Korea Forest Service Strengthens Cooperation with the Convention on Biological Diversity to Enhance Forest Biodiversity

KFS Signs Agreement with CBD on the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI)


The Korea Forest Service announced that on 23 January, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on the Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI).

FERI was launched as a partnership between the KFS and the CBD at the Conference of Parties(COP)12, held in Pyeongchang in 2014. Designed to support developing countries, FERI focuses on strengthening technical and policy-related capacities to enable countries to plan and implement forest ecosystem restoration efforts. Through these efforts, FERI contributes to the implementation of global biodiversity goals, including those of the Kunming?Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).

Over the past 10 years, FERI has implemented a range of activities to strengthen forest restoration capacity in developing countries, including on-the-ground restoration projects, capacity-building workshops, the provision of open online courses, and the development of decision-support tools for restoration planning. Building on these achievements, the two sides agreed to extend cooperation under FERI to forest biodiversity. This will include research related to the designation of protected forest areas in developing countries, as well as seed conservation and other related activities.

“We at the Secretariat of the CBD are grateful to the Republic of Korea for demonstrating leadership and commitment to international cooperation at a time when they are sorely needed to address the environmental crises afflicting our planet,” said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, expressing her appreciation for the Korea Forest Service’s continued support for the FERI initiative and for the sustained cooperative partnership between the two institutions.

Kim In-ho, Minister of Korea Forest Service(KFS), said “Thanks to the enduring partnership between the KFS and the Secretariat of the CBD under FERI, the Republic of Korea has been able to play a constructive role in advancing forest restoration globally.” He added,“The KFS will remain committed to contributing to biodiversity conservation and a sustainable future."