Forests have unrecognised potential in furthering the development agenda. Forest industries have the opportunity to maximise energy efficiency, spur innovation, create a reliable fibre supply and contribute to local economies. This ninth biennial issue of State of the World’s Forests aims to promote awareness and understanding of forests and forestry issues. It identifies some of the areas that can enhance or challenge the sustainability of people’s livelihoods. The chapters assembled in this issue draw attention to four key areas which consist of the following.

Regional analysis of the overall rate of deforestation (providing a breakdown of Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe)
Developing sustainable forest industries (describing current trends in the forest industry and showing how it is contributing to sustainable development)
Climate change mitigation and adaptation (considering forest-related issues relating to countries' efforts to meet their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol and further developments under the UNFCCC)
Local value of forests (including topics on traditional knowledge, commuity-based fprest management, small and medium forest enterprises and the non-cash value of forests).

The publication makes the following recommendations:

adopting an adaptive management approach through full implementation of existing forest policies, strategies and legislation, and the application of best practices in forest management facilitates countries’ efforts in climate change adaptation
REDD activities should be aligned with broad forest governance reform to ensure that people that depend on forests for their livelihoods benefit.