The Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 is a comprehensive review that tracks global progress toward sustainable forest management and commitments made by countries. It evaluates key indicators such as forest area, deforestation rates, forest restoration efforts, and sustainable management practices. The assessment aims to measure how well nations are progressing toward their forest-related targets, identify challenges, and promote actions to enhance forest conservation, restoration, and sustainable use worldwide by 2025.
"8.1 million hectares of forest were lost in 2024"
The Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 highlights several key findings regarding global progress toward sustainable forest management and forest-related commitments. Some of the main findings include:
Limited Progress on Forest Area Conservation
Despite commitments to halt deforestation and restore degraded forests, overall forest areas continue to decline in many regions, particularly in tropical forests.
Increased Forest Degradation
In addition to forest loss, many forests are experiencing degradation, which impacts biodiversity, carbon storage, and livelihoods.
Uneven Progress Across Regions
While some countries have made significant advances in policies and implementation, others lag behind, leading to uneven global progress
Growth in Forest Cover through Afforestation and Reforestation
Certain regions report positive outcomes through tree planting initiatives, but these efforts often do not fully compensate for losses in native forests.
Enhanced Policy Commitments
More countries are adopting policies aligned with sustainable forest management, but enforcement and implementation remain challenging.
Need for Greater Ambition and Action
The assessment underscores that current efforts are insufficient to meet global targets such as those set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New York Declaration on Forests.
Data Gaps and Monitoring Challenges
There are persistent gaps in reliable data and monitoring systems, which hinder tracking progress and making informed decisions.
The Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 highlights several financial institutions that are associated with contributing to deforestation through their financing activities. While the report emphasizes the role of various banks, some of the most frequently mentioned include:
- HSBC
- Standard Chartered
- Deutsche Bank
- UBS
- BNP Paribas
- Barclays
- JP Morgan Chase
- Citigroup
These banks have been identified as financing companies involved in activities such as agriculture, logging, and infrastructure projects that contribute to deforestation, particularly in tropical regions like the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia.
Overall, the Forest Declaration Assessment 2025 calls for increased ambition, stronger policies, better implementation, and improved data collection to accelerate progress toward sustainable forests worldwide.