2023 FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment reports that the world is off track to eliminate deforestation by 2030, with global gross deforestation in 2022 reaching 6.6 million hectares. While some countries and regions, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, show progress, these are outweighed by massive losses in Latin America, Africa, North America, and Europe. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that only USD 2.2 billion in annual public funds are channeled to forests, while private financial institutions provided USD 6.1 trillion in 2022 to companies at risk of driving tropical deforestation. It calls for a radical transformation of development pathways, increased transparency, and direct investment in Indigenous Peoples and local communities to secure forest ecosystems.

• Global efforts to eliminate deforestation by 2030 are failing, with 2022 data showing gross deforestation was 21 percent higher than the required trajectory. Primary tropical forest loss was even more severe, exceeding the needed trajectory by 33 percent, totaling 4.1 million hectares.
• There is a severe disparity between the funding required for forest protection and actual investment. Annual public funding for forests is only USD 2.2 billion, while private financial institutions provided USD 6.1 trillion in 2022 to companies most likely to drive tropical deforestation through agricultural production.
• While over 50 countries are on track to meet 2030 goals—with Indonesia and Malaysia achieving sustained reductions—these successes are offset by continued high rates of loss in non-tropical and tropical Latin America, non-tropical Africa, and boreal and temperate forests in North America and Europe.
• Indigenous Peoples and local communities are effective forest stewards but face systemic neglect, receiving only a small fraction of necessary finance and enduring violence and criminalization while protecting their lands.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2023). 2023 FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023ExecutiveSummary.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. 2023 FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT. 2023. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023ExecutiveSummary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=2023 FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT |date=2023 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023ExecutiveSummary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment20232023, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{2023 FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2023}, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023ExecutiveSummary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }