A call to action to tackle illegal deforestation, strengthen legal frameworks in nations with some of the highest levels of tropical deforestation and reinforce global timber supply chains has been launched at COP26 as forests worldwide dwindle to dangerous levels.
Deforestation; lungs of the planet. Credit: Chayakorn Buntharaksa / Shutterstock
Often referred to as "the lungs of the planet", global forest coverage is continuing to drop, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Credit: Chayakorn Buntharaksa / Shutterstock
The Tropical Timber Accord, which is being led by the UK's Timber Trade Federation (TTF), highlights the heavy legislative action that may be essential in the sustainable management of tropical forests, which currently underpin numerous other climate policies.
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The Accord is supported by associations in consumer nations including China, Europe and the UK.
Global forest cover was reduced by an average of 4 million hectares per year between 2010 and 2020. According to research conducted by the UN's Food and Agriculture section, total global forest cover has been reduced to a little over 4 billion hectares, with a loss of 178 million since 1990 - an area roughly the size of Libya.
A 2021 World Bank report estimated that around 12% of global greenhouse emissions have been linked with tropical forest degradation and deforestation, with a report from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research, which was published in July, finding the Amazon rainforest - the world's largest rainforest - now emits more carbon dioxide than it can absorb.
Global strategies to limit deforestation in tropical areas have been relatively limited thus far. Several trade associations and timber industry leaders have come together to sign the accord in a bid to limit further forest degradation.
The paper proposes a new governance approach for the global tropical forest sector, including stronger law enforcement for illegal deforestation as well as more robust trade policies, with measures to protect legal and sustainable foresters.
Being home to over 80% of global biodiversity, and home to over 1.6 billion people, protecting tropical forests has become more important than ever. Extreme loss of forests will also lead to issues with global water supplies and could lead to more violent and unpredictable weather. Trees are also the leading form of carbon sequestering, which will lead to extra greenhouse effects should tree populations be reduced significantly enough.
The Accord calls for multilateral legislative agreements to protect timber supply chains and trade between the world's highest consuming countries while delving into a multi-stakeholder process that brings together government, the public and private sectors to formulate national laws and standards and offering economic incentives - such as increased trade - to countries that comply with these standards.
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It also calls for greater incentives to consume responsibly, through foreign direct investment in added-value tropical forest industries and encourages businesses to only source timber from legal suppliers in a bid to curb illegal deforestation.
It also suggests that simplification of existing standards and frameworks could help limit consumer confusion, while specifying that international frameworks should recognise each nation's determined norms and standards.
"This is the first time that the global private sector of the forestry management and timer production industry has come together to speak with one united voice to advocate for greater global governance and enforceable legal frameworks in supply chains and within producer forest countries", said David Hopkins, CEO of the UK TTF.
"Now we need to start to put some of the detail behind those pledges into action, with far stronger global legal frameworks governing the management of forests and trade through these supply chains", he added.
The Accord stresses the importance of incentivisation of business rather than outright enforcement, by positing a "green lane" for access to all global markets and trade, backed by communication and promotion via international supply chains.
It also suggests that global industry should recognise the importance of the small-and-medium-sized businesses that form the "backbone" of the international forestry trade through "international investment training and support".
"Protecting and growing out global forests cannot be left to 'one-sided' approaches, but must be within a continual dialogue which supports sustainable production and shares the cost of enforcement", according to Sheam Satkuru, the director of operations at the International Tropical Timber Organisation.
"The tropical timber sector has a key role in achieving the forest management and conservation goals of COP26, and this requires the private sector, government and civil society coming together to promote governance and sustainable management of resources", she added.
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World leaders at COP26 have agreed to stop deforestation "by 2030", with signatories including Jair Bolsonaro, Xi Jingping and Joe Biden. However, Bolsonaro, the current President of Brazil, has come under fire for the increasing levels of deforestation in the Amazon that have resulted from his presidency.
Curbing deforestation is also considered essential in curbing greenhouse gas emissions to meet the 1.5°C goals as laid out by the Paris Climate Agreement.
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