The United Nations has called for stronger global action to protect and restore dryland forests, warning that these ecosystems are critical to the livelihoods, food security and cultural identity of more than two billion people.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) made the call through its Call to Action on Dryland Forests, launched during a high-level dialogue on dryland forests for food, nutrition and resilience in Rome.
The event was held as part of the 10th World Forest Week, taking place alongside the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO).
The call urges governments, donors and development partners to strengthen the sustainable management, restoration and governance of dryland forests, while integrating them more effectively into national climate, biodiversity and land-use priorities.
It also calls for increased investment in the conservation and sustainable use of dryland forests and proposes the establishment of a Dryland Forest Support Accelerator to mobilise finance, strengthen coordination and accelerate country-led action.
“Dryland forests are central to our lives, and that of future generations,” FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said in a video message.
“Yet dryland forests are often underrecognised, under-monitored and under-financed. This must change.”
Drylands, which are characterised by water scarcity, cover about 41 per cent of the Earth’s land surface and contain forests, woodlands and trees outside forests. They account for about 27 per cent of global forest area.
According to FAO, dryland forests provide wood and non-wood products, help communities cope with drought and serve as important safety nets for vulnerable households through access to fuelwood, fodder, wild foods and medicinal plants.
They also support agrifood systems by sustaining livestock, protecting soil and water resources and providing food and income when crops fail.
However, about 25 per cent of dryland forest ecosystems are already degraded, largely as a result of land-use changes, including agricultural expansion, urbanisation and unsustainable resource extraction.
Climate change is worsening the pressure, with prolonged droughts increasing water stress and the risk of wildfires. FAO said the impacts are particularly severe for smallholder farmers, Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, local communities, women and young people.
FAO said the proposed Dryland Forest Support Accelerator would provide a platform for countries to move beyond fragmented projects and scale up proven solutions.
The initiative would help governments incorporate dryland forests into national planning, including nationally determined contributions and land degradation neutrality targets, while improving access to long-term financing and strengthening monitoring and coordination.
Building on FAO’s work on drylands, including the GEF-7 Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program and the COFO Working Group on Dryland Forests and Agrosilvopastoral Systems, the accelerator would focus on identifying country needs, supporting the implementation and expansion of proven approaches, and documenting results and lessons.
The Call to Action also urges governments, donors and the Rio Conventions to give greater political and financial priority to dryland forests within global environmental processes.
It specifically calls for formal recognition of dryland forests as a priority ecosystem under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
