High-level forest pledges
One of the first announcements made at COP26 was the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use, in which 141 countries committed to end deforestation and land degradation by 2030.
This pledge was followed with other significant forest-related announcements, including the backing of the declaration with a total of $19.2 billion ($12 billion from public sources and $7.2 billion from private sources) to support the restoration and conservation of forests globally. Importantly, $1.7 billion of this financing is to be given directly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in recognition of their key role in preserving forests and promised them a role in decision-making and design of climate programs and finance instruments.
The commitments were welcomed by many in that it acknowledges the important value of forests in climate change mitigation, but there has equally been a call for urgent implementation and action on the ground.
“Based on the Declaration, forest protection and sustainable forest management must now become a central part of all efforts to combat climate change. FSC certification of forests, including certification by Indigenous Peoples of their territories, can be an important part of the solution going forward. FSC stands ready to work with governments, businesses, Indigenous Peoples and interested stakeholders to help meet the ambition of the Declaration” said FSC International’s Director General Kim Carstensen in a message on the Declaration.
FSC at COP
As well as the formal sessions, covering topics including nature-based solutions, the role of forestry in net zero aspirations and urban tree equity, many useful conversations took place in the coffee shops and corridors of the blue and green zones.
Amy Willox, Outreach Manager (Forests and Ecosystem Services) commented, “We spent time with the Cities4Forests and Partner Forest Programme team discussing ideas to connect tropical forests of the world with the cities of the world. We also had the chance to walk the on their boardwalk made from timber harvested from the Carmelita, Custodios de la Selva and San Andrés community forest enterprises in Petén, Guatemala, who hold FSC-certification.” Look out for an article from Cities4Forests Director, Scott Francisco, in a future Forest Matters.
FSC UK is a partner of Climate Cymru and the FSC UK delegation joined the Climate Scotland and Climate Cymru session looking at the role of the two devolved nations, with Youth Ambassadors expressing their views eloquently and passionately.
FSC hosted side events, convening speakers from key sectors that benefit from, promote, support and invest in sustainable forest management, forest conservation and restoration. The session highlighted the need to co-create tools that help ensure positive social, environmental and economic impacts. A main theme running through these events was the need for building alliances and partnerships.
“We need to have all the actors at the table to carry out effective forest-based solutions” said Raquel Jimenez, Reforestamos Mexico.
These events are available to watch again via the following links:
- Co-creating forest based solutions to enhance social and ecological resilience with shared value
- A forest of solutions: The Congo Basin public and private sector for healthy forests, healthy communities and for a healthy world.
Concluding COP
The conference concluded with the signing of the Glasgow Climate Pact, the final COP26 agreement, by almost 200 governments. There was some disappointment with the final deal, but the conference did see nature, forests and people more firmly embedded in the climate agenda. It was encouraging to see that the preamble of the Glasgow Climate Pact, noted ‘the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, including in forests, the ocean and the cryosphere, and the protection of biodiversity.’
Looking forward, we as FSC UK will continue with optimism and renewed drive to work with our colleagues from around the world and FSC International to emphasise the importance of protecting, conserving and restoring forests to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C.