Recommendations: 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment: Off track and falling behind

The forest ecosystems that support a liveable climate, invaluable biodiversity, thriving economies, and intangible cultural importance remain under massive pressure. Standing forests are essential for limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Yet, the world remains off track to reach the 2030 goals of halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.

Through a comprehensive analysis across four main chapters-- Overarching forest goals (Theme 1), Sustainable production and development (Theme 2), Finance for forests (Theme 3), and Forest governance (Theme 4), along with 7 country case studies and a set of Recommendations—the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment sheds light on the state of global forest action.

The Forest Declaration Assessment Partners call on all actors to take rapid, transformative action:

1. Governments must re-define “business-as-usual” for forests:

They must build a regulatory and fiscal environment that mandates corporate action, disclosure, and accountability for forests; that incentivizes the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of forests; and that encourages voluntary efforts to pioneer alternative economic approaches that recognize the true value of standing forests.

2. Financial institutions, companies, and governments must put their money where their mouth is:

Invest in activities that nurture forests, not destroy them. And invest directly in the most effective forest stewards: Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

3. Governments, companies, and financial institutions must shine the spotlight on themselves:

They must invest in data collection, active monitoring, and transparent, proactive reporting on the state of forests and ecosystems, on their plans and strategies to align their economic and development priorities with forests, and on their progress in implementing forest pledges.