2020 NYDF Progress Assessment Launched Today!
2020 is a crucial year for review of and reflection on forest goals for the NYDF and the global community. Rather than halving since 2014—a 2020 target in NYDF Goal 1—the rate of natural forest loss has increased. Ending natural forest loss by 2030 will require a rapid paradigm shift by the global community towards valuing forests for their essential benefits and prioritizing their protection.
The 2020 NYDF Progress Assessment focuses on two complementary,
crucial goals for achieving sustainable development:
- Goal 3. Significantly reduce deforestation derived from other economic sectors by 2020
- Goal 4. Support alternatives to deforestation driven by basic needs (such as subsistence farming and reliance on woodfuel for energy) in ways that alleviate poverty and promote sustainable and equitable development
Read the full report here!
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NYDF Goal 3 Event: Global Landscapes Forum (October 2020)
On 29 October 2020 the NYDF Platform and NYDF Assessment Partners hosted a session at the GLF Biodiversity 2020 Conference: For Forests’ Sake: Transforming extractives industries and infrastructure to achieve NYDF Goal 3. The event and its panel of experts heightened awareness of the compounding threats to forests from large-scale infrastructure development and natural resource extraction, and the relative lack of transparency and accountability in these sectors and the barriers to progress and levers for change. Speakers included:
- Vinamra Mathur, Youth4Nature
- Erin D. Matson, Climate Focus
- Diego Moreno, government of Ecuador
- Laura George, Amerindian Peoples Association
- Marcela Bocchetto, Anglo American
- Pippa Howard, Flora and Fauna International
- Estelle Levin-Nally, Levin Sources
This discussion shared the findings of the 2020 NYDF Progress Assessment. Key takeaways from the session included the necessity for transparency and accountability within mining and infrastructure, protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, and incentivizing responsible sourcing. Read more in this summary blog, watch the recording here and delve into a detailed White Paper for the session background.
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New Endorser!: Grupo Éxito
One of the largest and well-known retailers in Latin America endorses the New York Declaration on Forests. “We are happy to be part of the New York Declaration for Forests, at Grupo Éxito we are committed to the conservation and protection of biodiversity. We work hand in hand with our suppliers and allies to implement sustainable production models ” says Pablo Montoya, Head of Sustainability at Grupo Éxito.
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Costa Rica receives 54 million dollars for its leadership in conservation and action for climate new Ministerio de Ambiente y Energia de Costa Rica: Declaración Ministra de Ambiente Huella del Futuro
"Costa Rica became the first Central American country to receive non-reimbursable funds from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), due to its successful results in reducing GHG emissions, associated with deforestation in the 2014-2015 period". And Costa Rica's recent Ministerial Declaration "Huella del Futuro" sets out a long-term plan for continued action on climate and forests, promising to increase the country's forest cover to 60% by 2030 while addressing the difficult economic situation of vulnerable groups.
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Climate Change: Protecting the Rainforest Through Your Shopping Basket
In a recent move made by the UK government, firms will be unable to sell products if supply chains are violating forest protection laws. This includes a variety of common raw materials like palm oil, beef, and timber. The government's strict actions are in response to continued deforestation and the environmental impacts felt globally from forest destruction.
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EU Taking First Steps to Bring Forestry Into Carbon Market
The European Commission’s 2030 climate plan presented two weeks ago, places more emphasis on forestry and agriculture in the EU’s fight against climate change. In particular, the Commission said the capacity of forests to act as “carbon sinks” has been decreasing over the years and needs to be reversed.
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It's Time to Invest in Ethiopia's Forest Sector
The production of honey, beeswax, bamboo for furniture, and other forest products have collectively contributed to $2.6 billion into the the country's GDP. With recent efforts to reverse deforestation through forest growth, a pledge to the pan-African AFR100 Initiative, and investment in a greener economy Ethiopia is working to protect the environment their livelihoods are reliant on.
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Complicity in Destruction III: Amazon Watch Calls Out U.S. Financial Institutions for Financing Amazon Destruction
This new edition of Complicity in Destruction III, published by the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples (APIB) in partnership with Amazon Watch, reveals how a network of leading international financial institutions is linked to conflicts on Indigenous lands, illegal deforestation, land grabbing, the weakening of environmental protections, and the production and export of conflict commodities. Read the full report here and learn more about the campaign here.
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Climate Justice is at the Center of the Biden-Harris Plan for Tribal Nations
Tribal Nations in the U.S. are experiencing the exacerbating effects of climate change on their daily lives including land erosion, droughts, wildfires, and flooding. In this new Administration, Biden and Harris alongside tribal leaders, have planned to address these concerns on their lands through a climate change plan to ensure the protection of tribes from these environmental impacts.
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Without Indigenous Peoples, We Can't Stop Nature's Destruction
A proposed global goal to conserve 30% of land and seas by 2030 must take into account the rights and contributions of Indigenous communities.
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Madagascar Experiments with Drones for Its Massive Reforestation Effort
Utilizing drones, Madagascar intends to drop 400,000 tree seeds in isolated areas of the country in a massive reforestation effort. This could mean a growth of 60 million trees per year. These staggering numbers are in response to the threat of forests in Madagascar, of which 23% has been lost since 2000.
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Paper Giant APRIL Linked to Borneo Forest Clearing Despite Zero-Deforestation Vow
Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) has allegedly broken its zero-deforestation vow by sourcing their wood from a company in Indonesian Borneo.
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Creative Community-based Policies in Bhutan Reveal Benefits of Planted Forests
An innovative community-based forest management policy has resolved a long-simmering land-use conflict between migratory yak herders and sedentary residents in a remote area of Bhutan.
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BBC Radio 4: Monthly Series on Forests with Charlotte Streck
During the course of the year Climate Focus director Charlotte Streck will comment once a month on current deforestation trends on BBC's Radio 4. In doing so, she reacts to the most recent deforestation trends picked up by Global Forest Watch and its “Places to Watch“ initiative. With data provided by the World Resources Institute’s online platform and the context provided by Charlotte, listeners can learn what makes a forest, how forests can help slow down global heating, why agricultural land use is endangering tropical forests, and many other aspects.
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FAO Publications: Better Data, Better Decisions
Decisions based on data and analysis are often deemed to produce a better outcome and providing decision-makers with information is seen as an important development strategy. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals reinforces the importance of science-policy linkages. In the forestry sector, efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) have created opportunities for forest monitoring capacity development over the past decade, which can support forest management and domestic policy-making in addition to international reporting. This paper explores country examples, and considers how forest monitoring can inform problem-solving, especially on public policy.
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The Rio Branco Declaration: Assessing Progress Toward A Near-Term Voluntary Deforestation Reduction Target in Substantial Jurisdictions Across the Tropics
This report examines the Rio Branco Declaration and the signatories' pledge to reduce deforestation 80% by this year pending international support. Through identification of progress, support, and the components contributing to slower progress this paper looks at each countries' target and the monetary support promised to influence the effectiveness of this declaration for voluntary actors.
How Can Jurisdictional Approaches to Sustainability Protect and Enhance the Rights and Livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
This paper analyzes the sustainable legal approaches that protect and expand upon the rights of IPLCs, noting that while there is inclusion in many national frameworks, their implementation remains inconsistent. With IPLCs participation not required in many governing bodies, their knowledge is still underutilized in policy development. Through the Guiding Principles of Collaboration, this could support accountability to IPLC groups and foster improved sustainable action.
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Trase for Finance
Trase Finance brings unprecedented transparency to the hundreds of billions of dollars that directly and indirectly finance tropical deforestation each year. This enables financial institutions to improve the sustainability of their portfolios. And it allows civil society and governments to monitor progress and better hold to account those failing to act. Trase Finance builds on Trase's unique supply chain mapping capabilities, linking the trade of commodities that drive deforestation to financial markets worldwide.
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Forest 500 Report: Fueling the Fires
One year ago, 235 investors demanded action from companies linked to deforestation following the catastrophic fires in the Amazon. This helped raise public and corporate awareness of the issue. Yet the problem is getting worse. The first six months of this year saw record levels of deforestation in the Amazon, fires again consume vast areas, and the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the human crisis in the Amazon. Global Canopy has assessed whether the investors that signed last year’s statement have built on this positive step by setting and implementing a clear deforestation policy for their own investments. Only 33 of 235 have done so. For the rest, formalizing their expectations of companies and their engagement strategies in a clear policy is a vital next step.
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Landscape Finance Lab: Incubating Sustainable Landscapes
This platform houses a variety of workshops and webinars to utilize in the support sustainable landscapes. The 1000 Landscapes Initiative, Landscapes as Carbon Sinks, the Dutch Fund for Climate and Development, and the Landscape Sourcing Report all act as tools and resources to utilize in an effort to protect landscapes from degradation through various sectors.
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Supporting a Resilient, Sustainable and Green COVID-19 Recovery in Brazil, Indonesia, Liberia, and Paraguay
Through four country specific reports, the Good Growth Partnership examines the continued strain the COVID-19 pandemic is causing to soy, beef, and palm oil supply chains. Financial innovations, green recovery, and facilitating pledges from traders to halt deforestation are all potential supporting roles GGP analyzes as sustainable solutions.
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The Inevitable Forest Finance Response: Investor Opportunities
Climate policy will inevitably reverse historic losses in forest cover given the affordability and broader attractiveness of land-based emissions reductions. Net-zero target announcements will accelerate over the coming five years. These policies will rely heavily on ending deforestation and shifting to forest restoration as one of the world’s only massively scalable options for negative emissions.
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Virtual Conversation: Business Action in and Beyond Supply Chains
This conversation featured experts in the field including Carlos Manuel Rodríguez and Wai-Chan Chan, discussing private sector and government cooperation to strengthen sustainable agricultural commodity production through varying pathways including landscape and multi-level government initiatives.
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Estimating the Role of Seven Commodities in Agriculture-Linked Deforestation
A major contributor to deforestation is agriculture, however, palm oil, soy, cattle, plantation wood fiber, cocoa, coffee, and plantation rubber are also significant drivers of forest loss. This report studies these seven commodities and their environmental impacts through spatial data.
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Upcoming Events
From Risk to Opportunity: Climate Transitions and Tropical Commodities (7 December 2020): Together with ministers and senior officials from the UK and German governments, Orbitas will lead a high-level panel alongside private sector leaders to discuss the risks and opportunities climate transitions present to the tropical commodities sector. At the event, Orbitas will publish its analysis of the impacts, risks, and opportunities financiers and producers in the tropical soft commodity sector will face from the world's responses to climate change.
Global Ethical Finance Initiative: Path to COP26 Conference (Dates TBA 2021): In 2021, the eyes of the world will be focused on Scotland, when senior politicians from across the globe convene in Glasgow to negotiate the acceleration of efforts to tackle climate change. COP26 will be the most important climate summit since the landmark Paris Agreement was ratified at COP21 in 2015. To limit global warming to 1.5 °C, as agreed in Paris, CO2 emissions must fall by about 45 percent by 2030 from a 2010 baseline. In Glasgow, global leaders will be challenged to demonstrate tangible progress on their ambitious climate pledges that will help to transform our economies and societies.
Private Sector Engagement in Landscape and Jurisdictional Initiatives Session 2: How companies can engage, and what claims can be made about their engagement? (7 December 2020): In continuation of session 1, this session will deep-dive on practical ways that companies can engage in landscape and jurisdictional initiatives. The audience will hear from companies on their work in these key landscapes. The ISEAL Alliance will also be sharing their Good Practice Guide on the Verification of Jurisdictional Claims.
Payment for Ecosystem Services, a Finance Option for Restoration (26 November 2020): This webinar continues the conversation on Financing Forest and Landscape Restoration, specifically regarding Payments for Environmental Services. Guest speakers from Cameroon and DRC will share their work in the field and note challenges to sustainability. The event will be available in French.
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Past Events
- The Global Ethical Finance Initiative: Ethical Finance 2020 Conference oversaw, organized and coordinated a series of programs to promote finance for positive change. Along with delivering practical projects, GEFI annually hosts in Edinburgh the premier platform that convenes the world’s foremost business, political, civic and social leaders of society to network, share, co-develop and shape a fairer, more sustainable financial system.
- Race to Zero Dialogues is an ongoing series, in partnership with the Marrakech Partnership, focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation actions to achieve a zero carbon future. These discussions included reducing tropical deforestation while maintaining food security, recognizing the growing support for NBS in business and finance sectors, and financing the decade of climate action. On November 12th, two Equator Prize winners were also featured regarding their work with water as a pathway to transformative solutions.
- Private Sector Engagement in Landscape and Jurisdictional Initiatives Session 1: Why and where should companies engage? This is a webinar, co-hosted by Proforest and UNDP, to tackle ways in which to halt deforestation caused by raw materials reliant supply chains. Through conversations by companies addressing these challenges and published resources from UNDP and Proforest, this discussion provides sources and guidance on how companies can achieve deforestation free commodities.
- AFI: Reporting on Forest-Risk Commodities (17 November 2020): This session featured a guide for how participants can use the Accountability Framework to guide sustainability reporting and how key reporting platforms are aligning with the Framework to provide greater consistency and clarity in reporting requirements.
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The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) outlines ten ambitious global targets to protect and restore forests and end natural forest loss by 2030. The NYDF is endorsed by 200 governments, companies, NGOs, and indigenous peoples organizations. The Global Platform for the New York Declaration on Forests (“NYDF Global Platform”) was launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in November 2017 and is dedicated to supporting and accelerating achievement of the global goals expressed in the New York Declaration on Forests. Click here to view the declaration.
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This newsletter is not an endorsement of the organizations featured but intends to provide relevant stories, news, events, and updates to the NYDF community.
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