News: The 2025 Forest Declaration Assessment warns 2024 losses keep the world far off halting deforestation and restoring ecosystems by 2030.
About Forest Declaration Assessment 2025
- Forest Declaration Assessment is an annual, researched and peer-reviewed progress assessment on global forests, covering deforestation, degradation, restoration, biodiversity, finance, rights, and governance.
- Published by: Forest Declaration Assessment (coordinated by Climate Focus)
- Established as: New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) Progress Assessment
- Launched at: It was launched to track progress toward the NYDF’s 10 voluntary goals adopted at the 2014 UN Climate Summit.
- Established in: It was established in 2015.
- Present name: In 2022, the name changed to Forest Declaration Assessment.
- Endorsements: Russia, China, India and South Africa has not yet endorsed the NYDF.
Key Findings
- Scale and trajectory
- 8.1 million hectares of forest were lost in 2024; the world is 63% off track to halt deforestation by 2030.
- Tropical forests were worst hit, with 6.73 million hectares lost in 2024.
- Degradation and restoration
- Forest degradation affected 8.8 million hectares in 2024.
- Restoration projects cover 10.6 million hectares (about 5.4% of global reforestation potential and 0.3% of global biophysical forest restoration potential); data remain fragmented.
- Finance action
- International public finance for forests has increased to about $5.7–$5.9 billion per year,
- To meet the 2030 goals, the report estimates that the world needs between $117 billion and $299 billion in financing.
- Drivers of forest loss:
- Permanent agriculture: It accounts for about 86% of global deforestation over the last decade.
- Fire: It is a major cause of loss in 2024 (linked to land clearing, climate-change-induced drought, and limited law enforcement).
- Commodity demand: Rising demand for soy, beef, timber, coal, and metals drives clearance.
- Mining expansion: Gold and coal mining are growing sources of deforestation.
- Logging and monocrops: Expansion supported by subsidies contributes to forest clearance.
- Misaligned incentives: Large agricultural subsidies (~$409 billion annually) outweigh limited forest finance (~$5.7–$5.9 billion), encouraging deforestation.
- Weak enforcement: Limited law enforcement enables illegal burning and clearing.
- Limited rights and participation: Restricted roles for Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, and civil society undermine conservation.
- Industry dominance: Political and economic power of industry in many countries leads to policies that allow deforestation and degradation.
