Context: Recently, the 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment report, “Forests under fire: Tracking progress on 2030 forest goals,” was released which indicated serious problems in global efforts to stop deforestation and forest damage.

About the Forest Declaration Assessment

• The Forest Declaration Assessment, which is formerly the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) Progress Assessment, is an independent, civil society-led initiative to assess progress toward the global goals of halting deforestation and restoring 350 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

• Started in 2015 as an initiative to track progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests, this effort now engages a diverse group of over two dozen research organizations, think tanks, NGOs, and advocacy groups from around the world.

• Each year, the Forest Declaration Assessment Partners draw on their collective expertise to provide scientific, independent, and peer-reviewed analysis that provides a comprehensive picture of the state of forest pledges.

Background

• Most countries backed the 2030 zero deforestation pledge at the UN CoP26 climate summit in 2021. 

• The 2024 forest declaration assessment, produced by a coalition of research and civil society organisations, assessed progress towards the goal using a baseline of the average deforestation between 2018 and 2020. 

• It found progress was significantly off track, with the level of deforestation in 2023 almost 50% higher than steady progress towards zero would require.

• Terrestrial and coastal ecosystems including savannas, grasslands, scrublands, and wetlands are all under threat of conversion and degradation. 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment has assessed these challenges in its detailed report.

Key Findings of the 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment 

• Shortcomings in Meeting Target: The target for last year was to bring global deforestation down to a maximum of 4.4 million hectares (10.9 million acres).

• The global deforestation remains 45 percent above the levels needed to meet international goals

• Nearly 96 percent of all deforestation occurred in tropical regions, and almost all these areas failed to meet their annual targets

• Tropical deforestation resulted in the emission of nearly 3.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2023.

• Loss of Forest: In 2023, the world lost 6.37 million hectares of forest, this loss was 45 percent higher than the goal to eliminate deforestation by 2030.

• Primary tropical forests, essential for storing carbon and protecting biodiversity, lost 3.7 million hectares in 2023. 

• It indicated serious problems in global efforts to stop deforestation and forest damage.

• Forest Damage: Forest damage without complete destruction is 10 times worse than deforestation itself, affecting 62.6 million hectares in 2022.

• Main Drivers: Agriculture, road construction, fires and commercial logging were the main drivers of deforestation across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Positive Progress: Brazil has reduced its deforestation by 9 percent below previous levels, showing that significant progress is possible.

• Other countries that made progress towards the 2030 deforestation target included Australia, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.

• The report also emphasizes the loss of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs), where more than 1.4 million hectares of forest were lost in 2023.

• Protecting these areas is critical for wildlife and Indigenous communities that depend on them.

• Forest fires are a significant threat, mainly due to intentional land clearing for agriculture.

• Since 2001, 138 million hectares of tree cover have been lost to fires, with about a third of that occurring between 2019 and 2023.

The report outlined steps for global actors to achieve forest protection goals, which includes:

• Ensuring adequate funding for forest conservation efforts.

• Reducing the demand for products that cause deforestation.

• Recognising the important role of Indigenous and local communities in forest protection.

Significance of forests

• Livelihoods: Over a billion people rely on forests to maintain their everyday necessities and commercial endeavours.

• Biodiversity: They are essential to preserving biodiversity since they provide a home for over 80% of all terrestrial plant and animal species.

• Stabilization of the Climate: As stated in the Paris Agreement, forests are essential to keeping global warming to 1.5°C by absorbing carbon dioxide.

• Preventing Crisis: Resolving the interrelated crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and general ecological deterioration depends on these ecosystems.

Challenges of deforestation

• Rates of Deforestation: Despite their significance, forests are being destroyed at startling rates, endangering the health of the world and the welfare of future generations. As per this report, In 2023, the world lost 6.37 million hectares of forest, which is equivalent to the size of about 9.1 million soccer fields.

• Global Commitments: To stop and reverse deforestation by 2030, international initiatives have been formed, including the UNFCCC Global Stocktake (2023), the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration (2021), and the New York Declaration on Forests (2014). Nevertheless, with one-third of this crucial decade gone, it looks like many nations will never be able to meet the targets for deforestation and restoration.

Impact on Marginalised Communities 

• Land disputes: As a result of land use disputes brought on by aggressive development methods, Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local populations frequently experience violence and displacement.

• Negative Outcomes: These populations suffer from poor health and reduced livelihoods as a result of the disturbance and deterioration of their ecosystems, and they gain little to nothing from the destructive development projects.

Road ahead

• Diversity of Solutions: Although there isn't one approach that will work to protect and restore forests, there are a number of different efforts being made in this direction, from community-based projects to policy initiatives, which gives optimism.

• Cohesive Policies: Where good policies have been deployed cohesively alongside enough finance and political will, they have typically been beneficial in reversing patterns of deforestation.

• Success Stories: Current patterns in some of the most heavily forested nations, like Brazil and Indonesia, show that, given the correct circumstances, significant advancements in forest conservation are feasible.

• Impact of Leadership: Recent initiatives in Brazil show that strong leadership at the national and local levels can result in rapid progress in forest conservation efforts.

• Proper regulatory framework: Build a regulatory and fiscal environment that mandates private sector action, disclosure, and accountability for forests and other ecosystems that simultaneously incentivizes the protection, sustainable management, and restoration of forests.

• Transparency: Ensure full transparency on the implementation of forest commitments, so progress can be tracked, and pledgers held accountable.

Conclusion

• Ultimately, the challenges outlined in the 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment underscore that achieving forest conservation goals and advancing sustainable economic development are not mutually exclusive. 

• But success depends on the willingness of governments, industry, and civil society to prioritize forests and integrate sustainable practices at every level. 

• With just a few years remaining before 2030, the time to act is now.