14/04/13. Forest landscapes in the drylands – known as dryland forests or dry forests – make up 42% of the world’s tropical forests. But little is known about the critical role they play in mitigating the effects of drought; a role that will become ever more important as droughts are projected to be more intense, more frequent and more widespread.
The issue drew a lot of interest among participants at an event held on Friday, 12 April 2013 at the UN Forum on Forests. The side event, organized by the United Nations Interagency Task Force leading the observance of the 2010-2020 UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification, is part of this year’s awareness raising-campaign towards the observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification to be held on 17 June under the theme, “drought and water scarcity.”
In March, the Interagency Task Force organized another side event to launch the campaign during the High Level Meeting on National Drought Policy that took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Click here to read the UN News report of the meeting.
Click here to read the statement of UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja at the UNDDD side event in Geneva last month.
Click here for UNCCD Executive Secretary Luc Gnacadja’s statement on this first International Day of Forests this year and the keynote speech delivered at the Economists’ World Forests Summit in March 2013.
For more information, contact:
Wagaki Mwangi, email@example.com