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Peatland News

Title: Global Landscapes Forum reaches out to communities for solutions on peatlands
Date: 17-May-2017
Category: Peat Conservation
Source/Author: CIFOR.org
Description: Communities from around Indonesia will join a global conference in the nation’s capital tomorrow to discuss solutions for the country’s critical peatland landscapes.

Jakarta (Indonesia), 17 May 2017 – Communities from around Indonesia will join a global conference in the nation’s capital tomorrow to discuss solutions for the country’s critical peatland landscapes.

Local communities will be at the center of discussions among policy makers, scientists, business leaders, civil society representatives and other stakeholders at the Global Landscapes Forum: Peatlands Matter event, led by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), with Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) partners the World Bank and UN Environment.

Peatlands are home to tens of millions of people in Indonesia and around the world. They support local livelihoods, are home to diverse and endangered species, and are vital sources of clean air, water and other ecosystem services. They are also the world’s largest carbon sinks, holding up to 600 gigatons of global carbon stocks.

But these landscapes are at a critical juncture. Draining, burning and conversion of peatlands for agriculture and other purposes are causing severe degradation, threatening the survival of communities, economies and the environment.

The convergence of development and climate challenges in these landscapes makes finding sustainable solutions for peatlands one of the greatest development challenges of our time.

“We need to support local communities in finding the best way forward, addressing most, if not all, of the Sustainable Development Goals,” says Peter Holmgren, CIFOR’s Director General.

“Unfortunately, policies in the past have led to unwanted results, and people are now paying a high price in health and livelihood challenges. At the same time, we are negatively impacting biological diversity, as well as the local and global climate. The way forward is a landscape approach with a local focus and leadership.”

The Forum is designed, among other objectives, to integrate community-level voices in the global climate and development agendas. Discussions will cover peatland landscapes around the world, including in Indonesia, Peru and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The event will be opened by HE Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry for the Republic of Indonesia.

Interviews are available:
Professor Daniel Murdiyarso, Principal Scientist, CIFOR
Email: d.murdiyarso@cgiar.org

Media contact
Rodrigo Ordóñez, CIFOR
Tel. +62 82124935323
Email: r.ordonez@cgiar.org

About CIFOR
CIFOR advances human well-being, equity and environmental integrity by conducting innovative research, developing partners’ capacity and actively engaging in dialogue with all stakeholders to inform policies and practices that affect forests and people. CIFOR is a CGIAR Research Center, and leads the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA). Our headquarters are in Bogor, Indonesia, with offices in Nairobi, Kenya; Yaoundé, Cameroon; and Lima, Peru.
www.cifor.org

About the Global Landscapes Forum
With support from the Government of Germany, the Global Landscapes Forum has become the world’s largest platform on integrated land use and contributes to the achievement of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals through the widespread application of the landscape approach. Founded by CIFOR, the World Bank and UN Environment, the GLF convenes stakeholders from all sectors to identify priority areas and best practices and accelerate action on the ground.

The Global Landscapes Forum unites people and spurs local action towards sustainable landscapes. Through our knowledge hub, learning lab, collaborative platforms and events, we connect and engage people, communities, organizations, and governments in generating knowledge, providing learning opportunities and producing action towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

www.landscapes.org

Further materials
Global Landscapes Forum: Peatlands Matter – Concept Note (English)
http://www.landscapes.org/publication/2017-global-landscapes-forum-peatlands-matter-concept-note/

Media Photos (free for editorial use)
http://bit.ly/pr-fotos-cifor17

B-roll-Material and further material
http://bit.ly/b-roll-glf

Media Resources for the event
http://www.landscapes.org/peatlands/media-resources/



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