The FAO and the Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC) have released a brief that describes the role of forests and forestry in the prevention and rehabilitation of landslides in Asia, noting that landslides may increase over the coming decades, in part due to climate change. The brief outlines the impacts of landslides on populations across Asia, noting that the poor are disproportionally affected. It underscores the role of forests in preventing landslides, and describes how in some areas of China and Mongolia, climate change is causing landslides due to rapidly thawing permafrost.

Meeting the food demand of a global population expected to reach 9.1 billion in 2050 and over 10 billion by the end of the century will require major changes in agricultural production systems. Improving cropland management is key to increasing crop productivity without further degrading soil and water resources. At the same time, sustainable agriculture has the potential to deliver cobenefits in the form of reduced GHG emissions and increased carbon sequestration, therefore contributing to climate change mitigation.

The FAO Disaster Risk Reduction for Food and Nutrition Security Framework Programme aims to provide strategic direction to the implementation of disaster risk reduction measures in member countries across the agricultural-related sectors — in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action and its five priorities for action.

There are a wide range of agriculture-based practices and technologies that have the potential to increase food production and the adaptive capacity of the food production system, as well as reduce emissions or enhance carbon storage in agricultural soils and biomass. However, even where such synergies exist, capturing them may entail significant costs, particularly for smallholders in the short-term.

This FAO publication focuses on climate change mitigation financing for smallholders. The Organization, however, fully recognizes that adaptation may be the imperative and priority over the short and medium term for many smallholders in circumstances where climate change may adversely impact their efforts to overcome poverty and food insecurity. In many cases, most countries will need to deal with both adaptation and mitigation.

The FAO-ILO Good practice guide for addressing child labour in fisheries and aquaculture: policy and practice aims at improving the understanding of the nature and scope, causes and contributing factors, and consequences of child labour in fisheries and aquaculture by providing information and an analysis of current issues.

Mountains cover approximately one-quarter of the world’s surface and are home to 12 percent of the human population. By providing freshwater and other key environmental services to more than half of humanity, mountain ecosystems play a crucial role in the development of the planet and contribute significantly to the well-being of human societies.

A quarter of world’s forests are in mountain areas. These forests typically have high biodiversity, and provide many goods and services for people both in the mountains and the lowlands, often far away. Mountain forests are important as sources of wood, as well as other products such as medical herbs. When managed well, they are also vital for ensuring reliable supplies of high-quality water and for protection against natural hazards such as avalanches, landslides and floods. They are also the setting for tourism and many recreational activities.

A new analysis by FAO on how climate change affects or will likely affect wild animals and their habitats. It focuses on tropical terrestrial wildlife and its habitats, but other fauna, ecosystems and geographical regions are covered as well.

A new satellite-based survey released by the FAO provides a more accurate picture of changes in the world's forests, showing forest land use declined between 1990 and 2005. The findings of a global remote sensing survey show the world's total forest area in 2005 was 3.69 billion hectares, or 30 percent of the global land area. The new findings suggest that the rate of world deforestation averaged 14.5 million hectares per year between 1990 and 2005, which is consistent with previous estimates.