A new UN report calls for accelerated action to conserve forests by 2030

A new UN report calls for accelerated action to conserve forests by 2030

    At the launch of the 21st session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF21), the United Nations presented the "Global Forest Goals Report 2026", a key assessment of progress towards the six global goals and 26 objectives of the United Nations Strategic Plan on Forests for the period 2017-2030. With less than five years left until 2030, the document urges the intensification of measures to end deforestation, restore degraded lands and introduce sustainable forest management.

Why are forests in the UN's spotlight?

    Forests play a fundamental role in ensuring climate stability, preserving biodiversity, and supporting the livelihoods of more than a billion people worldwide, contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, as the report notes, forests continue to be systematically underestimated in economic planning, investment strategies, and financial systems.

"Forests are much more than just environmental assets. This is a vital foundation for sustainable development."

    Despite the wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits they provide, forests remain vulnerable. Every year, under the influence of factors such as large-scale commercial agriculture, a significant area of natural forests is lost in the world.

Key findings of the report: alarming signals

    Although some countries have made progress in reforestation and poverty reduction among forest-dependent populations, the pace of these changes is insufficient to achieve the ambitious 2030 goals.

The main threats and challenges are:

• - Lack of financing: Financing of sustainable forest management remains at a level significantly below the required level. It is expected that the deficit of funds will only grow as limited government resources are redirected to other urgent needs.
• - Governance and data gaps: Effective decision-making is hampered by a lack of relevant and comparable data, as well as gaps in forest management systems.
• - The invisible value of forests: Traditional economic indicators take into account mainly formal, market operations, leaving out the cost of ecosystem services (water regulation, soil protection, carbon storage), which leads to chronic underinvestment.
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Global goals and a "tipping point"

    The United Nations Strategic Plan on Forests sets out six global goals. The current session of the UNFF21 focuses on three of them:

1.     - Reversing the loss of forests worldwide through sustainable forest management, including protection, restoration and reforestation.
2.     - A significant increase in the area of protected forests and the share of forest products from sustainably managed forests.
3.     - Assistance in the creation of management structures for the implementation of sustainable forest management.
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    UN Under-Secretary-General Amina J. Mohamed, commenting on the situation, called the current moment a "turning point", emphasizing that humanity has a unique opportunity to stop the rapid disappearance of biodiversity and ecosystem degradation, using healthy forests as a solid foundation for "green" restoration.

Bioeconomics as part of the solution

    In parallel with the discussion of problems at the forum, the concepts of sustainable forest bioeconomy are also being promoted. The transition to forest biological resources to replace fossil materials is considered as one of the ways to progress in economic development.

Practical examples:

•     The World Bank cites data that replacing steel and concrete with wood in half of new buildings in Africa could reduce CO₂ emissions by 5-10 gigatons by 2050.
•     The PROGREEN program, supported by the World Bank, has helped 23 countries strengthen landscape management, while ongoing projects have benefited 1.7 million people and enhanced the protection of 2 million hectares of land.
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Key indicators and initiatives:

Recommendations and next steps

    The 2026 report presents a number of policy recommendations aimed at accelerating action in the years remaining until 2030. Key calls include:

• - Scaling up: Efforts to stop deforestation and restore degraded lands must be urgently stepped up.
• - Improving financial flows: Financing approaches should be reviewed to reflect the true economic value of forests (as natural capital) in development plans.
• - Reducing the reporting burden: Simplify and harmonize data collection processes across countries to better monitor progress.
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Result

    While world leaders are discussing ways to solve problems on the sidelines of the UN Forum on Forests in New York, the business community should prepare for stricter requirements on the origin of wood and increased control over supply chains. The report makes it clear that the time for "ecological" marketing is running out without real action. The forestry industry is on the threshold of an era where sustainability will become not just a competitive advantage, but a mandatory license to operate in the global market.

    The official release of the report took place on May 11, 2026.

Tags: #UN #forestry #global forestry goals #sustainable development #conservation of forests #climate #biodiversity #UNFF21