SDG #15 is to “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”
Within SDG #15 are 12 targets, of which we here focus on Target 15.2:
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
Target 15.2 has one indicator:
Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management
This target focuses on sustainable forest management. Some of us may be familiar with certifying bodies for sustainable forest management, such as the PEFC and FSC.
Taking the biggest backward step in sustainable forest management by means of deforestation as of 2020 were Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt. Both had 3% reversals of forest cover. In this same year, global forest cover stayed about the same.
Across the planet, the region with the greatest concentration of biomass is in the Guianas, with greater than 300 tonnes per hectare. Worldwide, the average is 118 tonnes per hectare of land above the surface.
Venezuela, Senegal, and Uzbekistan have the highest percentage of forests which they've protected. Each have greater than 90% protection.
The countries in the boreal forest latitudes of Canada, Scandinavia and Russia protect a troubling less than 10% of their forest cover. Several other countries with high forest cover have low protections, including Guyana. The worldwide share was 17% as of 2020, unchanged since the start of the SDG period in 2015. 58% of global forest was under a long-term forest management plan as of 2020, a couple percentage increase from 2015.
The countries with the most hectares of forest certified by the FSC or PEFC for sustainable use are:
US
Canada
Russia
China
Australia
Sweden
Finland
The global total as of 2022 was 444 million hectares, up from 397 million in 2015.
