GOALS Goal 6: Include ambitious, quantitative forest conservation and restoration targets for 2030 in the post-2015 global development framework, as part of new international sustainable development goals

The report finds that while the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include an ambitious target to 'halt deforestation', the finalized indicators fail to measure gross forest loss or specific restoration efforts. By focusing on net deforestation, the framework weakens the practical application of conservation targets and lacks quantifiable metrics for reforestation and afforestation.

• The final indicators for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not directly measure forest restoration or forest conservation (gross forest loss), which has led to the ambitious forest conservation goal receiving little practical attention.
• While the target in SDG 15.2 to "halt deforestation" is considered quantifiable and highly ambitious, the associated indicators fail to measure progress toward this goal because they focus on net rather than gross deforestation. This approach obscures the extent of deforestation occurring in natural forests.
• The components of SDG 15.2 related to reforestation, afforestation, and forest restoration are not quantifiable. Proposals for quantifiable targets in these areas were removed from the final SDGs, and the adopted indicators do not allow for specific measurement of these activities, although carbon stock changes offer a partial view of forest quality.
• The Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) finalized the indicator framework for forestry goals in 2017. In April 2017, Indicator 15.2.1 was upgraded to a Tier II indicator, signifying that agreed standards are available. Future reviews of these indicators are scheduled for 2020 and 2025.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2018). GOALS Goal 6: Include ambitious, quantitative forest conservation and restoration targets for 2030 in the post-2015 global development framework, as part of new international sustainable development goals. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2017Goal6.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. GOALS Goal 6: Include ambitious, quantitative forest conservation and restoration targets for 2030 in the post-2015 global development framework, as part of new international sustainable development goals. 2018. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2017Goal6.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=GOALS Goal 6: Include ambitious, quantitative forest conservation and restoration targets for 2030 in the post-2015 global development framework, as part of new international sustainable development goals |date=2018 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2017Goal6.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2018goals, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{GOALS Goal 6: Include ambitious, quantitative forest conservation and restoration targets for 2030 in the post-2015 global development framework, as part of new international sustainable development goals}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2018}, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/2017Goal6.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }