Provides an analysis of the evolution and trends of the agricultural sector and its four main subsectors: agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fishing and aquaculture. Addresses rural well-being and agricultural and rural institutions. Highlights the price volatility and its causes and future uncertainties as a relevant factor to be considered by decision-makers in the sector.
"This publication consolidates and synthesizes two more comprehensive studies commissioned by FAO in 2007 and published as working papers. They are Forests and energy in developing countries by Ivan Tomaselli and Forests and energy in OECD countries by Warren Mabee and Jack Saddler. ... A draft version of the consolidated paper, prepared by Douglas Kneeland and Andrea Perlis, was distributed at the FAO Conference Special Event: Forests and Energy in November 2007. The present edition, prepared by Jeremy Broadhead and edited by Maria Casa, incorporates comments received from member countries. Miguel Trossero, Simmone Rose, Sebastian Hetsch and Gustavo Best also contributed"--P. vii.
On the occasion of the International Year of Mountains-2002, FAO and its partners undertook a large-scale assessment and global review of the current status and future trends of integrated and participatory watershed management. The overall objectives were to promote the exchange and dissemination of experiences in implementing watershed management projects in the decade from 1990 to 2000 and to identify the vision for a new generation of watershed management programmes and projects. This resource book represents a summary and critical analysis of the rich discussions and vast materials that emerged during the review, as well as the review's findings and recommendations. It presents the state of the art in watershed management, promotes further reflection and creative thinking and proposes new ideas and approaches for future watershed management programmes and projects. This publication has been written primarily for field-level watershed management practitioners and local decision-makers involved in watershed management at the district or municipality level. It will also be a useful source of information for other readers such as senior officers and consultants specialized in other areas, evaluators, policy-makers and students of watershed management
Forests are critical to mitigation, having a dual role; they function globally as a carbon sink but are also responsible for about 10 to 12 percent of global emissions. Forests and forest products offer both developing and developing countries with a wide range of options for timely and cost-effective mitigation. Afforestation / reforestation offers the best option because of its short timescale and ease of implementation. Reducing deforestation, especially due to the possibility for immediate action. Yet forest contributions to mitigation. Wood products and wood energy can replace fossil-intense products in other sectors, creating a virtuous cycle towards low-carbon economies. The mitigation potential and costs of the various options differ greatly by activity, region, system boundaries and time horizon. Policymakers must decide on the optimal mix of options, adapted to local circumstances, for meeting national climate change and development goals. This publication assesses the options and highlights the enabling conditions, opportunities and potential bottlenecks. It will be supported by policymakers, investors and investors in their climate strategies. This publication assesses the options and highlights the enabling conditions, opportunities and potential bottlenecks. It will be supported by policymakers, investors and investors in their climate strategies. This publication assesses the options and highlights the enabling conditions, opportunities and potential bottlenecks. It will be supported by policymakers, investors and investors in their climate strategies.
Drylands cover 41 percent of the Earth's land surface. This publication presents the results of the first global assessment of trees, forests and land use in these lands. The assessment breaks new methodological ground: it relies on the visual interpreation of freely available satellite images, carried out by more than 200 experts in a series of regional workshops. Using a tool called Open Foris ollect Earth, developed by FAO in collaboration with Google, participants gathered and analysed information for mrore than 200 000 sample plots worldwide. For each region, the report summarizes the distribution of forests, other wooded land and other land uses including grasslands, croplands, built-up areas and barren land, across all drylands and by aridity zone. It also estimates tree canopy cover, shrub cover, forest type and presence of trees outside forest. Indicatng that the global drylands contain more than one-quarter of the world's forest area, and that trees are present on 31 percent of the world's dryland area, the report provides a baseline for future monitoring and will support countries in their efforts to identify appropriate investments for the restoration and sustainable management of drylands.
By providing multiple economic goods and ecosystem services, Latin American forests play a key role in the environmental, social and economic welfare of the region’s countries. From the tropical forests of Central America to the Mediterranean and temperate vegetation of the southern cone, these forests face a myriad of phytosanitary problems that negatively impact on both conservation efforts and forest industry. This book brings together the perspectives of several Latin American researchers on pest and disease management. Each chapter provides modern views of the status and management alternatives to problems as serious as the impact of introduced exotic insects and diseases on Pinus and Eucalyptus plantations throughout the continent, and the emergence of novel insect outbreaks in tropical and temperate native forests associated with global warming. It is a valuable guide for researchers and practitioners working on forest health in Latin America and around the world.
Around the 1830s, parts of Mexico began industrializing using water and wood. By the 1880s, this model faced a growing energy and ecological bottleneck. By the 1950s, fossil fuels powered most of Mexico's economy and society. Looking to the north and across the Atlantic, late nineteenth-century officials and elites concluded that fossil fuels would solve Mexico's energy problem and Mexican industry began introducing coal. But limited domestic deposits and high costs meant that coal never became king in Mexico. Oil instead became the favored fuel for manufacture, transport, and electricity generation. This shift, however, created a paradox of perennial scarcity amidst energy abundance: every new influx of fossil energy led to increased demand. Germán Vergara shows how the decision to power the country's economy with fossil fuels locked Mexico in a cycle of endless, fossil-fueled growth - with serious environmental and social consequences.
Fire management is an essential part of sustainable forest management. This publication complements the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005) as an in-depth thematic study on the incidence, impact and management of forest fires in different regions of the world. It was developed from 12 regional papers prepared within the framework of the Global Wildland Fire Network of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. It provides the best estimate of the global fire situation to date and gives a good indication of the scale of the impact of vegetation fires on society, on the economy and on the environment. This global assessment will be of interest not only to fire specialists, but also to policy-makers, forest managers and those involved in collecting reliable and current information on fire in different types of vegetation. It is an important contribution to FAO's efforts to enhance international cooperation in fire management.
Spider monkeys are one of the most widespread New World primate genera, ranging from southern Mexico to Bolivia. Although they are common in zoos, spider monkeys are traditionally very difficult to study in the wild, because they are fast moving, live high in the canopy and are almost always found in small subgroups that vary in size and composition throughout the day. This book is an assimilation of both published and previously unpublished research. It is a comprehensive source of information for academic researchers and graduate students interested in primatology, evolutionary anthropology and behavioral ecology and covers topics such as taxonomy, diet, sexuality and reproduction, and conservation.
