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Durban to host XIV World Forestry Congress
Durban will play host to the Commonwealth Games in 2022, but if you're looking for evidence of the city's profile as a venue for important events, look to September 2015 when Durban will host the XIV World Forestry Congress, which aims to ensure that forestry is an integral part of sustainable development. This will be the first time the congress is held in Africa and according to Kim Carstensen, the executive director of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), it's long overdue.
Kim Carstensen
"The congress also sets out to propose technical, scientific and policy interventions to promote forest sustainability. Forests play a crucial role in the livelihoods of millions of Africans, so it's vital that Africa's interests will be strongly represented at the congress, FSC is well-placed to ensure this, with regional offices in South Africa, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. "It also has members and stakeholders throughout to continent, with FSC-certified forests in 19 African countries."
The congress will bring together the global forestry community, including government, NGOs, business, and scientists, to review and analyse the key issues and to share ways of addressing them. It will be professionally and culturally rewarding, but challenging too, as participants engage in defining a vision and strategies for the sustainable future of forests, says Carstensen.
Carstensen notes that forests are essential to mankind's existence on Earth, but despite that, half the world's original forest cover has been lost in the last 50 years and only 7% of the remaining forests are protected. More than half of the continent's population relies directly or indirectly on forests for livelihood. But in recent decades, Africa has experienced the highest rate of deforestation of all the continents, 0.49% per year. This represents some 3.4 million hectares lost annually.
FSC will also host its annual In Good Company (IGC) workshop ahead of the congress: the IGC is an opportunity for international business leaders to debate the most pressing issues facing the forestry sector and the supply and value chains that are integral to the value of sustainable forest products. "This congress and the IGC are pivotal events for the sustainable use of Africa's forests, which in turn are linked directly to biodiversity and livelihoods on the continent and ultimately, to life on Earth," Carstensen adds
The importance of forests can't be overstated, he explains: they help mitigate climate change, ensure adequate supply of fresh water, enhance biodiversity as well as sustainable incomes, livelihoods and food security.
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