Forests for People

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Lars Peder Brekk, Minister of Agriculture and Food, Norway

The International Year of Forests, 2011 has given me a unique opportunity to highlight the benefits,

opportunities and challenges for forests. The FOREST EUROPE ministerial conference in Oslo in June became

a milestone for the work on forest cooperation in our region. As host and co-chairman of the conference I was

pleased by the positive outcome. Ministers responsible for forest policies in Europe agreed on future goals,

targets and actions for FOREST EUROPE and decided to open negotiations on a legally binding agreement on

forests in Europe. Through FOREST EUROPE we have developed strategies for sustainable forest management

and tools available for the European region in order to monitor and develop sustainable forest management

and support countries in their national forest policy development and implementation.

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) will have substantial

benefits in addition to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These include positive impacts on

biodiversity and on sustainable economic development, including poverty reduction. Thus, reducing

deforestation and forest degradation can produce a triple dividend – gains for the climate, for biodiversity

and for sustainable development. This was the background for The Norwegian Climate and Forest

Initiative launched during the climate change negotiations at Bali in December 2007. COP 16 in Cancún

provided great steps forward and a new momentum in the development of REDD+. REDD+ is a priority

area for Norway in our effort to mitigate climate change, and important work has been done during the

International Year of Forests.

Norway has domestic experience in the field of forest and natural resources management that is guiding

our policies for the future. Through the last hundred years, both the standing stock and the annual growth of

forests in Norway have more than doubled, although removals have been relatively stable. Due to this long-

term effort, the forest in Norway is currently sequestering a volume of CO

similar to half of the country’s

domestic greenhouse gas emissions. Forests can continue to provide a multitude of benefits for the society.

Not less, but more international cooperation is needed in order to fulfil our ambitions for the forests of the

world. The International Year of Forests has inspired us to strengthen this cooperation.

Lars Peder Brekk

Minister of Agriculture and Food

Norway