Report: Deforestation Worsens in 2022, Threatening Goal to End by 2030
By Steven Grattan
SAO PAULO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – A coalition of environmental organizations released a report on Monday suggesting that the world is not moving fast enough to meet its commitments to end deforestation by 2030, and that deforestation has actually worsened in 2022.
According to the annual Forest Declaration Assessment report, deforestation increased by 4% worldwide in 2022 compared to 2021, resulting in the destruction of approximately 66,000 square kilometers (25,000 square miles) of forests. This puts the world 21% off track to achieve the goal of ending deforestation by 2030. “The world’s forests are in crisis. The opportunity to make progress is passing us by,” said Erin Matson, a senior consultant at environmental group Climate Focus.
The report, conducted by a coalition of civil society and research organizations, evaluates progress towards various pledges and initiatives aimed at eliminating deforestation by 2030. This includes the commitments made at the 2021 United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, as well as the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests, which involved a smaller group of countries and several major companies.
The study also revealed that efforts to preserve old-growth tropical forests, which are valued for their high carbon content and diverse biodiversity, are 33% off track. In 2022 alone, 4.1 million hectares of these forests were lost.
During a news briefing, the researchers emphasized that the annual investment of $2.2 billion in public funds for forest protection projects is significantly below what is needed. The study also examined forest degradation, with researchers estimating that the extent of degraded forests is much larger than the area affected by deforestation.
Factors contributing to forest degradation include logging, livestock grazing, and road construction, according to Climate Focus.
However, the report also highlighted some areas of progress. Franziska Haupt, a lead author and managing partner at consultancy Climate Focus, stated that around 50 countries are on track to end forest loss, with notable reductions in deforestation observed in Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia. “Hope isn’t lost,” Haupt said. “These countries set clear examples that others must follow.”
Brazil, responsible for approximately 30% of global deforestation, has seen significant improvements with a new government that is more committed to combating deforestation than the previous administration, according to a representative from WWF Brazil. “This showcases the potential impact of countries that not only have strong environmental laws but also enforce them,” said Darragh Conway, lead on rights & governance for the Forest Declaration Assessment. (Reporting by Steven Grattan; Editing by Jake Spring, Katy Daigle, and Chizu Nomiyama)
