UN Report Says World Falling Short on 2030 Forest Goals
UNITED NATIONS — The world is not making enough progress to meet the Global Forest Goals by 2030, according to a new United Nations report.
The Global Forest Goals Report 2026 found that only seven of 26 targets have been broadly achieved. Seventeen are partially on track, while two remain off target.
The report draws on voluntary national reports from 48 countries that account for 51% of global forest coverage, along with the latest international data. It provides the most current assessment of progress under the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030 and its six Global Forest Goals.
Global forest area declined by more than 40 million hectares between 2015 and 2025, the report said. It also identified a major financing gap for sustainable forest management.
Despite the setbacks, many countries have introduced policy changes, expanded forest restoration programs, strengthened governance and increased international cooperation to protect forests.
Progress remains uneven across regions. The report cited gains in protected forest areas, long-term management planning and forest monitoring systems, but warned that deforestation, climate change, wildfires, pests and illegal activity continue to threaten forests worldwide.
The report said faster action is needed to halt deforestation, restore degraded land, expand protected and sustainably managed forests, improve forest-related governance, close the financing gap for sustainable forest management and develop new financing mechanisms.
The findings were released at the opening of the 21st session of the UN Forum on Forests at UN Headquarters, where member states and partners are meeting to advance implementation of the goals.
The Global Forest Goals are six voluntary targets under the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030. They are aimed at halting deforestation, restoring degraded forests and promoting sustainable forest management.
The goals support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and seek to increase global forest area by 3%, or roughly 120 million hectares, by 2030. (Source: IANS)
