Forest biodiversity experts and policymakers from five Central Asian countries, along with Azerbaijan, Montenegro and Türkiye are gathering in Trabzon for a regional training workshop on “Mainstreaming forest biodiversity into national strategies and action plans” to chart a course towards healthier, more resilient forests. 

Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia is increasingly vulnerable to climate change, which impacts food production, rural livelihoods and ecosystems. Yet, the agricultural sector also offers powerful opportunities for advancing low-emission and climate-resilient development. To strengthen collective action and regional cooperation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the Fourth Regional Climate Workshop on Enhancing Climate Action in Agriculture in Europe and Central Asia on 23–24 October 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Abdusattor Muzaffarov remembers when fruit trees barely survived on his land. No matter how carefully he planted or watered, roaming livestock would trample the seedlings, undoing weeks of work overnight. “We tried everything, but it kept happening,” he says. “We didn’t have fences, local seeds or support. Most of the time, we just had to start over.” Abdusattor, 58, lives with his wife, Zulkhumor Nabieva, and nine children in a village in Baljuvon district. He spends most of his days working the 2 ha of forest land he leases from the Forestry Agency.

High in the heart of the Pamir-Alai mountain system, the Almosi Valley of Tajikistan appears, at first glance, an almost impossible place for agriculture. Characterized by steep gradients and the harsh climate of the Hisor Range, this landscape is anything but forgiving. Yet, nestled just 37 kilometres from the capital city of Dushanbe, a resilient and integrated way of life has sustained nearly 59 000 people across 49 villages for centuries.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed a land degradation neutrality strategy and local action plans for community and agricultural lands across 32 localities in three districts of the Republic of Moldova. The initiative aims at improving soil health, enhancing sustainability and supporting long-term agricultural resilience in the pilot districts of Orhei, Rezina and Șoldănești. The strategy was designed in response to the country’s accelerating land degradation, which poses a serious threat to the agricultural sector. 

At first glance, the volcanic landscape of Lanzarote, in Spain’s Canary Islands, looks anything but fertile. The island is dry and harsh, blanketed in layers of black lapilli — fine volcanic gravel and ash — left behind by massive eruptions nearly three centuries ago. But look closer, and a different story emerges: green shoots of grapevines rise from black ash pits; strawberries and sweet potatoes thrive in soil that appears lifeless.

The European Forestry Commission (EFC) will meet in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 22 to 25 October to review and coordinate regional strategies on forests and the forest industry, with a specific focus on innovation. The session, coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will bring together government officials and representatives of international organizations, civil society and the private sector to discuss a wide range of issues.

Aggressive and invasive plant species continue to undermine biodiversity, ecosystem safety and sustainable land management in Europe and Central Asia. Both forest ecosystems and urban green spaces face ecological imbalance, loss of native species, increased fire risk and human health risk due to allergies, not to mention the emerging costs of mitigating these effects. To this end, forest and urban landscape managers, policymakers, scientists and civil society representatives came together from 13 to 16 October 2025 at the Forest Invasive Species Network for Europe and Central Asia (REUFIS) technical workshop and annual meeting to address the escalating threat posed by invasive plant species across the region.

What if a disease caused by a fungus could be a good thing? It might seem unlikely, but it is, in fact, possible, if the target of the disease is a highly invasive forest tree species. An essential component of integrated pest management (IPM), biological control involves the use of natural enemies against pests and invasive species. In a broad sense, natural enemies are organisms that cause the death or impairment of other organisms, such as pests or invasive species. FAO promotes biological control for forest ecosystem preservation.

Today, the European Commission on Agriculture opens in Budapest, Hungary, as a key biennial discussion forum for the countries of Europe and Central Asia on topics related to food and agriculture. The Forty-fourth Session centres on the challenge of producing more with less, with key topics covering inclusive food and agriculture policies, digital solutions, and resilient investments, as well as the region’s response to multiple crisis.