Context
Recently, the XV World Forestry Congress, held in Seoul, South Korea adopted the Seoul Forest Declaration identifying priority areas with potential to lead to a green, healthy and resilient future.
About World Forestry Council
- The first World Forestry Congress was first held in Rome in 1926. After that, it is held about every six years by the UN-FAO.
- In 1954, FAO was entrusted with supporting Congress preparations in close cooperation with the host country and proudly continues to do so today. .
- It has been providing a forum for inclusive discussion on the key challenges and way forward for the forestry sector.
- The theme of the World Forestry Council was Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future.
- It was hosted by the Republic of Korea and co-organized with FAO.
- It was the second congress held in Asia, with Indonesia hosting the first Congress in Asia in 1978.
- The gathering drew more than 15 000 participants from over 140 countries either in person or online, in the first event of its kind since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other takeaways
- Close cooperation among nations is needed to address challenges that transcend political boundaries.
- This was strengthened at the Congress by the launch of new partnerships such as the:
- Assuring the Future of Forests with Integrated Risk Management (AFFIRM) Mechanism and
- Sustaining an Abundance of Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Initiative.
About Seoul Forest Declaration
- It identifies priority areas with potential to lead to a green, healthy and resilient future.
- It urges that responsibility for forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders.
- Investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030.
- Move towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.
About Forest landscape restoration
- Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is the ongoing process of regaining ecological functionality and enhancing human well-being across deforested or degraded forest landscapes.
- FLR is more than just planting trees – it is restoring a whole landscape to meet present and future needs and to offer multiple benefits and land uses over time.
- FLR manifests through different processes such as: new tree plantings, managed natural regeneration, agroforestry, or improved land management to accommodate a mosaic of land uses, including agriculture, protected wildlife reserves, managed plantations, riverside plantings and more.
