September 2014: GRID-Arendal, a collaborative centre of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and Rainforest Foundation Norway have released a report on ‘The State of Rainforests 2014.’ The report is based on the 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and a remote sensing study by University of Maryland. The report considers rainforest biodiversity, drivers of loss, the conservation role played by indigenous peoples and local communities, and policy change to address deforestation.

Overall, the report notes that tropical rainforests currently cover about half of the area they once did, with an annual rate of loss of around 92,000 square kilometers. At the same time, the report highlights the important role of forests in poverty alleviation, the provision of ecosystem services and food security. The publication concludes that deforestation in tropical rainforests must be addressed urgently and that, while change is possible, the breadth of issues to address, such as land tenure and agricultural expansion, are complex.

Based on the findings of the assessment, the report recommends, inter alia, that forests be integrated into the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), forest-dweller rights be recognized and respected, the private sector be engaged in positive, sustainable management, and laws combating deforestation be enforced.

This is the third time ‘The State of the Rainforest’ has been undertaken by the Rainforest Foundation Norway. [GRID-Arendal Press Release] [Publication: State of the Rainforest 2014]