Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options
Forests and Trees for Human Health: Pathways, Impacts, Challenges and Response Options
The United Nations estimates that less than half of the global population is covered by essential health services. Adding to the low rate of coverage, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused further healthcare disruptions that could reverse decades of improvements. Moreover, in recent years, there has been a surge in zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Malaria, and the avian flu, and illness and deaths from such diseases are expected to spike in the future. Several studies have concluded that nature, particularly forests, contributes to physical and mental well-being and can notably improve human health.
The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can strengthen the momentum for combatting these pressing challenges. The third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This global assessment report aims to contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by highlighting the nexus between SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 15: Life on Land, as well as relevant links to other SDGs.
A total of 44 scientists and experts contributed to this assessment, with a core Expert Panel of 16 scientists with diverse expertise, including forestry, ecology, landscape design, psychology, medicine, epidemiology, and public health.
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Global assessment of forest education
Global assessment of forest education
The role of the forest in countries’ efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are widely recognized. To maximize the contribution of forests to the SDGs, a workforce trained in forestry and a broad range of other forestrelated disciplines are needed as are widespread public knowledge and understanding of forest topics. However, recent literature highlights concerns that forest education is often not meeting the fast-changing needs of the labour market and the importance of forests and of forest managers and policymakers is often under-appreciated. The scope of this report covers education and training related to forests, trees outside forests and other wooded land (i.e. natural forests, forest plantations, woodlands, agroforests and urban forests). It includes education delivered through programmes of forestry and forest sciences as well as programmes of broader scope, (e.g. natural resources management, environmental sciences). It covers all levels of formal education: primary, secondary, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and universities and colleges (UC). This report reveals awareness of some overarching actions that would benefit forest education, including ameliorating a negative public image of professional forestrelated jobs and careers; developing better collaboration between educational institutions, the forest sector (private and public) and the general public; improving demographic diversity in the post-secondary student population; and strengthening digital readiness at all levels of education. The data collected by global survey on forest education supplemented by the six regional consultations represent a wealth of current information on the status and needs in forest education.
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Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030
Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests is an innovative voluntary inter-agency partnership established in 2001 to support the UN Forum on Forests and its Member States, and to enhance cooperation and coordination on forest issues. Through its resolution 2015/33, the UN Economic and Social Council defined the core functions of the CPF as a component of the International Arrangement on Forests. The CPF is comprised of 16 global international organizations, institutions and secretariats that all have substantial programmes on forests. On 18 September 2023, the Heads and senior representatives of the CPF member organizations met to commit to reinforcing actions to strengthen global and national efforts to fully unlock the contribution of forests to SDGs and achieve the CPF joint vision for forests towards 2030, by launching The CPF Joint Call to Action for Forests towards 2030.Convinced that renewed and enhanced commitment, anchored in international solidarity and effective cooperation, and collective action are needed, The CPF Joint Call to Action is a vehicle to bring much needed attention to the importance of achieving the Global Forest Goals and to the contribution of forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use to achieving the SDGs. This is even more urgent considering the global climate crisis, biodiversity loss, wildfires, and the need to support vulnerable people across the globe and acknowledging that the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit is a critical moment to take stock of progress made, address remaining barriers, and accelerate action for achieving joint vision for forests by 2030. The purpose of this CPF Joint Call to Action outlines how the CPF will scale up its efforts in supporting the role of forests in achieving Global Forest Goals and SDGs towards 2030, but does not intend to establish new structures or frameworks. It contains a list of priority areas for actions, which are expected to result in more effective and impactful implementation and synergies, with lower transaction costs. In this way, the CPF-wide effort will serve as a flagship for the Decade of Action for the SDGs.
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Status of, and trends in, the Global Core Set of Forest-related Indicators
Status of, and trends in, the Global Core Set of Forest-related Indicators
The strong commitment of the international community, and especially the CPF members, to provide the information necessary for monitoring progress towards global goals, targets and indicators in a comprehensive, efficient, timely and meaningful way led to the idea of developing a global core set of forest-related indicators (GCS). The aim was to simplify and harmonize concepts and terminology while respecting the needs of all potential users. The concrete work on the GCS was initiated in 2016 through an organization-led initiative on the development of global forest indicators. Following the recommendation of this initiative, the CPF members established a GCS taskforce, which developed the GCS. The GCS was presented to the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and FAO’s Committee on Forestry, which welcomed the progress made in developing the GCS and acknowledged its value for assessing progress and better focusing data-collection efforts to reduce duplication. The two bodies also encouraged the application of those indicators that are ready to use and requested the CPF to continue developing the remaining indicators, particularly those that may require additional efforts but are manageable through various data sources. This is an accompanying document of the FAO report, State of the World’s Forests 2022 (SOFO 2022). It provides an overview of the GCS and presents the latest data on the status and trends of the 21 indicators. SOFO 2022, which examines three potential forest pathways for addressing global challenges, is available separately.
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An assessment of uptake of the Global Core Set of Forest-related Indicators
An assessment of uptake of the Global Core Set of Forest-related Indicators
The twenty-fifth session of the Committee on Forestry (CPF) requested FAO to analyse - in collaboration with members of the CPF - the uptake of the Global Core Set of forest related Indicators (GCS) by other reporting processes and the extent to which they decrease reporting burden on countries. To respond to this request, conducted a user survey among the CPF partners and other forest data and information reporting processes. The survey received 26 responses from 22 organizations, with 100 percent coverage of CPF Members. The survey results show that the majority of the indicators are considered "of interest" to the various responding organizations, and that none of the indicators is considered superfluous or unnecessary. For most indicators, less than half of the organizations collect data themselves, leaving that role to organizations with the appropriate mandate and resources. In all cases, organizations that collected data cooperated with others, notably through instruments like the CFRQ and the Joint Forest Sector Questionnaire (JFSQ). The organizations that did not collect data themselves mostly used data from a trusted partner, representing a significant reduction of the reporting burden on countries.
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CPF Statement: Challenges and opportunities in turning the tide on deforestation
CPF Statement: Challenges and opportunities in turning the tide on deforestation
This Joint Statement of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests presents sound scientific facts and figures around the current status of deforestation and the multidimensional services provided by forests. It also aims to support countries and other key stakeholders to address the issue. The statement builds on the outcomes and recommendations of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests International Conference “From Aspiration to Action – working together to halt deforestation and increase forest area” held in 2018.
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Turning the tide on deforestation Flagship initiatives of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
Turning the tide on deforestation Flagship initiatives of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.
This brochure presents flagship initiatives and programmes designed by members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests to contribute to the common goal formulated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres of “turning the tide on deforestation”. The brochure reaffirms the call by leaders at UNFCCC COP26 for action to accelerate efforts to halt deforestation.
The Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), made up of 15 international organizations, is accelerating efforts to halt deforestation globally. Turning the tide on deforestation within the next decade is crucial to achieve the 1.5 degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement, and to tackle not only the climate crisis, but also those of biodiversity loss and pollution.
Forests have massive potential for climate change mitigation, but this can only be realized by reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, while at the same time storing carbon from the atmosphere through conservation, restoration and sustainable forest management, as called for in Article 5 of the Paris Agreement. Billions of people depend directly on forests and the services they provide. An estimated 2.4 billion people alone rely on fuelwood, including charcoal, for cooking and boiling water.
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Events organized by CPF members
Events organized by CPF members
CPF members maintain individual calendar of events. Events organized by CPF members can be accessed at this link.
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COVID 19 statement
COVID 19 statement
Collaborative Partnership on Forests urges to turn the historic challenge of COVID-19 into an opportunity for forestry and sustainability
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GFEP report on Forests and Poverty: Introducing the lead authors
GFEP report on Forests and Poverty: Introducing the lead authors
1. Get to know the panel members of the Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Poverty
2. Find out more about this latest report by the GFEP.
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An Operational Framework for Defining and Monitoring Forest Degradation
An Operational Framework for Defining and Monitoring Forest Degradation
Thompson, I. D., M. R. Guariguata, K. Okabe, C. Bahamondez, R. Nasi, V. Heymell, and C. Sabogal. 2013. An operational framework for defining and monitoring forest degradation. Ecology and Society 18(2): 20.
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