2020 UN FAO State of the World’s Forests Report: Forests, Biodiversity and People

The 2020 UN FAO has released the State of the World’s Forests Report: Forests, Biodiversity and People. As the UN Decade on Biodiversity 2011–2020 comes to a close and countries prepare to adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, this edition of the State of the World’s Forests (SOFO) takes the opportunity to examine the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

 

The key points made in the Report are the following:

·      Forests harbour most of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. The conservation of the world’s biodiversity is thus utterly dependent on the way in which we interact with and use the world’s forests.

·      Forests cover 31% of the global land area but are not equally distributed around the globe.

·      Deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, which contributes significantly to the ongoing loss of biodiversity.

·      Agricultural expansion continues to be the main driver of deforestation and forest fragmentation and the associated loss of forest biodiversity.

·      The net loss of forest area has decreased substantially since 1990, but the world is not on track to meet the target of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests to increase forest area by 3% by 2030.

·      The biodiversity of forests varies considerably according to factors such as forest type, geography, climate and soils – in addition to human use.

·      Progress on preventing the extinction of known threatened species and improving their conservation status has been slow.

·      All people depend upon forests and their biodiversity, some more than others. Feeding humanity and conserving and sustainably using ecosystems are complementary and closely interdependent goals.

·      Human health and well-being are closely associated with forests.

·      Solutions that balance conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity are critical – and possible.

·      Actions to combat deforestation and illegal logging have gathered pace over the past decade – as have international agreements and results-based payments.

·      Aichi Biodiversity Target 11 (to protect at least 17% of terrestrial area by 2020) has been exceeded for forest ecosystems as a whole. However, protected areas alone are not sufficient to conserve biodiversity.

·      Aichi Biodiversity Target 7 (by 2020, areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation) has not been met for forests, but the management of the world’s forests is improving.

·      Current negative trends in biodiversity and ecosystems will undermine progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

·      Ensuring positive outcomes for both biodiversity and people requires a careful balance between conservation goals and demands for resources that support livelihoods.

·      We need to transform our food systems to halt deforestation and the loss of biodiversity.

·      Large-scale forest restoration is needed to meet the SDGs and to prevent, halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity.

·      We must build on this momentum to catalyse bold actions to prevent, halt and reverse the loss of forests and their biodiversity, for the benefit of current and future generations.