Robert Nasi
Director General, CIFOR
Reflecting on 2019 – a year in which climate change and biodiversity became existential crises and ‘social distancing’ was still just an oxymoron – it’s clear that we must turn normal thinking on its head.
We need forests and trees more than ever. Once viewed mainly as a source of timber, forests are increasingly being recognized as a vital green infrastructure, storing carbon, protecting watersheds, biodiversity and wild foods, and providing livelihoods to billions of people.
Last year, CIFOR advanced critical knowledge on social forestry in Southeast Asia; timber legality in Zambia and the DRC; peatland restoration, biofuel, oil palm and mangroves in Indonesia – as well as ongoing global research on REDD+, tenure security, forest landscape restoration and gender. The Global Landscapes Forum found new and more innovative ways (like GLFx) to connect people together, in addition to five major events.
We understand the problems, and we have both solutions and resources to respond to them. There are reasons to be optimistic in spite of the immense challenges we are facing.
M. Claire O’Connor
Chair, Common Board
Chair, Executive Committee
The past year has seen some of the greatest challenges yet – from the climate crisis to landscape degradation to the wildfires that raged in countries from east to west. Yet it also saw the emergence of new developments, such as the announcement of the UN’s Decade of Ecological Restoration 2021–2030 and discussions of nature- based solutions.
In 2019, another exciting development set the stage for more evidence and solutions that will improve people’s lives, help to conserve and restore the ecosystems that support people and nature, and respond to the global climate crisis. The merger of CIFOR and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) has extended the reach of both organizations.
CIFOR-ICRAF is uniquely equipped to deliver transformative science, with a common board of trustees, an integrated leadership team and a jointly constituted research division. Our shared ‘whole-landscape’ mandate and our long-term partnerships allow us to contribute to a radical transformation in food production and land-use systems.
