Environmental monitoring by indigenous communities plays a vital role in effective natural resource protection and can ‘fill the gap’ over vast regions where formal conservation authorities are absent.

Forests are essential in global efforts to fight climate change and ensure a sustainable future, say experts who point to a growing body of scientific knowledge to help countries meet these goals.

Experts have urged governments, business and investors to act faster and think bigger in fighting climate change and promoting sustainable development – and they name finance, human rights and sustainable landscapes as the necessary artillery.

A new book released today details real-world stories of efforts to reduce carbon emissions in tropical forest countries, a leading option for slowing climate change now under discussion at the UN climate talks in Lima.

Palm oil—used around the world in everything from foods to cosmetics to biofuels—can be developed without destroying vast stretches of tropical forests with the right planning and methods.

The current Ebola crisis in Africa has drawn attention to the link between the animal-borne virus and bushmeat, a crucial source of food for tens of millions of people.

Ecological restoration efforts in Colombia in recent years — despite numerous flaws in design, implementation and monitoring — have nevertheless built a critical mass of experiences and expertise that have placed the country at the forefront of this growing trend in Latin America, according to a new publication launched by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

The world’s top climate scientist told an international conference today that tackling climate change is an opportunity, not a burden, and a leading financier said there is plenty of money to fund sustainable development.

An incentive program to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation — known by the acronym REDD+ — risks losing momentum over issues of land tenure and economic viability, a new study indicates. The challenges are surmountable, researchers say, adding that a binding international climate agreement could go a long way in bolstering the REDD+ program’s prospects for mitigating climate change.

A Brazilian program that rewards families for conserving forests shows promise for reducing deforestation and helping small farmers improve their livelihoods, a new study co-sponsored by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) shows.