The XV World Forestry Congress- the world’s largest ever gathering on forests, has adopted a declaration identifying priority areas with potential to lead to a green, healthy and resilient future.
- The Seoul Forest Declaration concluded five days of discussions at the XV World Forestry Congress, with a key focus on how forests can help combat the multiple crises humanity faces, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, hunger and poverty.
About XV World Forestry Congress
- Organized by the Korea Forest Service (KFS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), XV World Forestry Congress took place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 2-6 May 2022.
- The congress drew more than 15 000 participants from over 140 countries either in person or online, in the first event of its kind since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key features of Seoul Forest Declaration
- The Seoul Forest Declaration urges that responsibility for forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders, underlining that forests transcend political, social and environmental boundaries and are vital for biodiversity and the carbon, water and energy cycles at a planetary scale.
- Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030 to meet internationally agreed commitments and targets on restoring degraded land, according to the Declaration.
- One of the key takeaways from the Congress was the importance of moving towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.
- The Declaration called for innovative green financing mechanisms to upscale investment in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use, and highlighted the potential of sustainably produced wood as a renewable, recyclable and versatile material.
- Healthy, productive forests must also be maintained to reduce the risk of future pandemics and to provide other essential benefits for human physical and mental health, the Declaration stressed.
- Lastly, the Declaration urged the continued development and use of emerging innovative technologies and mechanisms to enable evidence-based forest and landscape decision-making.
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