2015 Goal 3 assessment

Key Messages

• The most significant non-agricultural drivers of forest loss are infrastructure development, human settlements, and mining.
• Though some interventions can be highlighted, there is no coordinated effort to reduce the forest impact of these sectors.
• Illegality, weak governance and lack of enforcement are important underlying causes for deforestation and degradation caused by the timber, mining and infrastructure sectors. Demand-side measures such as introducing control over timber trade banning the import of illegal wood can play an important role in reducing supply of illegally cut timber. Planning, law enforcement, formalization of illegal activities, protected areas and impact assessments are important tools to address deforestation at the supply side.
• Private initiatives in the logging and timber sector include sustainable certification schemes and individual voluntary sustainability commitments made by companies. For mining, there is currently no certification standard nor any deforestation-related commitments by major companies. Private sector initiatives in infrastructure are not considered since they rely on public planning and policies are covered in public policy interventions.