News Update

Regional Workshop on Climate Change Adaptation in West Africa

East Legon Accra, Ghana, November 18-20, 2008

The impact of climate change on forest ecosystems may likely follow some direct and indirect pathways that include the following:

• A changing climate could directly affect availability of products from the forest ecosystem especially high temperatures and low rainfall (this may be positive or negative, with differential effect for different products and environments).
• A negative impact of climate change on the environment (or agricultural production) would likely increase the reliance that rural communities place on forest ecosystem as alternative sources of food, medicine, fibre and income.
• An increasing market demand for forest products or their alternative uses (like high demand for fuel wood) could have a synergetic negative impact on the availability of other forest products.
• Other effects of environmental degradation indirectly resulting from climate change impact (such as drought and bushfires) can affect the forest in its ability to regenerate.

Read complete Regional Workshop Announcement