Region Archives: International

“Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has been promoting nature-positive and people-positive sustainable forest management for the past 25 years, and the structures that we have put in place can be scaled up to bring even more forests under sustainable management,” said Thorsten Arndt, Head of Advocacy at PEFC International, at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 16) yesterday. Speaking at the side event “Sustainable Forest Management: Key to Biodiversity” he explained that not only about a quarter of the world’s production forests is certified under PEFC, but also one million smallholders have achieved PEFC certification. Smallholders …are responsible for managing around 25% of all production forests globally. This highlights the crucial role they play in sustainable forest management and the broader forestry sector, and PEFC has successfully made certification accessible to them. …He also highlighted that certification requires third-party auditing, ensuring that the positive impact is independently verified. 

Brazil’s satellites did not detect anything alarming. Yet down on the ground, the trees were dying. Slowly but surely, a stretch of protected forest the size of New York City was drying out… When Brazilian authorities responded to anonymous complaints about the destruction last year, they found troves of empty herbicide containers… The land was owned by Claudecy Oliveira Lemes, a rancher who has supplied some of the world’s biggest meatpackers… What separates Mr. Lemes from the thousands of other loggers and ranchers who have razed stretches of the Amazon and other forests across Brazil is that he employed what the authorities say is a dangerous new technique: chemical deforestation. In other words, he used chemicals, instead of chain saws, to clear the forest.

An ancient oak named after a ceilidh band has won the UK’s tree of the year competition and will now compete in the European edition. The Skipinnish Oak in Lochaber, Scotland, was discovered by chance by members of the band of that name who were playing a nearby gig for the Native Woodland Discussion Group. It is in the middle of a sitka spruce timber plantation and expert delegates from the discussion group registered it in the ancient tree inventory. The Skipinnish oak is one of the largest trees of its kind in the region, which has been populated by nonnative timber forests. It is a fragment of the ancient ecosystem, and provides a home to diverse lichens including the rare black-eyed Susan. …The Woodland Trust, which runs the competition, chose 12 ancient oaks for the shortlist this year to highlight their importance.

At the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, 145 nations made a pledge to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. Almost three years later, the call for transformative action is ringing hollow… Overall, the world is 45% off its deforestation targets, and, in a frustrating twist, forest-loss levels have risen above a 2018-2020 baseline since the pledge… Efforts to eliminate deforestation from supply chains have largely been voluntary corporate commitments. While these pledges have steered the conversation and helped the development of traceable supply chains, it’s clear that they aren’t enough to deliver results at a sufficient pace. That’s why policy experts and forest advocates alike have been pushing for demand-side regulation — essentially a ban on the import of deforestation-linked goods — in consumer countries for years.

Scientists assessing dangers posed to the world’s trees have revealed that more than a third of species are facing extinction in the wild. The number of threatened trees now outweighs all threatened birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians put together, according to the latest update to the official extinction red list. The news was released in Cali, Colombia, where world leaders are meeting at the UN biodiversity summit, COP 16, to assess progress on a landmark rescue plan for nature… Trees are at risk in 192 countries, with clearing land for farming and logging the biggest threat and, in temperate regions, pests and diseases. Well-known trees such as magnolias are among the most threatened, with oaks, maple and ebonies also at risk…

CALI, Colombia — Global efforts to protect the world’s plants and animals have made slight progress and some species remain in serious decline, according to two reports released at a major United Nations biodiversity summit in Colombia. A report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) evaluated global progress since its biodiversity report in 2020. Two years ago, 196 countries signed a historic treaty to protect biodiversity on 30% of the planet by 2030. The biodiversity summit underway in Cali, Colombia is a follow-up to the 2022 accord in Montreal, which includes 23 measures to halt and reverse nature loss. One calls for putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. The UNEP report found countries have made some headway on pledges, but that expansion of the global network must accelerate over the next six years to meet the goal. 

A €20m fall in this year’s allocation from the Government for the forestry sector shows that the industry is heading in the wrong direction as farmers turn away from planting trees, experts have warned… A huge amount of forestry planted during a boom period in the 1980s and 1990s is now maturing and will greatly increase supply over the coming 10 years. But the reduction in the annual budget of the Government’s forestry programme from €110m to €91m was a major worry for the future health of the sector – because it suggested farmers are now turning away from commercial tree planting… The industry is worried about the falling planting rate, as it undermines the long-term viability of Ireland’s timber sector.

In the 1980s, one of the most notorious mass extinction events in modern times occurred on a hilltop in coastal Ecuador. Ninety species of plants unique to the region went extinct when the last cloud forests of the Centinela range were cleared for agriculture. The cautionary tale has long been used to advocate for the conservation of rainforests. But did this event actually occur? In a new study published in Nature Plants, an international team of botanists has refuted the claim. After years of scouring natural history museums, biodiversity databases, and the slopes of Centinela, the researchers found no proof of any extinctions. Instead, they discovered abundant evidence that Centinela’s flora lives on in the scattered remaining fragments of coastal Ecuador’s forests.

Wildfires in Brazil have swept through an area the size of Switzerland, a level of destruction that will take decades to recover, if it ever does, according to a new satellite assessment… The area that burned between January and mid-October 2024 represents an 846% increase over the same period in 2023… Deforestation in the Amazon usually begins with chainsaws. Wet, fallen trees are left lying on the ground until they’re dry enough to set afire. They’re not even used for lumber. Now with the forest drying out from drought, lawbreakers seeking to create more pasture may be skipping the expensive, labor-intensive step of felling trees. A lighter and a few gallons of gasoline suffice to start a blaze.

Consumers and celebrities around the world covet it for its warm, earthy and musky scent. But Australian sandalwood’s popularity has come at more than just a hefty cost to the wallet, with some scientists warning the species is at risk of extinction in the wild… In Western Australia, the primary commercial harvest operator is the Forest Products Commission, which manages the harvest of up to 2,500 tonnes of wild Australian sandalwood each year. Australian sandalwood is also harvested in plantations, but the warnings from conservationists are focused on trees found in the wild and long-standing concerns that there is insufficient natural regeneration of the species… “The evidence is we have less sandalwood in the wild than probably ever in its evolutionary history,” Prof. Kingsley Dixon said.

The Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) says that tree felling should be decreased by about one quarter from a previous government estimate. Previous estimates of the capacity of Finland’s forests to absorb planet-warming emissions have been overly optimistic, the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) said on Thursday. The institute’s latest research indicates that the nation’s forest carbon sinks have been overestimated. In 2022, Finland’s land use and forestry (LULUCF) sector became a net source of emissions for the first time. That means that the carbon absorbed by forests was no longer enough to counterbalance emissions from farming and other land use. Last year the sector constituted a small net sink. Syke calculates that the felling of forests must be reduced significantly in order for Finland to reach its stated goal of carbon neutrality by 2035. The sustainable amount of felling would be 60–62 million cubic metres per year.

Subhra Bhattacharjee

Dr. Subhra Bhattacharjee, Director General of the Forest Stewardship Council, took on the position in October 2024 and shares her insight. Subhra has dedicated more than 23 years to advancing solutions for poverty, climate change and sustainable development. She has worked in diverse roles including in banking, academia and as an international civil servant within the United Nations. Subhra shares her insight and plans for the FSC: “As a 30-year-old organisation with a broad and diverse stakeholder base, FSC must contribute to a global shift in the way we perceive, protect and leverage forests for sustainable development. …Aside from EUDR, we will advance our climate, biodiversity and restoration initiatives, aligning with the broad goals of the COP16 summit. …Looking ahead, I see FSC evolving beyond its role as a certification scheme and becoming a central force in shaping forest-related policy at the highest levels, driving meaningful change at an economic, environmental and societal level.”

STOCKHOLM — TrusTrace, a global leader in product traceability and supply chain compliance, unveiled its advanced Deforestation Compliance Solution, designed to help companies meet and prove deforestation-free shipments in alignment with the EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). The recent decision to delay enforcement until December 30, 2025, provides a crucial window for companies to thoroughly prepare and ensure their supply chains meet the rigorous standards ahead of the deadline. As setting up systems and getting all the data needed for customs clearance can take several months, proactive preparation is essential for compliance success. The EUDR aims to prevent deforestation by ensuring products entering the EU do not contribute to deforestation or environmental degradation. To comply, companies must provide full traceability to the plot of land, and ensure their EU-bound products are free from deforestation-related practices. 

Forest Industries Ireland (FII) has called on the Government to reinvigorate new forest planting and promote more building with wood. The national representative body for the forestry and timber sectors within Ibec has launched its manifesto – ‘Forestry for our future: Delivering on the potential of Irish forestry’ – for the upcoming general election. Launching the manifesto, FII director Mark McAuley said that forestry activity is going in the wrong direction. “It is government policy to rapidly increase Ireland’s forest cover, but the afforestation rate is only 2,000 hectares per annum,” he said. “…we need to take a fresh look at what our farmers are being incentivised to do and tip the balance more towards tree planting.”  …FII has called on the Government to reinvigorate new forest planting and promote more building with wood. …We can build houses faster and greener with wood, while reducing carbon emissions. Government should take the lead by insisting on green buildings.

Is Ireland really all that green? Ecologically speaking, the answer is no… Earlier this month, the country’s Environmental Protection Agency published a report that rated Ireland’s environmental health as “poor.” Thousands of years ago, 80 percent of Ireland was forested. Trees now cover just 11 percent of the country, one of the lowest rates in Europe, and are predominately nonnative Sitka spruce. Native trees cover just 1 percent of the land. Biodiversity is also suffering. Ireland may have millions of acres of brilliant green fields dotted with cows and sheep, but that land is largely grass monocultures… Eoghan Daltun rewilded his land in West Cork into a temperate rainforest and wants more of Ireland to do the same. [A subscription to the New York Times is required to access this full story]

Neil Woods

A Gisborne forestry firm plans to install three steel debris nets to reduce the amount of woody debris clogging waterways after severe storms. Aratu chief executive Neil Woods says the region has paid a high price for the devastation caused by Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle, and that the firm is working on ways to limit the impact of its operations. The Swiss-designed nets will be the first of their kind for the Tairāwhiti region and will cost more than $500,000 each, Woods says. “We have learnt much from the cyclones and are determined to keep lifting our game.” Since Cyclone Gabrielle, Gisborne ratepayers have spent more than $1.2 million removing woody debris from two of Gisborne’s beaches, and taxpayers have contributed $53m for the debris clean-up in the region.

BOGOTA, Colombia — Global environmental leaders gather Monday in Cali, Colombia to assess the world’s plummeting biodiversity levels and commitments by countries to protect plants, animals and critical habitats. The two-week United Nations Biodiversity Conference, or COP16, is a follow-up to the 2022 Montreal meetings where 196 countries signed a historic global treaty to protect biodiversity. The accord includes 23 measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. In opening remarks on Sunday, Colombia’s environment minister and COP16 president Susana Muhamad said the conference is an opportunity “to collect the experience that has passed through this planet from all civilizations, from all cultures, from all knowledge … to generate livable, relatively stable conditions for a new society that will be forged in the light of the crisis.”