This year, from April 17th to 20th, the first FOLUR forum was launched in São Paulo, Brazil, bringing together 27 country projects, partners, representatives from the private sector and the Secretariat of the Global Environment Facility to improve conditions for sustainable land use and restoration practices.

As part of the UNDP project, with the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) "Promoting Sustainable Livestock Management and Ecosystem Conservation in Northern Ukraine", the representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine (online) together with the project team members participated in the Forum.

Supported by GEF, the World Bank, the Government of Brazil and FOLUR program partners, this year's Forum became a platform for discussing opportunities to improve the sustainability of value chains in agriculture, integrated landscape management, private sector involvement in land restoration, as well as other issues.

In particular, the representative of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, the Head of the Biodiversity and Biosafety Conservation Department of the Nature Reserve Fund and Biodiversity, Volodymyr Domashlinets emphasized that FOLUR's task correlates with the Global Biodiversity Framework's (GBF) objectives. Furthermore, the ecosystem restoration within the UNDP-GEF project in Northern Ukraine, which has been affected by inefficient agricultural practices, will contribute to achieving one of the GBF's 30/30 goals. By 2030, the goal is to preserve 30% of water ecosystems and land ecosystems. Additionally, the projected increase in populations of rare species due to changing technologies will promote the restoration of local biodiversity.

As part of the FOLUR forum, a field trip was organized to the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation Embrapa, where participants from different country projects analyzed the experience of Brazilian colleagues, including representatives of the private sector, in implementing sustainable livestock and agriculture practices.

Studying the experience of Brazil, the representative of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Head of the Department for Animal Husbandry and Breeding of the Department of Agricultural Development, Olena Dadus, noted that sustainable livestock focuses on breeding indigenous breeds in conditions close to the area of existence, on pastures, to obtain both milk and meat. In the field of agriculture, technologies that encourage the cultivation of plants that absorb more CO2 are being promoted. These approaches are the goal of communities of countries around the world supported by GEF and FOLUR programs.

Summing up this year's Forum, Inna Hoch, the Lead National Technical Analyst of the UNDP-GEF project implemented in Northern Ukraine, notes that despite significant external and internal challenges for Ukrainian farmers, agriculture can use sustainable approaches and contribute to ecosystem preservation, and projects implemented by 27 FOLUR country projects working in these areas are the practical confirmation of that.

Ms. Hoch emphasizes that within the framework of the UNDP-GEF project "Promoting Sustainable Livestock Management and Ecosystem Conservation in Northern Ukraine", it is necessary to implement integrated management within a holistic landscape. This can facilitate achieving two goals: sustainable resource use and solving problems related to biodiversity conservation.

For more details about the activities and progress of the FOLUR Forum – via link.

Photos by: Trix Eventos