7 June 2012, CIFOR news - Despite being largely excluded from the official agenda for Rio +20, forests receive the attention of two major environmental policy makers at the top of this month: the environment ministers of Brazil and Norway discussed the vital role that forests play in achieving sustainable development goals of Rio +20.
Both ministers will join more than 700 government leaders, activists and scientific experts in Rio de Janeiro on the eve of Rio +20 conference in Forests: the Eighth Roundtable in Rio +20.Experts from different parts of the world will discuss the results of research carried out recently and the necessary changes in policies to address key development challenges in areas where forests are rarely recognized: sustainable energy supply, feeding a ever-growing population, clean water supply, and adaptation and reducing the impacts of climate change.
The debate is particularly important for Brazil, which houses the largest rainforest in the world, and has introduced changes to its controversial Forest Code, despite the agro-export sector, eager to productive land to enable it meet the demands of global market. The Minister of Environment of Brazil, Izabella Teixeira, will discuss the relevance of the Brazilian forests for economic and social development, the lessons learned to have achieved significant economic growth both as a significant reduction in deforestation as well as a surprising balance between sustainable forest management and production of goods.
Since 2007, the Norwegian government has taken a leadership support to developing countries like Brazil to maintain its forest cover through the Initiative REDD + United Nations (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation). Proponents of this proposal expect REDD + allows to protect the world's forests by giving a monetary value to the potential they have to store carbon. Bård Vegar Solhjell newly appointed Minister of Environment of Norway, along with six governors from Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Nigeria, as part of the Governors Task Force on Climate and Forestry, will discuss the challenges of REDD + and how to use this program to the broader goals of sustainable development goes beyond climate change.
