Sustainable use and restoration of forests

It is estimated that one fifth of the global population benefits directly and indirectly from forest ecosystems (World Bank). The particularly fertile soils provide a good basis for productive agriculture. In addition, forests provide food in form of e.g. fruits, leaves or honey as well as building materials, fuel and animal feed. Forests thus make an important contribution to food security and income generation for local populations. Around 30 percent of the world's forests have already been cleared and another 20 percent are showing signs of degradation (WRI). The Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit therefore supports partner countries in the restoration of forest landscapes and good governance in the forest sector.

Forested areas and wooded landscapes make an important contribution to the protection and restoration of healthy soils. They regulate material and water cycles and prevent droughts and floods. They are therefore an important factor in protecting local populations against the effects of climate change and guaranteeing food security. They are also large CO2 reservoirs and bind greenhouse gases, thereby also contributing to climate change mitigation. Forests are important habitats for about 80 percent of the remaining terrestrial biodiversity and often important biodiversity hotspots. For all these reasons, the protection and restoration of forests and wooded landscapes is an important task.

The global GIZ project "Forests4Future" is part of the BMZ special initiative "ONE WORLD no hunger". Its aims are to strengthen good governance in the forest sector and to rebuild forests and wooded landscapes in Africa. For the first time, the project combines landscape and forest approaches and emphasises the special role of forests in rural development and food security. It is also special in that the focus is on both regional and local levels, and national and international governance processes are included.

In order to prevent the loss of forests through illegal logging, good governance will be strengthened in cooperation with the partner countries Laos, Vietnam, Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire. In the framework of the EU Regulation "Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT)", partner countries will be supported in establishing procedures to ensure legality in the timber trade. This should ensure that timber imported into the EU comes from legal sources. Discussions between importing and exporting countries are also taking place to this end. In the long term, the loss of forests caused by illegal timber trade and logging can thus be prevented.

The second approach of the project is aimed at regions where forest degradation is already underway: "Forest Landscape Restoration" (FLR) is an approach which promotes the sustainable development of rural areas by restoring landscapes rich in trees. It takes into account different land use patterns in order to address the causes of forest loss, such as the spread of unsustainable agriculture. Preference will be given to the regeneration of forest and arable land by natural means. The rehabilitated landscapes represent balanced ecosystems with fertile soils which provide a good basis for productive agriculture. The sustainable use and harvesting of the preserved forest can additionally increase the income of the local population.

In this context, Forests4Future supports the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100 for short), which was launched in 2015 by BMZ, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA -Nepad). This initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of forests and tree-rich landscapes in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. More than 30 countries have already joined the initiative and are being advised and financially supported by Germany and many other partners in its implementation.

Objectives of the project:

• Initiating and implementing planning and reform processes for the reconstruction of forest landscapes and improving governance for sustainable forest use
• Implementing FLR measures on 2,000 hectares
• Increasing income from the use of forest landscapes by an average of 10% for 1,700 households