Background

The rate of build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere can be reduced by taking advantage of the fact that carbon can accumulate in vegetation and soils in terrestrial ecosystems. Any process, activity or mechanism which removes a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere is referred to as a "sink."

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The issues/agenda item topics relating to LULUCF include the following:

• Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries
• LULUCF under the Convention
• LULUCF under the Kyoto Protocol
• Harvested Wood Products

At SBSTA 30 (Bonn, June 2009), Parties considered the following issues:

• Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries
• LULUCF under the Kyoto Protocol

• Reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries

The emergence of and continuing significance of issues related to LULUCF has stimulated cooperation with many organizations and institutions with forestry and agriculture experiences.

The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF). The UNFF is an intergovernmental process with the objective of promoting the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. It succeeded a five-year period (1995-2000) of forest policy dialogue facilitated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). For example, the forestry department of FAO has considerable experience in building capacity in developing countries and in assessing the global status of forests. Its work includes the development of definitions and the publication of the Global Forest Resources Assessment as a contribution to knowledge on the state of the world’s forests.

 The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). The CPF is an informal body intended to foster cooperation and coordination among international organizations working on forest issues. Among its initiatives, the CPF has created a task force on streamlining reporting, to explore ways to harmonize and improve reporting on forest issues under different international processes, including the UNFCCC.