The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated deforestation pressures and heightened the urgency of action to support sustainable forest management. The pandemic has the brought the importance of forests to global well-being into sharp focus. Pictured here forest in the Dominican Republic. Credit: Alison Kentish/IPS
UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 2021 (IPS) - A new global report on forests says that while the COVID-19 pandemic is the latest threat to achieving ambitious forest protection goals, it has brought the importance of forests to global well-being into sharp focus, and that this recognition must now be met with collection action.
The inaugural Global Forest Goals Report was launched on Apr. 26, as part of the 16th United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) session which runs until the end of this week. It is based on data and information submitted by 52 member states, representing 75 percent of the world’s forests.
Published on: Thursday, April 08, 2021
By: Bernama
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The Selangor government’s proposal to degazette the North Kuala Langat Forest Reserve for development purposes has caused much consternation among nature lovers and environmental health specialists who are concerned about the dwindling size of Malaysia’s peat swamp forests. This first of a series of four articles examines the important role of the peat swamp forest ecosystem.
Kuala Lumpur: Is there a possibility that Malaysia’s peat swamp forests – which are among the nation’s prized natural treasures that took thousands of years to form – may one day completely disappear from its map only to be devoured by rapid development?
A global assessment commissioned by the UN Forum on Forests concluded that COVID-19 has affected forests across the globe – hurting ecotourism, impeding conservation efforts and in some parts, crippling forest management budgets. But the authors are optimistic that the role of forests in post-pandemic recovery has never been clearer
The Sierra Juárez forest, in the state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. The UN Forum on Forests was among the first intergovernmental processes to take steps to assess the impact of COVID-19 on forests. In Latin America and the Caribbean, closed forest-based tourist attractions has meant a significant loss of revenue for some countries. Credit: Emilio Godoy / IPS