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Embargoed Release


NEW  STUDY  WARNS  DAMAGE  TO  FORESTS  FROM  CLIMATE  CHANGE  COULD COST THE  PLANET 
ITS  MAJOR  KEEPER  OF  GREENHOUSE  GASES


New York (17 April 2009) – The critical role of forests as massive "sinks" for absorbing greenhouse gases is "at risk of being lost entirely" to climate change-induced environmental stresses that threaten to damage and even decimate forests worldwide, according to a new report released today. The report will be formally presented at the next session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) taking place 20 April-1 May 2009 at the UN Headquarters in New York City. 


EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 17 APRIL 2009 AT 00:01 GMT/8:01 PM EDT ON 16 APRIL 2009


MEDIA CONTACTS

Tarun K. Bathija: +43 1 877 0151 42 or pr(at)iufro.org

Alexander Buck: +43 1 877 0151 13 or buck(at)iufro.org

 

MATERIALS

1.   Press Release
[English - PDF, 60 KB] [French - PDF, 80 KB] [Spanish - PDF, 80 KB] [German - PDF, 100 KB]  [Finnish - PDF, 80 KB]


2.   Full Report: Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change – A Global Assessment Report



3.   Policy Brief: Making forests fit for climate change



4.   Executive Summary
[English - PDF, 90 KB]

 

5.   Photos


Climate change is expected to have negative effects on the production of wood and non-wood
forest products in many regions. This can impose additional stresses on people who depend
on fuelwood for domestic energy and on non-wood forest products for their livelihoods.
Photo: Matti Nummelin


Coastal mangroves are important for protecting coastal areas from floods and storms.
Photo: Geoff Roberts


Eucalyptus forest, South Eatern Australia. More intense and frequent droughts will likely
lead to more fires, especially in Southern temperate forests.
Photo: Geoff Roberts


Sub-tropical Taxodium distichum swamp in the Everglades, Florida, United States.
Forests that are dependent on specific water levels will be particularly
sensitive to climate change.
Photo: John Innes


Dead white spruce (Picea glauca), Kluane, Yukon Territory, Canada.
A series of warmer-than-average winters have allowed populations of the
Spruce Beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) to develop, resulting in the
mortality of almost 400 000 ha of this boreal forest.
Photo: John Innes


Clearance of montane tropical rainforest for agricultural gardens
at Poring, Sabah, Malaysia. Efforts to manage tropical forests more
sustainably must take into account the complex relationships between the
welfare of local people and global concerns such as climate change.
Photo: John Innes


Oil palm plantation Malaysia. In recent years the establishment of oil palm
plantations has increased due to growing demand for biofuels
Photo: John Innes

 

Boreal forests are particularly affected by climate change. The observed
effects of recent climate change are greater in boreal forests than in other
forest biomes.
Photo: Erkki Oksanen