Need to triple investments for restoring degraded land by 2030

Context

Recently, the Seoul Declaration has been adopted at the XV World Forestry Congress, in South Korea.

About the Seoul Declaration

• The Declaration was signed by 141 participant countries.
• It focuses on identifying key areas that can help combat multiple crises humanity faces.
• It urged the use of innovative technology and mechanisms to enable evidence-based forest and landscape decision-making and effective forest communication.
• It has collaborated with:
  • Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM) Mechanism
  • the Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) initiative
  • the Platform for REDD+ Capacity Building

Key-Points 

• The investment in forest and landscape restoration globally must be tripled by 2030 to implement global commitments and meet internationally agreed goals and targets.
• Forest-based solutions must include and respect the perspectives of family farmers, smallholders, forest communities, indigenous peoples, women, and youth.
• Forests must be maintained in a healthy and productive state to reduce the risk of future pandemics and to provide other essential benefits for the physical and mental health of mankind.
• The full potential of sustainably produced wood can be utilised to transform the building sector, along with providing renewable energy and innovative new materials.