Launched at the 19th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF19), the first global synthesis report on international forest governance in 14 years reveals the rising trend of the ‘climatization’ of forests. This reflects a global shift in political attention and financial support towards primarily valuing forests for their capacity as carbon sinks, diminishing their intrinsic role for ecological and social welfare.
Produced by the Science-Policy Programme (SciPol) of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the report International Forest Governance: A critical review of trends, drawbacks, and new approaches, synthesises the most pivotal developments in international forest governance since 2010. The findings provide actionable insights for land use and climate policymakers to spur the implementation of just and effective forest policies.
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.
Chapter 2: A Political Ecology and Economy of Key Trends in International Forest Governance
Lead authors: Constance L. McDermott, Sarah L. Burns, Maria Brockhaus*
Contributing authors: Indah Waty Bong, Caitlin Hafferty, Mark Hirons, Eric Mensah Kumeh, Niak Sian Koh*,
Moira Moeliono*, Niina Pietarinen, Muhammad Alif K. Sahide*, Alizée Ville, Grace Y. Wong*
Chapter 3: The Forest-related Finance Landscape and Potential for Just Investments
Lead authors: Maria Brockhaus*, Franklin Obeng-Odoom, Grace Y. Wong*
Contributing authors: Sarah Ali*, Stibniati Atmadja, Hannah Ehrlichmann*, Gordon John Thomas*, Helena Varkkey*
*FairFrontiers members and collaborators
For the policy brief from this report, click here to view details.
-To see media coverage of this IUFRO Report so far, see this media coverage report