Indonesian President to join biggest debate in years on future of Southeast Asia's forests

120 speakers, 52 partner organizations, 1,800 registered participants. Join Indonesian President Yudhoyono, Ministers from across Southeast Asia, CEOs, NGOs, scientists, and policy experts at the Forests Asia Summit in pursuit of new green-growth pathways for development. Can’t make it to the Summit? Join the discussion anyway: Watch live video feeds in English and Indonesian at forestsasia.org/live and send questions to speakers through Twitter, using the hashtag #ForestsAsia. See the agenda at forestsasia.org

New research: REDD+, the incentive program to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, risks losing momentum. The two biggest challenges — economic viability and land tenure — are daunting but surmountable. Read more here.

REDD+ in the news:

• ALL’S FAIR?: Some countries are more concerned about being treated fairly in global talks on REDD+ than about fairness within their own countries, a study shows.
• PEOPLE POWER: To curb Indonesian deforestation, public pressure is needed, research suggests.

Natural forests and wildlands across 58 tropical research sites provide 28 percent of total household income — nearly as much as crops — according to a new global study from CIFOR, the product of the Poverty and Environment Network (PEN). The study found that 77 percent of environmental income comes from natural forests. Read more here.

Further reading:

• WHO OWNS IT?: Access to state-owned forests critical for rural smallholders, study finds
• PREVIOUSLY: Global study on forests, poverty shakes up the terrain

Taking place on the sidelines of the UNFCCC climate change conference (COP20) in Lima, and hosted by Peru’s Ministry of Environment, the 2014 Global Landscapes Forum will bring together stakeholders from across sectors to define the role of landscapes in the post-2015 climate and development agreements. Visit www.landscapes.org.

Landscapes news:

• INTERVIEW: Why land governance and tenure rights matter for the SDGs
• INFOGRAPHIC: Cities provide opportunities for sustainable landscapes
• BLOG: New research strategies needed to understand floating populations and phantom farmers

We are pleased to announce the launch of “Science@10” — short, dynamic knowledge-sharing sessions about CIFOR’s science. In these sessions, CIFOR scientists and associates present a 10-minute talk about the outcomes of their research, followed by a brief, interactive discussion. You can watch the presentations here.