The State of the World’s Forests 2020: Forests, Biodiversity and People (SOFO 2020), jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), will be launched with a virtual high-level event and discussion at 10 AM CET on 22 May for the International Day for Biological Diversity.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu and UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen will be among speakers discussing the findings of the report, which assesses progress to date in meeting global targets and goals relating to forest biodiversity.
Covering just over 30% of the global land area, forests provide habitat for the vast majority of terrestrial plant and animal species. Unfortunately, forests and the biodiversity they contain continue to be threatened by the conversion of forest land to agriculture and by unsustainable levels of exploitation, much of it illegal.
SOFO 2020 outlines concrete examples of successful initiatives to show how solutions that balance conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity are critical – and possible.
To join the virtual launch, please send an email to FODI@fao.org in advance to receive the login instructions.
