2009 is possibly the most important year for forests in living memory. We are in the final stretch of the road to Copenhagen, where negotiators hope to finalise a post-Kyoto global climate agreement. In Denmark in December, world leaders will decide how and to what extent we will use forests to mitigate the emissions that cause climate change, and how the costs and benefits will be distributed.

We know that deforestation and land-use change account for one-fifth of annual global carbon emissions. The most recent data and analysis from a number of sources suggest the effects of climate change are progressing more quickly than previously predicted. Further, there is an emerging consensus that it will be next to impossible to avoid catastrophic impacts unless reductions in forest-based emissions are added to dramatic cuts in fossil fuel–based emissions from industrial countries. In particular, the possibility that global warming will lead to a vicious circle of drought, forest fire, increased emissions and further warming puts the long-term carbon storage potential of forests at risk.

Along with our co-hosts from the Danish government and the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, CIFOR is deeply involved in planning for Forest Day 3 in Copenhagen in December, and we are conscious of the unique opportunities 2009 affords for achieving better forest management. I encourage you to join CIFOR scientists this year as they work to equip COP 15 decision-makers and others working within and beyond the forest community with the knowledge and advice they need to make good choices.

Given the current economic downturn, it is imperative that the global community remain committed to the interrelated objectives of sustainable forest management, poverty reduction and climate security, and not use the financial crisis as a convenient excuse to lower aspirations. In light of the profound consequences of losing the economic, environmental and cultural services of forests, not to mention their carbon storage capacity, the risk of inaction is too great.

Frances Seymour
Director General