Yokohama, 16 April 2021: ITTO, Form International and the International Tropical Timber Technical Association have signed a new agreement for the expansion and improvement of the Timber Trade Portal aimed at assisting the growth, transparency and diversity of legal and sustainable tropical timber trade.

31 March 2021: The latest edition of the TFU, published today, presents outcomes of the Joint ITTO–Convention on Biological Diversity Collaborative Initiative for Tropical Forest Biodiversity, which began in 2010. The initiative is helping countries tackle the threats facing tropical forest biodiversity while enabling local people to pursue sustainable livelihoods.

21 March 2021, International Day of Forests: Mangroves are breeding grounds for aquatic species, barriers to oceanic surges, and protectors against erosion; they are essential for enabling communities to adapt to climate change and rising seas. ITTO projects in locations as far apart as Cameroon, Fiji and Guatemala are working with communities to restore their precious mangrove resources.

5 February 2021: ITTO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have renewed their longstanding collaboration for another five years, with the aim of supporting CBD Parties and ITTO member countries in the tropics in their efforts to conserve biodiversity, implement sustainable forest management, restore degraded forest landscapes, and encourage the sustainable use of forest resources.

A video produced by ITTO and Guatemala’s National Forest Institute (INAB) shows how communities are developing forest-based businesses with green supply chains, including an enterprise making wood-based kitchenware and another creating novelty items using pine needles. The two ventures are increasing incomes along with support for sustainable forest management—and inspiring others.

 

We bid farewell to 2020 with little regret—it has been an unusually difficult year for most, including in the tropical forest sector. But even in these grimmest of times, there is cause for optimism. With the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration upon us, the latest edition of the TFU presents stories about restoring and sustainably using forests. We look forward to 2021 in solidarity and hope.