The Ministry of the Environment organizes, together with a Committee of the Parties to Annex I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the “Second Informal Dialogue on the Role of Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Activities in Climate Change”, which begins today until Friday, April 21 and takes place in the assembly hall of the Ministry of the Environment. The Secretary General for the Prevention of Pollution and Climate Change, Arturo Gonzalo Aizpiri, opens the event.

The role of land use, land-use change and forestry activities in climate change mitigation (LULUCF) is crucial as it can help facilitate the fulfilment of countries’ commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, through the carbon absorption capacity of plants in the atmosphere. In addition to their essential role in mitigation, the role of these activities in adapting to the effects of climate change is critical, especially in developing countries, which are more vulnerable to these impacts.

In the spirit of the “First Informal Dialogue”, held in Rotorua, New Zealand, in September 2005, the purpose of the seminar is to broaden knowledge through the exchange of experiences and lessons learned on land use, land-use change and forestry activities within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. These meetings address the technical aspects of how these activities should be treated in relation to climate change.

This meeting is attended by more than seventy experts from forty signatory countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including representatives of governments, scientists of recognized international prestige and representatives of international organizations, such as the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations Forum on Forests.