Need to triple investments for restoring degraded land by 2030: Seoul Declaration

What is the News?

The Seoul Declaration was adopted at the XV World Forestry Congress.

What is the World Forestry Congress?

World Forestry Congress is a forum for the exchange of views and experiences on all aspects of forests and forestry. This may lead to the formulation of broad recommendations applicable at national, regional and global levels.

The Congress is held approximately once every six years. The first Congress was held in Italy in 1926. 

Organized by: Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) helps host countries organize the congress.

Where was XV World Forestry Congress organized?

Organized by: Republic of Korea and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Theme: Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient Future with Forests.

What are the key highlights from Congress?

Adoption of Seoul Declaration

The Seoul Declaration focuses on how forests can help combat the multiple crises humanity faces, including climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation, hunger and poverty. The key provisions of the declaration are:

Firstly, responsibility for forests should be shared and integrated across institutions, sectors and stakeholders underlining that forests transcend political, social and environmental boundaries and are vital for biodiversity and the carbon, water and energy cycles at a planetary scale.

Secondly, investment in forest and landscape restoration globally needs to triple by 2030 to meet internationally agreed commitments and targets on restoring degraded land.

Thirdly, it called for innovative green financing mechanisms to upscale investment in forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use, and highlighted the potential of sustainably produced wood as a renewable, recyclable and versatile material.

Fourthly, healthy, productive forests must also be maintained to reduce the risk of future pandemics and to provide other essential benefits for human physical and mental health.

Lastly, the declaration urged the continued development and use of emerging innovative technologies and mechanisms to enable evidence-based forest and landscape decision-making.

Source: The post is based on the article “Need to triple investments for restoring degraded land by 2030: Seoul Declaration” published in Down To Earth on 17th May 2022.