Recently, the Forest Declaration Assessment report 2022 was released by the Forest Declaration Assessment Partners.
- The report is a comprehensive, civil society-led effort to assess collective progress toward global forest goals previously set by the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF).
Key Highlights of report
- Despite pledges from 145 nations during the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) to achieve the twin global goals of halting and reversing deforestation by 2030, the planet might miss the target.
- Deforestation rates worldwide declined only modestly in 2021, by 6.3 per cent, as against the 10 per cent annual reduction needed as per 2018-20 baseline to achieve zero deforestation by 2030.
- In the humid tropics, which host some of the richest fauna of the world, loss of irreplaceable primary forest decreased by only 3.1 per cent.
- Not a single global indicator is on track to meet these 2030 goals of stopping forest loss and degradation and restoring 350 million hectares of forest landscape.
- Deforestation and degradation account for 10-12 per cent of global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions.
- Global gross deforestation amounted to 6.8 million hectares (mha) in 2021 — an area comparable in size of Ireland – with 3.9 GtCO2e (giga-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent) of associated GHG emissions.
- 98 per cent of the decrease in deforestation comes from tropical regions. Brazil was the world’s largest contributor to deforestation in 2021. The country marked a 3 per cent rise in the rate of deforestation in 2021 compared to the baseline 2018-2020.
- Bolivia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo underwent deforestation at six per cent and 3 per cent, respectively.
- Globally, 118.6 Mha (approximately 90 per cent) of the total 130.9 mha tree cover gain over the past two decades is likely due to natural regeneration and assisted natural regeneration that occurred outside plantations.
- Some countries have made progress in reducing deforestation and good governance has been a key to this success.
- Gabon in Central Africa reduced deforestation by 28 per cent in 2021 compared to base year.
- Recent years have seen legal interventions in the European Union, Ecuador and India to protect forests.
- A constitutional court in Ecuador upheld the rights of nature enshrined in the country’s constitution in 2021. The court said mining in protected areas violated the constitutional rights of nature and that the government should revoke the mining licences.
- In April 2022, the Madras High Court declared nature as a living being with all rights and duties of a living being.
- The New York Declaration of Forests (NYDF) was originally launched at the Climate Summit held at UN Headquarters in New York in September 2014, and is currently endorsed by more than 200 entities including more than 50 governments, more than 60 of the world’s biggest companies, and more than 80 influential civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations.
