Enviro News Asia, Rome — Food and Agriculture Organization has launched a global call for eligible institutions to become FAO Reference Centres for Forestry, aiming to strengthen international collaboration and scientific support for sustainable forest management, climate resilience, and biodiversity conservation.
The initiative seeks institutions capable of providing technical and scientific expertise to support FAO and its member countries in implementing forestry-related programs and policies.
According to FAO, forests remain critical in addressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, hunger, and poverty. Forest ecosystems cover approximately one-third of the world’s land surface, support most terrestrial biodiversity, and store more than half of the planet’s carbon.
Despite a slowdown in global deforestation rates, FAO warned that forest loss and degradation continue in many regions, requiring urgent strategic action to conserve and restore forest ecosystems while strengthening sustainable livelihoods and forest-based economies.
Through the new Reference Centre scheme, FAO aims to establish stronger institutional partnerships capable of scaling up forest-based solutions and science-driven innovations.
Institutions with expertise in thematic areas including forest foods, agroforestry, productive forests, mangroves, climate resilience, forest genetics, forest economics, forest mechanization, forest and water systems, urban forestry, and forest pests and diseases are encouraged to apply.
FAO stated that designated Reference Centres will support knowledge-sharing, scientific collaboration, technology development, data management, capacity building, and policy guidance in areas related to sustainable forestry.
Selected institutions will receive international recognition for their expertise and gain opportunities to collaborate directly with FAO on research, training, and technical initiatives. They will also gain access to FAO’s scientific and technical networks and may participate in joint resource mobilization and multi-stakeholder partnerships involving governments, academia, civil society organizations, and the private sector.
To qualify, institutions must demonstrate at least two years of previous collaboration with FAO, possess strong scientific or technical expertise related to forestry, and show a commitment to supporting capacity development and sustainable forest management.
Applicants are also expected to contribute institutional resources to collaborative work, as FAO emphasized that the Reference Centre designation is not intended as a funding mechanism.
The Forestry Division of FAO, which oversees the initiative, leads the organization’s global work on forestry through programs focused on balancing productive and protective forest functions while supporting agrifood systems transformation, climate action, and ecosystem restoration.
FAO noted that the Reference Centre status will be granted for up to five years, with the possibility of renewal depending on the quality and impact of collaboration activities. (*)
