Colleagues, Please find below a message concerning the International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests. There is also a concept note for this event at <http://www.fao.org/forestry/39186-035b90975b9178b56e16bfeec57dc8f5d.pdf> http://www.fao.org/forestry/39186-035b90975b9178b56e16bfeec57dc8f5d.pdf Best regards Brigitte Burger IUFRO Headquarters Vienna Von: FO-PES-Forum [mailto:FO-PES-Forum@fao.org] Gesendet: Freitag, 10. Januar 2014 16:18 An: undisclosed-recipients: Betreff: International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests, 7-10 April 2014, San José, Costa Rica Message sent on behalf of Eva Muller, Director, Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division, FAO Dear colleagues, I am writing to inform you that FAO, ITTO and the Government of Costa Rica, will jointly convene an International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests in San José, Costa Rica, from 7-10 April 2014. Ensuring sustainable supplies of goods and services from forests to enhance their vital contributions to socio-economic development lies at the core of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). Yet, SFM in the tropics is often less profitable than other land-uses because many of the goods and services forests produce lack formal markets. Payments for forest environmental services (PES), such as biodiversity, tourism and recreation, water conservation, soil protection and climate change mitigation, is regarded as one such innovative means of financing SFM. The International Forum aims to highlight the importance of developing and implementing PES mechanisms in tropical countries and to share best practices and lessons learned from the many activities and projects that have been undertaken in recent years to scale up global efforts to promote PES. The Forum is expected to recommend actions at local, national and international levels for the development and effective implementation of PES mechanisms in support of SFM in the tropics. It will bring together policymakers, researchers and academicians, practitioners, civil society, the private sector, and regional and international organizations engaged in the development, implementation and support of PES mechanisms. On behalf of the organizers, I would like to invite you or your representative to attend the International Forum on Payments for Environmental Services of Tropical Forests. More details including a concept note, and registration form are available on FAO (http://www.fao.org/forestry/84884/en/) and ITTO (www.itto.int) websites. A preliminary programme will be made available shortly. Sponsorship is available for a limited number of participants from developing countries to attend the Forum. Those in need of sponsorship are required to fill in the respective section of the on-line registration form. Participants to be sponsored will be selected by the organizers based on the information provided as well as ensuring a geographical and gender balance. Yours sincerely, Eva Muller Director Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division, FAO PESlogoEN