Posted on October, 19 2023

Deforestation and forest degradation around the world continues at an alarming rate, with much of it happening in tropical forests. 
 

• Three Basins Summit: WWF Expectation Paper
• Three Basins Summit: WWF Expectation Paper Summary
• Three Basins Summit: Congo Briefing
• Three Basins Summit: Amazon Briefing
• Three Basins Summit: Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific Briefing
• Three Basins Summit: A critical moment for forests

The Three Basins Summit comes at a critical juncture for the fate of the world’s forests. It provides an opportunity to spotlight the important role of tropical forests in addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, promoting sustainable development, as well as providing livelihoods for Indigenous Peoples and local communities that live in or close to forests. 

The world is off track to reduce and reverse forest loss by 2030, as committed to by 145 government leaders at the UN climate change conference, COP26, in Glasgow.

Without urgent action to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation across the Amazon, Congo Basin, Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific, it will be impossible to deliver on nature, climate and sustainable development goals and commitments. 

WWF calls on the countries joining the Summit to:
 

• Develop more synergies to advance a joint biodiversity and climate agenda
• Expand regional and international multi-stakeholder dialogue to generate incentives for green industries, payments for ecosystem services and supply chain traceability 
• Maintain the integrity of the forests of the three basins and protect remaining intact forests
• Galvanize equitable and high integrity ecosystem restoration
• Reform financial mechanisms to support green finance
• Accelerate recognition of rights and land tenure, and direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and local communities
• Expand scientific and technical cooperation, and capacity development among the countries of the three basins

WWF’s full recommendations and reflections on the Summit’s agenda and objectives are outlined in the expectations paper.

Forests are at the heart of WWF’s work - we’ve supported the creation of protected areas, helped move the forest sector towards sustainability and transparency, galvanized momentum around forest landscape restoration; and we’re working across the world - with local and global partners - to halt deforestation, help restore forests and put deforestation-free commitments into action.

Find out more: panda.org/forests