April 2009: The Global Forest Expert Panel of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), led by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), has released a report entitled “Adaptation of Forests and People to Climate Change – A Global Assessment Report.” The report presents current knowledge about the impacts of climate change on forests and people and options for adaptation.

A key message emerging from this assessment is that the carbon-regulating services of forests are at risk of being lost entirely unless current carbon emissions are reduced substantially, which would lead to the release of huge quantities of carbon to the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change. The report will be officially launched on 22 April 2009, at a side event held during the eighth session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF8) in New York, US. [The report]