Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes

The report evaluates forest governance through three indicators: institutional policy scores, the rule of law (illegal logging and violence), and land tenure rights for indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). While some progress is noted in policy frameworks and the total area of recognized IPLC rights, the report highlights a slowdown in tenure recognition since 2008, a rise in absolute volumes of illegal timber imports—particularly into China—and persistent violence against land defenders, especially in Latin America.

• Between 2008 and 2013, the average policy score for forest governance across five timber producing countries (Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana, Indonesia, and Malaysia) increased from 41% to 50%.
• Policy frameworks for addressing illegal imports in seven consumer and processor countries (China, France, Japan, the Netherlands, UK, US, and Vietnam) improved, with a weighted average increase from 39% to 48% between 2008 and 2013.
• The absolute volume of likely illegal timber imports rose from 46 million m3 in 2000 to 60 million m3 in 2013, with the majority of this increase occurring in imports into China, India, and Vietnam.
• In 2013, nine timber producing countries produced over 80 million m3 of illegal timber, representing 33% of their total production; almost all logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo is considered illegal.
• From 2010 to 2014, 523 people were murdered in cases with a documented link to forest or land issues, with 80% of these killings occurring in Latin America.
• The proportion of total forests over which indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have recognized rights increased by 38% between 2002 and 2013, reaching 15.51% globally.
• In low and middle income countries, IPLCs have rights over 30.1% of forest land, but the rate of recognition slowed significantly after 2008, with the 2008-2013 period seeing less than half the area recognized compared to 2002-2008.
• Of 53 legal regimes identified in 27 assessed countries, 19 (36%) recognize full ownership rights for IPLCs, while 34 (64%) recognize designation rights.
• International financing for forest governance has increased through initiatives like the EU's FLEGT Action Plan (USD 900 million between 2002-2010) and the World Bank's FIP Dedicated Grant Mechanism (USD 50 million), yet a significant funding gap for tenure recognition remains.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2015). Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal10.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes. 2015. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal10.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes |date=November 2015 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal10.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2015progress, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal10.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }