We continue to lose forests, along with the endangered animals that live in them, at the rate of 36 football fields per minute.
Big problems need bold targets, and so WWF is targeting zero net deforestation by 2020.
Zero Net Deforestation
Why this deforestation target?
We aim to:- bring together efforts to halt deforestation across various international initiatives (e.g. Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, CBD Programme of Work on Forests)
- set a global benchmark against which the success of these efforts can be measured
What does "Zero NET Deforestation" mean?
- First, “Zero net deforestation” is not the same as "zero deforestation", which means no deforestation anywhere. Rather, it leaves room for change in the configuration of the land-use mosaic, provided the net quantity, quality and carbon density of forests is maintained.
- Conserve as much of the world’s remaining natural forests as possible, to maximise the conservation of biodiversity and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Zero Net Deforestation by 2020 needs to be translated into a greenhouse gas emission reduction target. Countries should commit to reducing gross forest-based greenhouse gas emissions by at least 75% by 2020, with a view to eliminating nearly all human induced forest emissions by 2030.
related resources
Ministers of 60 countries attending the CBD COP9 signed on to WWF's postcard calling for zero net deforestation by 2020.
Zero Net Deforestation is possible
Many countries have made efforts to stop forest loss, with some remarkable achievements.Examples include the Amazon Regional Protected Area (ARPA) Programme, and the three-country Heart of Borneo initiative.
The Zero Deforestation Law – which was introduced by Paraguay in 2004, has dropped the rate of deforestation in Paraguay’s Atlantic Forests in the period 2005/06 by an incredible 85%.
How will we achieve Zero Net Deforestation?
Effective strategies will involve a range of measures.- REDD (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) initiatives;
- integrated land-use policies and planning processes;
- protection and sustainable management of forests;
- socially and environmentally responsible afforestation and reforestation; and
- promoting responsible consumption and production of forest-related goods and agricultural commodities.
What about forest degradation?
Avoiding forest degradation is just as important as stopping net deforestation. Often, forest degradation is a process whereby areas of natural forest are gradually transformed into degraded land or replaced by other land uses.
Sustainable forest management is a critical strategy to avoid “death by a thousand cuts” scenarios, where forests are progressively degraded to the point where they are vulnerable to fire, invasive species, encroachment or conversion to other land-uses.
Sustainable forest management is a critical strategy to avoid “death by a thousand cuts” scenarios, where forests are progressively degraded to the point where they are vulnerable to fire, invasive species, encroachment or conversion to other land-uses.
Reversing deforestation can only be achieved with the support of public and private sector actors, all parts of the supply chain from producer to consumer and their financiers, and the local stakeholders in places threatened by deforestation.
It will also require strong collaboration across relevant international processes e.g. UNFCCC, CBD and UNFF.
It will also require strong collaboration across relevant international processes e.g. UNFCCC, CBD and UNFF.
