Reverse deforestation and biodiversity loss

FAO Liaison Office with the Russian Federation in collaboration with Federal Forestry Agency and Central Scientific Agricultural Library has presented the FAO flagship publication “The State of the World's Forests 2020” (SOFO-2020) in the course of an online webinar. Mr. Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the Moscow-based FAO Office, moderated the discussion at the webinar attended by over 50 representatives of government institutions and experts in the field of forestry.

Kick-starting the discussion, O. Kobiakov noted that in connection with the conclusion of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011–2020, and preparing for the adoption of a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, the current issue of the biennial report “The State of the World's Forests 2020” (SOFO-2020), as the first joint study by FAO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), focuses on the contribution of forests and people in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Forests provide habitat for the vast majority of all known terrestrial plant and animal species. Regretfully, forests and the biodiversity they contain are threatened by the expansion of agricultural land and unsustainable use, often illegal.

In his welcome speech, Mr. Alexander Panfilov, Deputy Head of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) supported the need for a balanced approach to the use of forest resources in accordance with the concept of sustainable development, which will allow forests to continue to provide ecosystem services, support biological diversity, and serve as a source of livelihood for a significant segment of the population.

“Over the past eight thousand years, about half of all forests have disappeared, and most of these losses occurred in the last century,” Mr. Pamfilov noted. He has drawn attention to the fact that every year, the world's forest cover is reduced by 15 million hectares. The good news is that due to dedicated efforts by nations supported by FAO and other UN agencies and UN programmes, the rate of forest losses has been significantly reduced.

In Russia, there are more than 1000 species of trees and shrubs, of which 180 are native species. Special protected natural reserves with a total area of 241 million hectares will be expanded (there are plans to increase them by another 5 million hectares).

Mr. Pamfilov emphasized that Rosleskhoz in its activities proceeds from the fact that the effectiveness of the use of forest resources largely determines the welfare of the state and the well-being of its citizens.

Dr. Lidia Pirumova, Deputy Director for research at the Central Scientific Agrarian Library, expressed satisfaction with the fruitful cooperation with the Moscow FAO Liaison Office and informed the audience that all materials, including the publication SOFO-2020, will be accessible on the website of the library, which has been the Depository of FAO documents for many years.

Ms. Mette Wilkie, FAO Director of the Forest Policy and Resources Division, in a detailed format, presented the SOFO-2020 publication.

“Despite the fact that they cover less than 1/3 of the global land area, forests are home to most of Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity. There are more than 60,000 different tree species; 60% of all vascular plants are found in tropical forests alone; 80% of all amphibian species; 75% of all bird species and 68% of all mammal species all live in forests. As do more than 1 million insects and soil microbes,” Ms. Wilkie informed.

“And we’re not just talking about plants and animals found on land. Riparian forests provide shade and nutrients for freshwater plants and animals and along tropical coasts, mangroves provide breeding grounds and nurseries for fish and shellfish and trap sediments that might otherwise smother coral reefs.

“This means that the conservation of the world’s biodiversity is utterly dependent on the way in which we interact with and use the world’s forests. That is our first message,” the FAO expert noted.

“The second message is that All people depend upon forests and their biodiversity – some more than others. Forests provide the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and much of the food that we eat – and they help mitigate the consequences of climate change. 75% of accessible freshwater comes from forested watersheds while 87 of the 115 leading food crops – together representing 35% of global food production – benefit from pollination by animals – many of which live in forests.

Forests provide essential products, livelihoods & wellbeing. Forests provide over 86 million green jobs. 880 million people collect fuelwood or produce charcoal. 2.4 billion people use fuelwood for cooking – that is 1/3 of the global population. Of the people living in extreme poverty, over 90 percent are dependent on forests for at least part of their livelihoods. One billion people depend to some extent on wild foods – meat, berries, mushrooms and fish. Many of the more than 28,000 plants known to have medicinal use come from forests.

“The third message is that despite all these benefits and despite some progress, deforestation and forest degradation continue at alarming rates. According to statistics, 10 million ha of forest are converted to other uses each year. Although deforestation rate is down from 16 million ha/year in the 1990s. The main driver of deforestation is the expansion of agriculture with large-scale commercial agriculture accounting for 40% and smallholder subsistence agriculture for an additional 33%.

In conclusion, the FAO expert emphasized the need of solutions to balance conservation and sustainable use. Countries have pledged to restore more than 170 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forests by 2030. 

In his presentation of the SOFO-2020 report on the part of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP),Mr. Vladimir Moshkalo, Head of the UNEP Russia Office, highlighted the close link between the conservation of forests and biodiversity. Having stressing, “Our future depends largely on forests”, he called on all concerned, “we must take bold actions to reverse the loss of forests and their biodiversity for the benefit of people and the planet.”

The SOFO-2020 report notes, for example, that while one of the Aichi biodiversity goals, aimed to protect at least 17% of the Earth's land areas by 2020, has been achieved for forests, further measures are still needed to ensure that such protection is representative and effective.

Accordingly, to reverse the trend of deforestation and loss of biodiversity, we need transformational changes in the way we produce and consume food. We also need to conserve and manage forests and trees in an integrated landscape approach, and we must repair the damage to forests through efforts to restore them, the UN ecologist concluded.

Mr. Gianluca Sambucini, Chief of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE)/FAO Forestry and Timber Section, noted, “The Russian Federation will play a key role in meeting the targets of global agreements such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the Paris Climate Agreement, to name just a handful, as it accounts for approximately a fifth of the world’s forest area, with over 815 million hectares.

“This is why the importance of having this publication in the Russian language cannot be overstated. At the ECE/FAO Joint Forestry and Timber Section, we cooperate with the RF on a wide range of key issues, including on reporting on forests and sustainable forest management, wood products and energy, boreal forest and forests of the temperate zone, in particular, through the recently established – due to the Russian donation – working group,” the expert said.

Mr. Damien Bertrand, FAO Forest Officer, presented another recent FAO publication titled “The pollination services of forests… to enhance their cross-sectoral benefits” produced by FAO in collaboration with Bioversity International.

“Pollinators are vital for biological production and biodiversity. However, a global decline in pollinators has been documented,” Mr. Bertrand said. Since pollinators benefit from diverse natural habitats (including forests and trees) and practices, it is essential to preserve this friendly environment. 

“Landscape and forest management can help ensure the continued availability of pollinators with key landscape components and habitat connectivity, with practices that increase heterogeneity and restore habitats, and with a multisectoral approach with the involvement of stakeholders,” the FAO expert noted.

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In his closing remarks, O. Kobiakov informed the participants of the webinar about the events of the upcoming FAO Webinar Week on forestry in the COVID-19 environment (from 22 to 25 June, timed to coincide with the 25th session of the FAO Committee on Forestry, postponed due to the pandemic), and invited representatives of Russian specialized agencies and Russian experts to take an active part in it.

“Russia is a forest power that stretches across 11 time zones, where all types of forest ecosystems are present, with the exception of tropical ones. Its contribution to the international forest agenda is significant and highly sought-after, as evidenced by the publication in Russian of the flagship publication of FAO and UNEP on the state of the world’s forests,” concluded The Moscow FAO Office Director, calling on Russia to continue its donor support for the Organization’s programs.

During the discussion, FAO and UN experts answered numerous questions from over 50 participants of the webinar.

 

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The electronic version of the publication is available at:

http://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/CA8985EN

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You are welcome to view the video recording of the SOFO-2020 webinar:
https://fao.zoom.us/rec/share/7OtYP7TL7U9OTYnHw0CFRo8qM4bGT6a81iNM_acIyh3HbmP3vKCCErgdxkNbQNkC

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