In April 2021, the CPF released its joint statement entitled “Challenges and Opportunities in Turning the Tide on Deforestation” during the 16th session of the UN 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’ 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.