A video produced by UNESCO in collaboration with an ITTO project examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Cibodas Biosphere Reserve in West Java, Indonesia. It finds that the pandemic has caused a cut in tourism, thereby affecting livelihoods, but is also accelerating ecological recovery. The ITTO project is helping locals restore the reserve and develop sustainable livelihoods.

A four-day webinar in June to discuss the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the forest sector heard that a focus on SFM, incentives and governance would boost the recovery of forestry and forest industries and help in seizing new opportunities. ITTO co-organized a technical session during the webinar and participated in a Sustainable Wood for Sustainable World (SW4SW) roundtable.

ITTO and the Soka Gakkai organization have agreed to join forces to support forest landscape restoration in Togo with the aim of empowering women to improve their livelihoods and increase the resilience of local landscapes in the face climate change. Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist organization that promotes peace, culture and education.

An article just published in the International Forestry Review by ITTO Executive Director Gerhard Dieterle and Alain Karsenty—Senior Researcher at the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development—makes the case for more investment, and policies to address rights and incentives, as part of efforts to provide wood security in the face of growing global demand.

An article on the selection of suitable sites for large-scale commercial teak plantations in Myanmar’s Taungoo district was published recently in the Remote Sensing and GIS Association of Thailand Journal. According to the article, which is an output of an ITTO project, preliminary research indicates that about 932 km² of land in the district is suitable for the establishment of teak plantations.

The ITTO Environmental and Social Management Guidelines draw on ITTO and global best practices to provide guidance on enhancing environmental and social safeguards in ITTO projects. Its application will bring opportunities for further engaging stakeholders, empowering women, resolving conflicts, improving project proposals and outcomes, and contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals.