Going into COP26 and getting it right: Forests, agriculture, ecosystems and nature for climate change mitigation and adaptation

Key messages Forests, trees and the transformation of agriculture remain a proven mitigation and adaptation pathway, which must receive substantially more support in terms of funding and capacity development. Protecting and restoring habitats is a powerful way to boost resilience to the impacts of climate change. There can be no solution to land degradation or the problems caused by unsustainable agricultural, forestry and fisheries systems without explicit recognition of rights. Any solutions in the forests and agricultural space must seek to deliver multiple benefits, thereby exploiting to the full extent the potential of trees and the (agro-)ecosystems concerned. Conversion of natural forest, (tropical and temperate) peatlands, wetlands, grasslands and other ecologically well-adapted ‘natural’ and high-carbon systems must be halted immediately. The search for climate-relevant solutions in the forests and agricultural space must factor in uncertainty and complexity. Scientific knowledge and practical needs must be reconciled, e.g., by providing guidelines and tools for monitoring and evaluation, programme and project management, and financing mechanisms adapted to complex, multilevel and long-term, ‘transformational’ endeavours.