Avoided deforestation must be part of a global strategy against climate change, said the president of Conservation International (CI) on Saturday.

CI President Russell A. Mittermeier made the appeal on the occasion of "Forest Day" at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference here.

"We must expedite development and deployment of low emissions energy technologies in order to achieve necessary cuts in greenhouse emissions. Only a comprehensive set of strategies can effectively respond to what may be the greatest environmental challenge of our time," said Mr. Mittermeier.

The burning and clearing of tropical forests contributes at least 20 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the world's cars, trucks, trains and airplanes combined, he said.

Reducing deforestation, restoring forests, and encouraging good forest management practices are among the most immediate and most cost-effective ways to mitigate climate change.

Tropical forest protection offers opportunities for win-win solutions in both mitigation and adaptation strategies. Protecting intact rainforest reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves some of the richest biological diversity on Earth to maintain the health of ecosystems that provide life-sustaining benefits for indigenous people and other local populations that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, he said.

The Conservation International is committed to protecting the diversity of life on Earth and the ecosystems that sustain this diversity.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)