Nearly 1 billion hectares of forest lands in the tropics is degraded. Although alarming, it also presents an opportunity to “build back better”—and turn a liability into an asset. The latest edition of the Tropical Forest Update describes ITTO’s new guidelines on forest landscape restoration and illustrates how it can be applied to help achieve SDG 15 in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

The aim of new guidelines published by ITTO on 5 October 2020 is to help stakeholders—from policymakers to foresters and farmers—in restoring degraded landscapes, thereby providing vital goods and ecosystem services and creating sustainable rural livelihoods and employment.

Improving fire management is increasingly urgent in the tropics, as shown by recent devastating fires in Borneo, the Amazon and elsewhere. As part of its long-running efforts to assist its member countries, ITTO announces the financing of two new projects—in Indonesia and Peru—aimed at addressing the threat of wildfire through integrated approaches to fire management.

The best results in development are achieved when diverse actors work cooperatively towards a shared vision around environmental sustainability, economic progress and social empowerment. The latest edition of the Tropical Forest Update features stories from ITTO projects that have brought together local authorities, communities, NGOs and enterprises to effect lasting change.

ITTO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) have launched a global survey as part of a joint initiative to advance forest education worldwide. Environmental educators, forestry students and forest-related employers are invited to participate in the survey from 15 July 2020.

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.