Experts from at least 13 African countries are meeting in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, to deliberate pertinent issues touching on climate change, a few days before the United Nations climate conference in Egypt.
Specifically, the experts drawn from research institutions, forest administrations, extension agencies, community-based organizations, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the media have convened to discuss the relationship between forests, people, and climate change and how forests can be used to combat this phenomenon.
The meeting is taking place against a backdrop of extreme weather events globally, rising trends of carbon emissions, and an energy crisis among many other issues that are currently of great concern.
Speaking during the official opening of the training workshop Monday, Joshua Cheboiwo, the Director of Kenya Forest Research Institute and the chief guest during the event, lauded the forum noting it had been designed to strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to contribute to forest-based climate change adaptation policies, plans and actions.
“The current global dynamics have placed people and the environment at the center of climate change mitigation and adaptation that include its impacts on vulnerable communities that are dependent on various forest goods and services,” said Cheboiwo
His sentiments were reinforced by the Africa Forest Forum Executive Secretary Godwin Kowero who disclosed that the five-day meeting will give emphasis to discussions around ways in which Africa as a continent can respond to climate change challenges, especially through working with stakeholders to identify priority areas of action and identify relevant capacity and skills gaps.
“It’s important to understand how climate change affects these resources, how these resources influence climate, and how the people who depend on these resources are affected,” he said during the opening session.
He expressed hope that the workshop will sharpen the skills of participating groups especially when they retreat to work with local communities on aspects of climate change adaptation in their contexts.
“This is one of the capacities the Africa Forests Forum (AFF) is building on the continent so that we can make the world a better place to live by protecting our environment,” he said while highlighting the mandate of AFF since its inception.
KEFRI Director commended AFF for the role it is playing in strengthening governments, institutions, communities, and the private sector to identify issues and scientific tools to inform appropriate actions on forestry and climate change.
“This has been done through its network of African experts who conduct independent and objective analysis on these critical issues on forest production, climate change adaptation, and mitigation and policy processes to ensure decisions on forests and trees are backed by evidence-based scientific information,” said Cheboiwo
Some of the direct impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems that shaped talks during the first day of the forum include destruction or deaths after floods or drought, increased fuel loads, extended fire seasons, and increased forest fires as well as storms.
Climate change impacts in Africa have also been seen through increased flood events, droughts, and other extreme events that add stress to food security, water resources, infrastructure, and human health thus limiting development.
Indeed, changes in rainfall patterns and land use intensification which worsen the desertification process, rising sea levels that affect coastal settlements, flooding and coastal erosion, as well as weakened food security particularly in small-food importing nations as a result of reduced grain fields have been the biggest manifestations.
“Climate change must be acknowledged as a major threat to food security, natural resources productivity, water resources, biodiversity conservation, desertification, human health, and coastal zones,” said Lizzi Mujuru from Bindura University in Zimbabwe.
AFF is confident the participants will acquire skills to be able to also take up opportunities that come with climate change through better management and use of forests and tree resources in various landscapes in ways that will enhance livelihoods, and national economies, sustain biodiversity, improve the quality of the environment and contribute to global efforts to contain climate change.
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