World Forest Week: FAO urges greater investment and action for the world's dryland forests

FAO’s Call to Action on Dryland Forests emphasizes that proven solutions for reviving drylands already exist, and the priority is to create the conditions to implement them at scale

Dryland forests provide vital ecosystems, resources and livelihoods for communities around the world.

Rome – Forests and trees in the world's drylands sustain the livelihoods, food security and cultural identity of more than two billion people, yet they remain insufficiently recognized in global climate, biodiversity and land agendas, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

FAO’s Call to Action on Dryland Forests was launched today during a High-level dialogue on Dryland forests for food, nutrition and resilience held as part of the 10th World Forest Week, running alongside the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO) at FAO headquarters in Rome. 

The call urges governments, donors and partners to strengthen the sustainable management, restoration and governance of drylands forests; better integrate them into national climate, biodiversity and land priorities; and significantly increase investment in their conservation and sustainable use. It also proposes a new Dryland Forest Support Accelerator as an enabling platform to speed up implementation, mobilize finance, and strengthen country-driven action at scale.

“Dryland forests are central to our lives, and that of future generations,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu in a video message. “Yet dryland forests are often underrecognized, under-monitored and under-financed. This must change.”

Drylands - which are characterized by water scarcity - host forests, woodlands and trees outside forests and cover roughly 41 percent of the Earth's land surface. They also account for 27 percent of global forest area.