Sustainable Landscapes

USAID forest and sustainable landscapes programs support more than a dozen countries working to improve management of tropical forests and other landscapes. This includes support for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

Degradation of forests and natural landscapes generates nearly a quarter of the world’s climate pollution. For many countries where USAID works, forest loss is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

At the same time, an estimated 1.5 billion people around the world depend on forests for resources and livelihoods, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

All this makes forest and landscape management essential to addressing global poverty and climate change.

Below are some of the major initiatives and programs supporting sustainable landscapes work at USAID.

‌‌‌SilvaCarbonMonitoring and Managing Forest and Terrestrial CarbonSilvaCarbon is a U.S. technical cooperation program to enhance capacity worldwide in monitoring and managing forest and terrestrial carbon.
‌‌‌CARPECentral Africa Regional Program for the EnvironmentA flagship USAID program working across nine countries in the Congo Basin to create a regional forest dialogue and to build local, national and regional capacity for improved natural resources management.
‌‌‌BIOREDD+Making Conservation and Responsible Use Socially Equitable and Economically ViableA flagship environmental program in Colombia’s mega-diverse Pacific region, with a portfolio of REDD+ projects seeking to protect natural resources and promote regeneration of degraded tropical forest.
‌‌‌FCMCForest Carbon, Markets and CommunitiesThis program has developed a suite of information and tools to help countries build their REDD+ readiness.
Related Sectors of Work 
Environment and Global Climate Change