23 June 2014: An ideal forests scenario for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would include two forest-specific targets, according to Eduardo Rojas-Briales, chair of the 14-member Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) and Assistant Deputy Director-General for Forestry, at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), in an interview during World Forest Week. Forests are specifically referenced under Proposed Goal 15 in the ‘Zero Draft’ on the SDGs, which was released by the Co-Chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG) on the SDGs.

Rojas-Briales said a two-target forest option “allows a clearer focus than bundling all into one” and could include targets on sustainable forest management (SFM), with an emphasis on the socio-economic benefits for forest-dependent communities and a second target on stopping and reverting deforestation. Rojas-Briales cautioned against viewing forests only through the lenses of biodiversity preservation, climate change or timber production, underscoring the importance of balancing forest conversion and timber extraction with forest ecosystem services.

In a separate press release, FOREST EUROPE suggests ensuring visibility of the services provided by forests and the importance of SFM through the establishment of adequate indicators for monitoring proposed goals and targets. FAO and the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) organized an Expert Workshop on forests and SDGs on 16 June in Geneva, Switzerland, that discussed a proposed set of indicators.

World Forest Week is taking place in parallel to the 22nd meeting of the Committee on Forestry (COFO 22) in Rome, Italy, from 23-27 June. The OWG discussed the Zero Draft during OWG 12, which took place from 16-20 June in New York, US. [Rojas-Briales Interview] [Forest Europe Press Release] [IISD RS Story on Zero Draft] [IISD RS Coverage of OWG 12] [Committee on Forestry and World Forest Week website]