Forest livelihoods in a changing climate

Forests and forest-reliant communities are uniquely threatened by a changing climate. Unpredictable weather patterns, increased natural hazards, invasive species, drought and aridification, and many other outcomes related to climate change threaten the health of forests and communities that depend on them. At the same time, healthy forests represent a critical strategy for mitigating climate change and there is growing interest in protecting global forests for climate resilience. The Forest livelihoods in a changing climate Working Group aims to strengthen our understanding of what is needed for forest reliant communities to adapt to a changing climate while sustaining forests and the ecosystem services they provide. Themes to be explored include:

• Understanding and operationalizing adaptive capacity for forest communities
• Equity and justice in climate resilience
• Climate adaptation finance in forests
• Metrics for climate resilience and adaptation success in forests

For reference publications, please see below.

1. Cinner, J.E., Adger, W.N., Allison, E.H. et al. Building adaptive capacity to climate change in tropical coastal communities. Nature Clim Change 8, 117–123 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0065-x
2.  Sarah E Walker, Elizabeth A Smith, Karen M Bailey, et al. Defining and conceptualizing equity and justice in climate adaptation.(2024) Global Environmental Change, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102885
3. Libert-Amico, A., Duchelle, A.E., Cobb, A., Peccoud, V. & Djoudi, H. 2022. Forest-based adaptation: transformational adaptation through forests and trees. Rome, FAO. https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/1c24123f-f06e-4848-a3d2-a38c8dc11ef1