1 November 2013: The Technical Support Team (TST) co-chaired by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has released an issues brief on forests, which highlights proposals on the integration of forests into the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The brief features the importance of forests and trees outside forests for sustainable development noting that about 1.6 billion people depend on forests, which support about 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and contain more carbon than the atmosphere. The brief also stresses that although the rate of deforestation has decreased in recent years, continuing deforestation increases vulnerability, reduces livelihood options and contributes to climate change.

With regard to forests and the SDGs, the brief presents two options, a stand-alone forest target and a cross-cutting SDG on integrated landscapes. The forest SDG would, according to the brief, facilitate the coordination of a number of existing forest initiatives and targets while capturing all of the values of forests. The brief also states that a specific SDG could focus attention on many of the most disadvantaged populations, which often inhabit forests and would provide an enabling framework for sustainable forest management (SFM).

With regard to an integrated landscapes SDG, the brief suggests that such a SDG could include forests, land, biodiversity, water and other renewable natural resources. The brief suggests that an integrated SDG would help place natural resources within all three pillars of sustainability, rather than limiting consideration to environmental sustainability alone. In doing so, the brief notes that an integrated SDG would highlight the economic, social, gender, and peace and security considerations of SFM. [Publication: TST Issues Brief – Forests]