Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA)
According to the recent Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA) the world has failed to prevent deforestation.
- According to the Forest Declaration Assessment (FDA), forests equal to the area of Ireland have been destroyed in the year 2021.
- FDA is an independent and civil society-led initiative. It aims to assess progress towards the global goals of halting deforestation and rejuvenating 350 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.
- These goals are set through international manifestos. These include the New York Declaration on Forests (2014) and the Glasgow Leaders Declaration on Forests and Land Use (2021).
Key findings of the report
- The world is not progressing towards the goals of preventing loss and degradation of forests by 2030.
- The worldwide deforestation rate has registered a marginal decline of only 6.3% in the year 2021 as compared to the baseline for the year 2018-20.
- Brazil had the largest share of deforestation in the world in 2021.
- Global demand for mined commodities such as beef, timber and fossil fuels is primarily responsible for the loss of forests.
- Nations are lagging behind in providing financial assistance for conservation and restoration of forests. The total ‘mitigation finance’ for forests averages $2.3 billion per year.
Key suggestions
- Governments, companies and civil society must collaborate to accelerate forest action plans.
- The public budget framework should include forest risks and impacts.
- To meet the goals by 2030, 200 times more funding for forests is needed.
- The harmful agricultural subsidies and other incentives (domestic and international) responsible for deforestation and forest degradation should be reviewed.
Source – The Hindu
