Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes

The report evaluates global natural forest loss using two proxy indicators: annual gross tree cover loss (Hansen/GFW) and annual net natural forest change (FAO FRA). While FAO data suggests a declining trend in net loss that could meet the 2020 target, Hansen/GFW data indicates that gross tree cover loss has remained high and actually increased by 9% between 2010 and 2014 compared to the 2001-2010 baseline. The document highlights the critical difference between gross and net loss, noting that net accounting can mask the loss of primary forests if they are replaced by regenerated forests, which have lower carbon storage and biodiversity value.

• Annual gross tree cover loss has not shown significant progress toward the 2020 goal of halving the rate; instead, it increased by 9% between 2010 and 2014 relative to the 2001-2010 historical baseline.
• Annual net natural forest loss is declining and may be on a trajectory to meet the 2020 milestone, dropping from a peak of 9.7 million hectares per year in 2005 to 6.65 million hectares per year in 2015.
• The divergence between gross and net loss indicators suggests that while natural forest cover is being re-established on degraded or abandoned land, this regeneration is not keeping pace with the rate of gross forest cover loss.
• Net forest loss accounting can lead to perverse outcomes because it conflates loss with reforestation, potentially allowing primary or old-growth forests to be completely replaced by regenerated forests while still achieving a 'zero net loss' target.
• Regenerated forests are generally inferior to the natural forests they offset in terms of carbon storage, hydrological cycle functions, and biodiversity.
• Data from Global Forest Watch and Hansen indicates that forest loss rates in Brazil fell between 2001 and 2014, implying that forest loss in the rest of the world is increasing at a rate significantly higher than the global average.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2015). Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal1.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes. 2015. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes |date=November 2015 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2015progress, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests – An Assessment Framework and Initial Report: Technical Annexes}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2015}, month = nov, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2015Goal1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }