Addressing forestry and agroforestry in National Adaptation Plans

Climate change discussions about forests and trees have for a long time focused mainly on their mitigation potential. However, the mitigation potential of forests and trees also depends on their capacity to adapt to a changing climate as well as to increased human pressure. Moreover, forests and trees play a crucial role in the resilience of landscapes and people as well as in their capacity to adapt to climate change. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process offers an opportunity to better integrate these roles in national strategies and policies.

The contribution of forests and trees to both adaptation and mitigation is linked to, and depends upon, numerous sector policies that orient land and water use such as those for land planning, water management, energy, building, and agriculture. Due to the fact that it is economy-wide, the NAP process gives the opportunity to examine the interactions between all economic sectors in a coordinated and coherent way. In fact, effective adaptation entails integrating such interactions and draw consequences for planning and implementation. The purpose of this publication is to facilitate the integration of forests, trees and agroforestry in such a process.

This publication Addressing Forestry and Agroforestry in National Adaptation Plans: supplementary guidelines provides technical guidance on the integration of forests, agroforestry and trees in the formulation and implementation of NAPs. It aims to inform policy makers and government officers responsible for NAP planning and processes, as well as forestry stakeholders and other interested actors, on the needs of forestry and agroforestry for adaptation and their potential to support the adaptation of other sectors, subsectors and activities.

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