SDG15 Life on Land

This site contains links to the activities and tools ESCAP has used to strengthen environment statistics in Asia and the Pacific. It also contains a collection of outputs from these activities. One of the purposes of the self-learning materials is to provide background to reading the guidance documents. Another purpose is to provide insights into policy applications and data sources.

Rapid rate of urbanization in Ulaanbaatar in recent decades has led to accelerated rates of deforestation within the city’s Green Zone. UNESCAP and UN-Habitat has been working closely with The Asia Foundation to tackle issues surrounding Sustainable Forestry Management in Ulaanbaatar on the Localizing the 2030 Agenda in Asian-Pacific Cities project via a Sustainable Urban Resource Management Approach. Check out this video to hear about Ulaanbaatar’s call to action to protect their forests and how the SDGs are at play in this effort.

What are ‘Nature-based solutions’, or NbS? How can they help build resilience to disasters and climate change impacts? Why is NbS relevant? How can I apply NbS in my work and everyday life?

 Learning Objectives: By the end of this training, attendees will be able to:

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 direct and indirect impacts of the “COVID-19 shock” on the Asia-Pacific region have unfolded rapidly, varied widely by country and continue to affect economies. In response, the majority of Asia-Pacific governments have taken strong and innovative COVID-19 response measures to support their poorest, especially in job creation. But how “green” have these measures been? Have any countries in the region accelerated their plans and finance for acting on climate change, as part of a “green recovery”?

For World Cities Day on 31st October, we follow the story of how the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is working with San Salvador city and its surrounding coffee farms to create a ‘natural’ defence against floods.

This international technical webinar is part of the series organized by the FAO elearning Academy, Agreenium (l'Institut agronomique, vétérinaire et forestier de France) and UN-ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific). These webinars are an opportunity for all of us to share experiences and lessons learnt, discuss challenges, and propose innovative solutions and models. They aim to provide a holistic and comprehensive view of current trends in thematic areas related to global challenges, by combining development research and innovation perspectives.