Protecting the World's Forests: Are We on Track?
Just launched – Assessments of Goals 1-9
Stay tuned – Focus assessment report on forest governance (Goal 10) to be released end of November
Natural forests continue to disappear at an alarming rate since the NYDF was adopted in 2014. Though some of this forest loss has been offset by regrowth, young forests have different ecosystems and structures from established forests and are unlikely to offset carbon emissions from natural forests.
Though large shares of international and export markets in palm oil, soy, beef, and paper and pulp are covered by corporate commitments to reduce forest loss, major players in each of these commodities have yet to adopt any forest-related commitments. In addition, companies producing these commodities for domestic consumption or for developing country markets often do not have any forest commitments due to a lack of consumer demand for sustainable products.
Infrastructure development and extractive activities like mining and oil and gas work synergistically to threaten forests: mines and oil wells require roads and power sources, and roads and power sources open areas to more mining and development. The governments of some countries with remaining biodiverse, primary forest cover, like Brazil and Indonesia, are rolling back hard-won forest protection regulations in favor of economic growth plans based on resource extraction.
It remains difficult to assess the aggregate impact of subsistence farming and fuelwood collection on the world’s forests. Several examples of landscape-scale initiatives to support smallholder farmers and forest producers show promise for diversifying and improving livelihoods while reducing negative local impacts on forests from subsistence activities.
Bonn Challenge pledges reached 163 million hectares, and 49 countries have committed themselves to restoring a total of 57 million hectares of forest landscapes – an area larger than France – under the Paris Agreement. Countries are adopting new policy arrangements and strengthening implementation capacities for bringing degraded forests and land into restoration. Faced with the 2020 target and limited data on implementation, countries and organizations are increasing their focus on measuring progress of ongoing efforts.
Subsidies and investments in sectors driving deforestation (e.g. agriculture) amount to 40 times more than investments in protecting forests. While enforcement is still limited, some individual banks are emerging as leaders in the adoption of forest-risk policies. This year several banks have publicly disclosed and divested from companies with a risk of high deforestation, such as the Government Pension Fund Global.
As of July 2018, 19 countries have submitted initial emissions reductions plans to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility’s Carbon Fund, one of the main financing vehicles for REDD+. Proposals from eight countries have been accepted and agreements are under negotiation, while three others are also in the final stages of approval.
