Deforestation has Increased Despite the Promise to End it: Study

The destruction of global forests increased in the last year as per a new study. According to a study by the research group Climate Focus, deforestation in current times is higher than when 140 countries promised three years ago to halt the practice by the end of the decade. This is counterproductive to combating climate crises and is also causing exponential loss of wildlife across the globe.

The report stated that almost 6.4m hectares (16m acres) of forest were razed in 2023. It also highlighted that even more forest – 62.6m ha – was degraded as a result of road building, logging and forest fires. It showed that there was an increase in deforestation in Indonesia and Bolivia, caused by political changes and a steady demand for commodities including beef, soy, palm oil, paper and nickel in rich countries.

Need for Strong Regulation to curb Deforestation

The researchers have insisted that giving the countries a leeway to make voluntary cuts on deforestation is not as effective for curbing the practice. They stated that there was a need for a strong regulation and increased funding for forest protection.

The researchers highlighted that we were only six years away from reaching the global deadline to end deforestation. They said that it was still possible to meet this deadline as long as the countries make this into a priority and if the industrialised countries extend financial support to the countries which have forests that need protection.

Erin D Matson, a senior consultant at Climate Focus and co-author of the report, said: “When the right conditions are in place, countries see major progress. The next year, if economic or political conditions change, forest loss can come roaring back. We’re seeing this effect in the spiking deforestation in Indonesia and Bolivia. Ultimately, to meet global forest protection targets, we must make forest protection immune to political and economic whims.”

Deforestation was 50% Higher

Majority of the countries had backed the 2030 zero deforestation pledge at the UN Cop26 climate summit in 2021. The 2024 forest declaration assessment, produced by a coalition of research and civil society organisations, assessed progress towards the goal using a baseline of the average deforestation between 2018 and 2020. The assessment discovered that the progress was significantly off track, with the level of deforestation in 2023 almost 50% higher than steady progress towards zero would require.

The study noted that Indonesia’s deforestation alone had increased by 57% in one year. This was most likely caused due to surging global demand for paper and mined metals like nickel. In 2023, Indonesia produced half the world’s nickel, a metal used in many green technologies.

The report stated that the countries that made progress towards the 2030 deforestation target included Brazil, Australia, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela and Vietnam. Outside the tropics, temperate forests in North America and Latin America recorded the greatest absolute levels of deforestation.

The researchers said funding for forest protection, strengthening the land rights of Indigenous people and reducing demand for commodities produced via deforestation were needed.