In April 2021, the CPF released its joint statement entitled 鈥淐hallenges and Opportunities in Turning the Tide on Deforestation鈥� during the 16th session of the 缅北禁地Forum on Forests (UNFF16).
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Through this statement, the CPF presented scientific findings on the current status of deforestation and the multidimensional services provided by forests in support of countries and stakeholders鈥� efforts to address the issue. In particular, the CPF emphasized:
- i) deforestation and forest degradation continue to take place at an alarming pace;
- ii) without halting and reversing deforestation, climate goals cannot be met;
- iii) forests should be featured prominently in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework;
- iv) forests are a source of sustainable livelihoods, prosperity and resilience;
- v) halting deforestation requires taking action beyond the forest sector, notably by transforming agricultural and food systems;
- vi) damaging forest fires are symptomatic of an imbalance in natural systems exacerbated by human interventions;
- vii) ensuring legality of timber production and trade, and strengthening forest governance are crucial for tackling deforestation;
- viii) important public and private commitments have been made to halt and reverse deforestation but implementation is lagging and should be accelerated;
- ix) policy coherence across sectoral, environmental and economic policies needs to be strengthened to accelerate change and halt deforestation;
- x) the true costs of deforestation and the value of standing forests are not reflected in policies and investment decisions, nor in commodity prices;
- xi) to tackle the full scale of deforestation requires more strategic public investment and increased public and private climate finance at all levels;
- xii) maintaining forest area and halting deforestation requires participation of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and local communities, women and youth, and requires that their rights be recognized and protected;
- xiii) innovation is paving the way for better data to inform evidence-based decision-making to halt and reverse deforestation; and
- xiv) mobilizing global partnerships and cooperation is crucial for achieving the transformational change necessary to halt deforestation.