NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS PROGRESS ASSESSMENT GOALS SUMMARY

The report finds that while infrastructure and mining are major drivers of forest loss, a lack of aggregate data prevents a global assessment of progress. It highlights the role of transport networks and mineral extraction in tropical deforestation and details emerging sustainability standards and data initiatives intended to fill these research gaps.

• Aggregate data sources for assessing the global or regional impact of economic sectors other than agriculture on deforestation are currently unavailable, making it impossible to identify progress indicators for Goal 3.
• Infrastructure development, specifically transport, energy, and electricity, is a primary driver of forest loss and is responsible for 10% of tropical deforestation.
• Mining and mineral extraction contribute 7% of tropical deforestation, with coal mining alone threatening nearly 12 million hectares of forest. The highest risks from coal are found in Australia, Canada, Indonesia, India, and Colombia.
• The transition to low-carbon technologies is expected to increase the pressure on forests because the essential metals required for clean energy systems, such as lithium-ion batteries and solar photovoltaic cells, drive mining expansion.
• In the Amazon, infrastructure and mining are creating new deforestation hotspots. Examples include the Brazilian government's attempt to open the 46 million hectare Renca Reserve and Venezuela's establishment of a strategic development zone in the Orinoco region covering over 112 million hectares.
• In Indonesia, coal mining expansion, particularly in Kalimantan, threatens more than 1 million hectares of forest, supported by a national development plan that prioritizes large-scale infrastructure and resource extraction.
• New institutional frameworks and standards are being implemented to mitigate environmental risks, including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability standards, the World Bank's Environmental and Social Framework (applicable from 2018), and a Chatham House project targeting Chinese banks investing in the USD 890 billion Belt and Road Initiative.
• Efforts to close data gaps include CDP's development of questions for the metal and mining sectors, Global Forest Watch's integration of mining concession maps, and global road-mapping initiatives like the Roadless Initiative and Global Road Map.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2018). NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS PROGRESS ASSESSMENT GOALS SUMMARY. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2017Goal3.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS PROGRESS ASSESSMENT GOALS SUMMARY. 2018. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2017Goal3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS PROGRESS ASSESSMENT GOALS SUMMARY |date=2018 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2017Goal3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2018new, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{NEW YORK DECLARATION ON FORESTS PROGRESS ASSESSMENT GOALS SUMMARY}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2018}, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2017Goal3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }