FAO and Luke renew their partnership for a sustainable and integrated management of natural resources

Following a successful collaboration, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and The Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) have renewed their partnership for another three years. This partnership will continue to strengthen the capacities in sustainable and integrated management of natural resources, exchange knowledge and expertise on monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cooperation will expand to also include advocacy and raising awareness activities in the areas of climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Based in Helsinki, Finland, Luke is a cross-disciplinary research institute that aggregates broad expertise and research competence to support the sustainable use of natural resources.

Since officially partnering in 2017, FAO and Luke strengthened sustainable forestry practices and integrated forest resources management in developing countries. In this regard, a National Forest Inventory design was developed in Myanmar, defining the overall methodological approach and developing manuals for capacity building.

In Ethiopia, an “Assessment of Forest Carbon Content in Litter and Soil” project was developed, producing recommendations on the models on monitoring soil litter and litter carbon stocks.

Regarding the Sustainable Development Goals, Luke provided expert support to FAO on the consultation, methodology and guidelines on SDG indicators for SDG 2 related to Zero Hunger and SDG 12 regarding Responsible Consumption.

FAO and Luke share common interests in a wide range of activities including applied research for the monitoring and sustainable management of nature based resources. This knowledge serves as basis for SDG monitoring and benefits the global community”, says Antti Asikainen, Executive Vice President of Research in Luke.

“Luke has a very long experience with national forest inventories. Hence, they are a natural partner to join forces with FAO to support developing countries in their efforts to produce new, up-to-date and accurate information on their forest resources”, said Mette Wilkie, Director, FAO Forestry Division.

Going forward, FAO and Luke will continue their commitment on the areas of sustainable forestry practices, and will also include the development and provision of technical guidance, data and tools to support Member Nations’ implementation of Nationally Determined contributions (NDCs) to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts. They will also continue to raise awareness on FAO key themes linked to food security, sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries, climate change and SDGs.