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Workshop on Forests and Water in drylands: A Virtuous Cycle - Information exchange from the Mediterranean to Central Asia

07 - 08 July 2011
Geneva Switzerland

The workshop brought together countries and stakeholders from the region encompassing the whole Mediterranean to Central Asia to discuss the nexus forests and water and drylands, with the aim to:

  • Present the functions of the forests in drylands, their specific relationship to water management as well as the challenges
  • Elaborate on challenges/possible solutions, such as trade-offs between water use by trees in drylands, with decreased run-off and water availability for other land uses, and the environmental services and goods provided by forests and other wooded lands
  • Exchange experience on forest and water management tools and policies that enhance both forests and water, including on management and adaptation measures under climate change
  • Share experience and case studies of integrated management of forests and water in drylands
  • Explore the potential and challenges of existing or future use of payments for ecosystems services (PES) in this area
  • Identify areas of gaps and future work on forests and water in drylands.

 

The workshop was organized by the the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment and the UNECE Water Convention secretariat, in close cooperation with the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section, the FAO Forest Conservation Team (FOMC) and the secretariat of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

The workshop was part of the UNECE/FAO Forest and Water Week (ru), that was held from 4 to 8 July 2011. A workshop on “Payments for Ecosystem Services: What role for a green economy” was held on 4-5 July.

The workshop was targeted to countries in the UNECE and the Mediterranean region - including North Africa and West Asia - having semi arid and arid forest cover. It was addressed to all those who are responsible for forest and water managements in dry regions: first and foremost national policy makers responsible for forestry, water and related ecosystems, but also local authorities, landowners and managers, practioners and representatives of academia, research institutes, non-governmental and other international organizations.

 

Documents

Document Title ENG RUS

Information notice

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List of Participants PDF  

Draft programme

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Background documents

Document Title ENG FRE RUS

Recommendations on Payments for Ecosystem Services in Integrated Water Resources Management

see publication

Presentations

Presentations ENG FRE RUS
Forest and water in drylands - an overview

Mr. Thomas HOFER- Food and agricultural organization of the United Nations (FAO)

PDF    

The UNCCD, Forests and Water Resources in the Drylands

Mr. Emmanuel CHINYAMAKOBVU, UNCCD Secretariat

 

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Forests and water resources in the Mediterranean: situation, challenges and prospects

Ms. Marion BRIENS- Plan Bleu

PDF    

Forests and Water resources of Central Asia in the changing climate

Mr Viktor NOVIKOV – ZOI Environment Network

PDF    

Main messages from the Mediterranean Forest Report

Mr. Robert MAVSAR- European Forest Institute

PDF    

Lake Issikul project, Central Asian case of Payment for Ecosystem Services: lessons from Chon Aksu watershed, Kyrgyzstan

Ms. Simon CHARRE- Central Asia Regional Environmental Centre

 

PDF    

Forest for drinking water – will the water pay?

Mr. Olivier PICARD - Institut pour le Développement Forestier / CNPF

 

  PDF  

"Estimation of water production function of forests: Darlik watershed case”

Mr. Omer EKER - Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Orman Fakultesi (Faculty of Forest), Turkey

 

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Collaborative Partnership on Mediterranean Forests and future activities to be implemented in the context of the future FFEM project REDD+ in the context of water scarcity

Mr. Christophe BESACIER, FOMC-FAO

 

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Stratégie de lutte contre la désertification. Cas de Barrage Vert en Algérie

Mr. Ali DAKICHE, Agence Nationale des Resources Hidrauliques, Oran, Algerie

 

  PDF  

Forest and Water Resources Management in Morocco. Current situation and perspectives

Mr. Abdeslam ZIYAD, State Secretariat of Water and Environment, Kingdom of Morocco

 

PDF    

The case study of oak forest of Ain Snoussi in Tunisia

Mr. Mounir BALLOUMI - University of Sousse, Tunisia

 

PDF    

Possible mechanism of interaction of rivers and forests along them in the Aral Sea Basin

Mr. Yusup KAMALOV - The Union for Defense of the Aral Sea and Amudarya

 

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Impact of forests on runoff and sediment transport in Tunisia

Mr. Hassen Lotfi FRIGUI - Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Water Resources Directorate, Tunisia

 

  PDF  

FAO/World Bank project in the Toirsu Valley of Tajikistan

Mr. Thomas HOFER- Food and agricultural organization of the United Nations (FAO)

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The Economic Values of Ecosystems: Positive or Negative?

Prof. Ismail A. Hussein, Focal Point of UNCCD-Egypt, Former Chairman of Desert Research Center of Egypt 

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FAO-led activity aiming at preparing global guidelines on afforestation in drylands

Mr. Paolo CECI, FAO

 

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Dryland afforestation future prospects under carbon finance

Mr. Henri RUEFF - Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern

 

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The UNECE Water Convention secretariat: a unique framework for transboundary water cooperation

Ms. Sonja Koeppel, UNECE Water Convention secretariat

 

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