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Reducing forests to carbon sinks poses risk, new report cautions policymakers: IUFRO
The new study reveals that the success of international forest governance to slow down deforestation remains limited and hard to measure. Although there has been some progress in reducing the global rates of tropical deforestation, there is still a rising sense of crisis over climate change, biodiversity loss and increasing social and economic inequalities.
"The current 'playing field' for international forest governance is more crowded and fragmented than ever before, with a plethora of new actors and instruments. The challenge now is to strengthen and coordinate forest policy to address power asymmetries between the different actors."
The increasing urgency of the climate crisis has influenced the commodification of forests for their carbon sequestration potential. This has led to the rise of new markets for carbon and biodiversity that often focus on short-term economic gains over long-term sustainability and justice. Finance that includes philanthropic and community-led mechanisms offer a just alternative, but so far, have played a limited role.
As pressures mount on governments and corporate actors to demonstrate urgent action to solve the climate crisis has spurred a "Target Olympics" of far-reaching targets such as zero deforestation or net biodiversity gain. Yet, measuring forest governance success using deforestation rates alone offers a restricted picture, excluding the interconnectedness between humanity and nature.
In response to the challenges of international forest governance, the report calls on policymakers to value forests as more than carbon sinks, prioritise long-term market-based investments and ensure a just and sustainable future for the communities that depend on them.
The report analysis is specifically since 2010 when the first global assessment on international forest governance was first published in the framework of the IUFRO-led Global Forest Expert Panel (GFEP). Taking the 2010 report as a baseline, the new study reviews important trends, analyses the forest finance landscape, examines criticism, and suggests alternatives.
The report is due to launch at the 19th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF19) in New York on 10 May 2024 at 1:15-2:30 pm EDT (UTC -4), Conference Room 4.
https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1vh60svu2
https://www.iufro.org/science/science-policy/follow-up-studies/international-forest-governance-2024/
The Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) of IUFRO provides a mechanism for effectively mobilizing scientific expertise and information to equip governments and intergovernmental processes with solid knowledge for making decisions that affect forests, trees, and land use regionally and globally. 'Follow-up studies' are one of the workstreams of the Programme which build on previously published global assessments and complement them with new available data and developments. Visit: IUFRO: Science-Policy Programme / Science in IUFRO
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations ( IUFRO ) is a non-profit and non-governmental worldwide network of 15,000 forest scientists across 120 countries, who work together to enhance the understanding of the ecological, economic and social aspects of forests and trees. Founded in 1892 IUFRO is headquartered in Vienna, Austria . The 26 IUFRO World Congress will take place in Stockholm, Sweden , in June this year.
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