Forests

The degree to which community involvement in forest management (CIFM) is recognised by governments and is integrated into state management goals varies widely.

Provides an assessment of the international forest regime, in reponse to calls from many quarters, including the UN Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development, as well as several NGOs. The focus is mainly on action taken by countries at the global level, in the framework of legally binding instruments and institutions.

The loss and fragmentation of natural habitats is one of the major issues in wildlife management and conservation. Habitat "corridors" are sometimes proposed as an important element within a conservation strategy. Examples are given of corridors both as pathways and as habitats in their own right.

Over past decades, two global environmental issues "biodiversity loss and climate change" have often moved in wholly unconnected domains, with no link being made between the fate of unknown species in the Amazon rainforest and emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants in industrialized countries. However, results now show that climate change is a major threat to efforts to conserve biodiversity.