Forests and Climate Change Adaptation: a twofold approach

Forest provide a wide range of ecological, social and economic benefits, ranging from tangible economic values associated with forest products, to services and contributions to society that are much less easier to quantify. However, forests are under threat by various human-induced pressures - including land use change, landscape fragmentation, degradation of habitats and overextraction of resources. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these pressures in the future. This implies important consequences for the climate system, as forest ecosystem degradation and deforestation, especially in the tropics, lead to the release of substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Consequently, forests form an essential part of any global effort to address climate change (CC). In the past, however, forests have been mostly considered solely in the framework of climate change mitigation through reforestation, afforestation, and more recently, avoided deforestation and forest degradation. Only recently has the crucial role forests can play in adaptation gained significant momentum. This report discuss the impacts related to climate change on forests, changes in forest management as adaptation strategies, and synergies between adaptation and mitigation measures.