The year 2015 marks a key date for international climate and development policy. In 2015, Sustainable Development Goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals. At the UNFCCC COP21 in Paris, international leaders are expected to reach a new climate agreement as successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Landscapes play a key role for climate adaptation and mitigation as well as the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to stem from land use sectors while agriculture and forestry also play a key role in increasing resilience and adaptive capacity. Land use sectors provide the basis for several of the Sustainable Development Goals under discussion, such as those related to food security and the restoration of ecosystems.
The new climate and development agendas offer unprecedented opportunities for governments, development agencies, civil society, research institutions and the private sector to jointly support healthy and sustainable landscapes.
Key questions addressed:
- What role do land use sectors play in the achievement of climate and development goals?
- What is the role of voluntary commitments – such as the recent New York Declaration on Forests – in supporting healthy and sustainable landscapes?
- How can new partnerships between governments, development agencies, civil society, research institutions and the private sector take shape after 2015?
- What role can these partnerships play in achieving the goals of food security, poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation and adaptation?
- Do success stories of cross-sectoral approaches already exist? What lessons can we learn from these?
