource degradation in Brazil.

This case study examines eight equity dimensions in sustainable forest management through the case study of Na Ot Village, Na Ot Commune, Mai Son District, Son La province in Viet Nam.

It highlights that securing forest tenure and resource rights is a critical cornerstone and a first prerequisite for promoting community forestry through mobilising local communities to manage and benefit from forest sustainably, to participate in the democratic decision-making process, and establish their own customary practices of forest management in Viet Nam.

This report highlights the major biological factors that contribute to ecosystem resilience under the projected impacts of global climate change. It assesses the potential consequences for biodiversity of particular adaptation activities under the thematic areas of the Convention on Biological Diversity, provides methodological considerations when implementing these activities, and highlights research and knowledge gaps.