Forests and adaptation to climate change: Challenges and opportunities

Climate change is an important driver of changes in forests. As many forests are likely to be affected by climate change and its associated disturbances and many forest-dependent societies may be consequently affected, adaptation is needed for reducing the vulnerability of forests. New challenges arise from the need to understand the vulnerability of, and means of adapting, forest and forest-dependent people to climate change. Forests have also a role to play in the adaptation of broader society to climate change, as they provide diverse ecosystem services that contribute to human well-being and reduce social vulnerability. For this reason, forests should be considered in planning the adaptation of the society beyond the forest. Ecosystem-based adaptation, an emerging approach to adaptation, offers opportunities for forest and forest dependent people as it recognizes their role in providing ecosystem services for the society and supports the conservation or sustainable management of forests. This presentation gives an overview of climate change as a driver of changes in forests, the challenges and opportunities of adapting forests and the use of forests for adaptation, as well as the associated policy issues. (Texte intégral