Posted on October, 26 2023

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo (October 26, 2023): As the summit of the world’s three largest forest basins, Amazon, Congo, and South East Asia and South West Pacific, opens in Brazzaville, WWF calls on governments of tropical forest countries to build a robust alliance to coordinate and accelerate efforts to conserve, sustainably manage and restore precious forest ecosystems.

The Summit comes at a critical juncture for the fate of the world’s three tropical forest basins - deforestation globally continues to rise and an alarming 96% of this is happening in tropical regions. The planet’s two largest tropical forest basins, the Amazon and Congo, face tipping points that risk abrupt loss of the forest, global climate impacts, and threaten the homes, food security and livelihoods of the already vulnerable communities who depend on them.

Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, said: “The Three Basins Summit is an unmissable opportunity to deepen collaboration between tropical forest countries and to stimulate the action and finance needed to protect and restore Earth’s vital forest ecosystems. The world has committed to end deforestation by 2030, but we are dangerously off-track to meet this target. In a time of emergency for our planet, we must urgently accelerate from agreements and targets to transformative action. Every delay is a move closer to irredeemable damage to nature and climate, and its ability to meet human needs. Working together we can protect our natural world.”

The three forest basins cover one-third of the earth's land surface and are home to more than half of all terrestrial biological diversity. Along with the forests of the Southwest Pacific, they provide essential global and local services and goods that underpin human well-being. The Summit is a critical moment to mobilise financial flows for forests and accelerate the recognition and enforcement of rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. 

“People are at the centre of protection, restoration and sustainable forest management efforts in the three basins. It is vital that finance flows fairly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities who live in forests and that their land rights are recognised. Where tropical forests are under their stewardship, forests are better protected and deforestation and degradation rates are lower,” adds Kirsten Schuijt.

WWF is advocating for finance for forests to be rapidly scaled-up from both public and private sources, for it to be channelled in a transparent and equitable way to high-integrity tropical forests, and for governments and businesses to make good on their public commitments to halting forest loss, protecting, sustainably managing and restoring forests. These actions are essential for making continuous and meaningful annual progress towards global forest goals.

-ENDS-

CONTACT

WWF International media team: news@wwfint.org