ENHANCING NDCs: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST AND LAND-USE SECTOR

The document argues that forest sector solutions—including conservation, restoration, and improved management—are cost-effective tools for large-scale GHG emission reductions and carbon removal. It identifies a significant gap in current NDCs, where forest-specific quantitative targets are rare and carbon-rich ecosystems like mangroves and peatlands are underrepresented. The authors propose a six-step process for NDC enhancement: establishing institutional arrangements, taking stock of progress, reviewing long-term benchmarks, identifying policy measures, assessing costs and benefits, and determining specific NDC reflections. Key recommendations include aligning financial flows away from deforestation drivers, implementing REDD+, and leveraging satellite monitoring technologies.

• Forest-related solutions possess immense mitigation potential, with the ability to remove up to 26.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Gt CO2e) per year, which is more than double the annual GHG emissions of China.
• Despite their potential, forest sector solutions receive very little investment, accounting for less than 3 percent of national and international public climate mitigation finance.
• Analysis of 165 NDCs reveals that while 83 percent refer to the forest sector's importance, fewer than 10 percent include quantitative GHG or CO2 emissions reduction or removal information specific to the forest or agriculture sectors.
• There is a significant coverage gap for carbon-rich forests in NDCs; for example, only 28 of 118 countries with mangroves mentioned coastal wetland mitigation, and only three countries mentioned peatland protection or restoration.
• The document outlines a six-step process for countries to enhance their NDCs: 1) Establish institutional arrangements and partnerships, 2) Take stock of progress, 3) Review long-term objectives and benchmarks, 4) Identify solutions and policy measures, 5) Assess benefits and costs, and 6) Determine how to reflect these in the NDC.
• Conservation of primary forests is identified as the highest priority for mitigation because their loss is essentially irreversible and they store more carbon than other upland forests.
• Financial flows are currently misaligned, with four major commodities (beef, soy, palm oil, and wood products) attracting $100 billion in capital and trade financing annually, while sustainable forestry receives significantly less.
• Technological advancements in satellite monitoring and data analysis, such as Global Forest Watch, allow countries to better detect illegal logging and forest clearing in real-time.
• Implementing REDD+ is recommended as a way to attract financial resources and strengthen national capacity for forest policy implementation, though only 22 countries included REDD+ measures in their first NDCs.

APA

SATO, I., LANGER, P., & STOLLE, F. (2019). ENHANCING NDCs: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST AND LAND-USE SECTOR. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/ndc-enhancement-opportunities-forest-and-land-use-sector.pdf

Chicago

SATO, ICHIRO, PAIGE LANGER, and FRED STOLLE. ENHANCING NDCs: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST AND LAND-USE SECTOR. World Resources Institute, 2019. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/ndc-enhancement-opportunities-forest-and-land-use-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=SATO |first1=ICHIRO |last2=LANGER |first2=PAIGE |last3=STOLLE |first3=FRED |title=ENHANCING NDCs: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST AND LAND-USE SECTOR |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=November 2019 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/ndc-enhancement-opportunities-forest-and-land-use-sector.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sato2019enhancing, author = {SATO, ICHIRO and LANGER, PAIGE and STOLLE, FRED}, title = {{ENHANCING NDCs: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOREST AND LAND-USE SECTOR}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/ndc-enhancement-opportunities-forest-and-land-use-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }