More attention needed to maximize benefits of urban forests
Focused policies and investments aimed at protecting and managing
forests and trees in and around cities are needed to strengthen urban
livelihoods and improve city environments, as the world becomes
increasingly urbanized.
This was the message offered today on the occasion of World Habitat
Day by the international Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), of
which FAO is a member.
As an increasing share of the world's population now lives in cities
and their surroundings, the CPF called on countries to pay more
attention to managing and protecting urban and peri-urban forests.
In addition to improving the quality of urban environments, forests
in cities can also mitigate severe weather impacts by shielding
buildings from strong winds and flooding and can help cities save energy
by acting as a buffer from hot weather.
"The accelerating rate of natural disturbances affecting cities such
as storms, droughts, floods and landslides reminds us that resilience to
disasters is of critical importance and that trees play an important
role in protecting city environments," said FAO Assistant
Director-General for Forestry Eduardo Rojas-Briales.
"Good practices in urban and peri-urban forestry can contribute to
building a resilient city in terms of mitigation and adaptation to the
effects of climate change," he said.
Urban forests also improve the well-being and health conditions of
citizens by cooling the environment, particularly in arid zones.
Ecosystem services
"Trees and forests in cities provide urban dwellers with much needed
recreational and ecological values, and during the International Year of
Forests we have seen many examples of community activities in cities
from tree plantings to nature hikes," said Jan McAlpine, Director of the
United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat.
"These 'green belts' also serve as valuable habitats for birds and
small animals and create an oasis of biological diversity in urban
environments," she said.
Additionally, urban trees afford vital ecosystem services, such as
carbon sequestration and carbon storage, and can serve as a source of
alternative energy.
Benefits for food security, environmental education Urban agriculture
and agroforestry, home gardens, and the harvesting of non-wood forest
products like mushrooms can supplement household food supplies, but are
not common practices, globally.
Urban forests can also serve as a living laboratory for environmental
education in urban settings helping to bridge the gap between urbanized
populations and forests.
FAO is helping develop guidelines for policy and decision-makers on
urban and peri-urban forestry to promote sound policies and highlight
good practices.
"Often unclear responsibilities for different parts of the urban
forests, lack of policies and legislation, as well as lack of
comprehensive information, hamper successfully integrated approaches to
urban forestry," said Cecil Konijnendijk, Deputy Coordinator of a
research group on urban forestry initiated by the International Union of
Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO).
"Initiatives such as FAO's guidelines for urban forest policy and
management are of great importance."
The guidelines, which set to be published in July 2012, will give a
comprehensive review of good practices and highlight significant
initiatives taken around the world in order to contribute to improved
policy development and decision making. - FAO
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