Opportunities
Sustainable forest management is possible and viable
| Although SFM is a complex, challenging, multidimensional and dynamic concept, several examples in different regions of the world have demonstrated that it can be economically, socially and environmentally viable. Based on the wealth of practical examples, it is clear that SFM is a viable proposition in many contexts. Moreover, it is essential if society is to maintain the forests and the flow of many products and services they provide for future generations. Preventing forest degradation and deforestation through SFM is much more cost-effective than large-scale forest restoration, which requires financial resources that are beyond the economic means of many landowners and governments. An enabling environment is essential for SFM implementation. In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly, referring to sustainable development, acknowledged that democracy, good governance and the rule of law, at national and international levels, are vital. In addition to these, the enabling environment for SFM includes supporting policies and legislation on forests, effective enforcement, adequate institutional arrangements, well-functioning markets for forest goods and services, and appropriate financing mechanisms. Proper land-use planning and its implementation are key for enabling the implementation of SFM. | VIDEO: State of the World's Forests 2016: Forests and agriculture - land use challenges and opportunities
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Forest in Fujian Province, China, is managed for sustainable production of timber and maintenance of ecosystem services. ©FAO/Kenichi Shono
SFM and SDGs
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
Among the 17 SDGs, forests appear most prominently under SDG 15 “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss” with specific forest-related targets in relation to SFM, restoration and conservation. SFM has significant roles to play in achieving all targets under SDG 15, including reducing deforestation and degradation, halting biodiversity loss, reducing the impact of invasive alien species, combating poaching and trafficking of protected species, and promoting fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
It is important to emphasize, however, that the impacts of forests and trees go well beyond SDG 15 to contribute to achieving multiple goals and targets across the 2030 Agenda, from tackling poverty and hunger to mitigating climate change and conserving biodiversity. Managing forests sustainably benefits both urban and rural communities and is essential to the planet’s health and productive future. Strategies to achieve the SDGs should consider interlinkages with forests and trees.
The State of World’s Forests 2020 examined in detail the role of forests and trees in helping to achieve sustainable development. The publication sheds light on the profound interlinkages between forests and many goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda, enabling policymakers to strike the right balance in actions, investments and partnerships directed towards food security, poverty alleviation, conservation of natural resources and, ultimately, finding pathways for sustainable development.
Further reading:
Forests and sustainable development: The role of SDG 15 in delivering the 2030 agenda (WWF, 2018)
Special Forests Issue "The Role of Forests for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)"
Forest Sector SDG Roadmap (WBCSD, 2019)
A need for integrated and multisectoral support
Forests, mining and agriculture in a landscape in North Sumatra, Indonesia. ©FAO/Kenichi ShonoForests are impacted by larger drivers from outside the forest sector, including macroeconomic policies and competition for land for agriculture, mining, infrastructure development, etc. Land-use pressures, as well as policies and financial systems that do not adequately account for the full value of forests, have significant impacts on forest management. There is a need, therefore, for greater intersectoral cooperation to ensure an enabling environment for SFM. This is an additional challenge for SFM implementation in diverse national and local contexts.
Integrating forest considerations in national policies and strategies related to rural development, agriculture, food security, and infrastructural investment is crucial. Even though the role of forests in local livelihoods is increasingly recognized, lack of solid and quantitative evidence of this role results in inadequate consideration of forests in national poverty alleviation and sustainable development strategies. Such evidence should be collected, analysed and disseminated as part of forest-sector monitoring and reporting to facilitate dialogue with government and other stakeholders on the need to create an enabling environment for the forest sector.
Intensive agricultural production systems to meet food, wood and fibre needs have come at a high price to society and the environment. The agricultural gains in the past fifty years have come at the cost of adverse impacts on the natural resource base. These include loss of forests, land degradation, loss of biodiversity and habitats of a variety of flora and fauna, and reduction in the flow of ecosystem services. Further consequences include the negative externalities caused by production practices, including pollution of water sources, overuse of surface and groundwater, loss of wetlands, soil fertility decline, environmental and health impacts of pesticides, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the use of fertilizers and fossil fuels.
Considering the growing pressure on natural resources, strengthened governance will be necessary to address the complex linkages and growing competition among the various land-use sectors. More integrated, cross-sectoral and coherent approaches, including those based on landscapes, agricultural heritage systems, agroecology, ecosystems, and value chains, are needed to change policies and practices towards sustainability. When implemented, such approaches help optimize the management of resources to ensure food security and nutrition in light of different and often competing development goals, as well as to meet societal demands in the short, medium and long term. Furthermore, sustainable agriculture, forestry and fisheries offer significant potential to build resilience, adapt and mitigate climate change impacts.