Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Technical Annexes

The document identifies infrastructure, human settlements, and mining as the primary non-agricultural drivers of deforestation, while logging is the main driver of forest degradation. Due to a lack of disaggregated global data, the report does not define quantitative indicators but instead reviews public policy interventions and private sector sustainability initiatives. Key public measures include import bans on illegal timber in the US, EU, and Australia, and the use of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) for infrastructure. Private sector efforts are highlighted through forest certification schemes like FSC and PEFC, though their global impact remains limited, and emerging responsible mining initiatives like IRMA and the Oro Verde Program in Colombia.

• Between 2000 and 2010, infrastructure and urban expansion each caused 10% of all tropical forest loss, while mining caused 7%. Timber extraction and logging were responsible for approximately 52% of all tropical forest degradation.
• The report is unable to define specific indicators to track progress for Goal 3 because most countries lack disaggregated data that spatially links deforestation to particular economic drivers.
• The United States (2008), European Union (2010), and Australia (2012) have implemented import bans on illegal timber to reduce deforestation, requiring operators to exercise due diligence.
• The EU's Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan uses Voluntary Partnership Agreements to establish governance frameworks and timber tracking, though it is limited by the slow adoption of licensing systems and the non-participation of China.
• Mining impacts vary by region: gold mining caused the loss of 1,680 km2 of tropical moist forest in South America between 2001 and 2013, while other minerals like tin, tantalum, and tungsten impact the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Public policies such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) are used to mitigate the forest impacts of infrastructure. The World Bank has increased its use of SEAs, identifying 55 in 26 countries as of 2012.
• Forest certification schemes like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) have seen the share of certified forest land remain stagnant at around 10% since 2008.
• While no global certification standard exists for mining, the Oro Verde Program in Colombia's Chocó Bioregion has protected approximately 4,500 hectares of a diverse eco-region through a bottom-up certification scheme for artisanal miners.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2015). Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Technical Annexes. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal3.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Technical Annexes. 2015. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests Technical Annexes |date=November 2015 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal3.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 Technical Annexes}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }