Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests

The report finds that improvements in forest governance are too slow to measurably reduce deforestation, with significant gaps remaining in the legal recognition of indigenous land rights and the enforcement of forest laws. While some progress has been made in transparency and demand-side regulations in emerging economies, corruption remains rampant and violence against land defenders is increasing. The assessment highlights that secure tenure for local communities is more effective for forest protection than legally protected areas, yet a substantial portion of occupied lands remains unrecognized by governments.

• Improvements in forest governance have not been sufficient to measurably reduce deforestation. While there is some progress in law enforcement, transparency, and demand-side measures, these efforts are outweighed by rampant corruption and a failure to grant decision-making power and rights to local communities and indigenous peoples.
• A high proportion of tropical deforestation is illegal, particularly where commercial agriculture drives forest loss. In all major tropical producers of beef, soy, and palm oil, and two-thirds of major timber-producing countries, there is a significant risk that forest laws are being violated.
• International cooperation among enforcement agencies has successfully targeted the illegal timber trade, resulting in the seizure of USD 1.5 billion worth of timber since 2012.
• Emerging Asian economies, specifically China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam, have implemented demand-side regulations to prohibit the import and sale of illegally harvested timber, though the effectiveness of these laws is hindered by potential loopholes and weak enforcement.
• Transparency in the forest sector remains low. While more countries are adopting laws for access to information, data is often unavailable in accessible formats, and governments frequently cite "national interest" to refuse access. Corporate transparency in agricultural supply chains is also limited, though companies like Nestlé and Unilever have begun disclosing palm oil supply chain information.
• Secure land rights for indigenous peoples and local communities are more effective at protecting forests than legally protected areas. However, between 33% and 39% of land used by these groups in 14 assessed countries (including Brazil, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) is not legally recognized by governments.
• Violence and criminalization of land and forest defenders have increased annually since 2014, driven by weak tenure recognition, failure to respect free, prior, and informed consent, and rising land demand.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2018). Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2018NYDFReport_ES_EN.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests. 2018. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2018NYDFReport_ES_EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests |date=November 2018 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2018NYDFReport_ES_EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2018progress, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2018NYDFReport_ES_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }