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The document is a call to action from a coalition of civil society, smallholders' and Indigenous Peoples' organisations directed at EU Ministers, Commissioners, and Members of the European Parliament. It advocates for a robust EU regulation on deforestation-free products to protect biodiversity, climate, and human rights, outlining ten specific requirements for the law to be considered effective.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 targets for stopping forest loss and restoring 350 million hectares of ecosystems. While Tropical Asia is the only region on track to stop deforestation by 2030, global forest loss still exceeds gains, resulting in a net loss of 100 million hectares. The report highlights critical gaps in sustainable production, where commodity-driven tree cover loss decreased by only 6% in 2021, and in finance, where current annual funding of $2.3 billion is less than 1% of the estimated $460 billion needed. Governance remains a significant hurdle, with at least 50% of lands held by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) lacking legal recognition. The document calls for a shift from voluntary corporate actions to mandatory regulations, a 200-fold increase in forest funding, and the strengthening of land tenure rights for IPLCs.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that the world is not on track to meet its 2030 forest goals. While some progress is noted in Tropical Asia, global forest loss remains high, and funding is critically insufficient, reaching less than 1% of the estimated annual requirement. The report emphasizes that voluntary corporate and government commitments have failed to shift the trajectory significantly, calling for mandatory regulations, increased direct funding for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), and stronger governance to prevent further degradation.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that no global indicator is currently on track to meet the 2030 goals of halting forest loss and degradation or restoring 350 million hectares of forest landscape. While global deforestation rates declined by 6.3% in 2021 compared to the 2018-2020 baseline, this falls short of the 10% annual reduction required. Tropical Asia is the only region on track to halt deforestation by 2030, while Tropical Latin America and Africa remain off track. The report also notes that while 130.9 million hectares of tree cover were gained between 2000 and 2020, these were offset by 231.4 million hectares of loss, resulting in a net global loss of 100.5 million hectares.

The 2022 Theme 2 Assessment of the Forest Declaration finds that the world is not on track to meet 2030 forest goals or 2025 zero-deforestation targets for agricultural supply chains. While commodity-driven tree cover loss declined by 6% in 2021 compared to 2018-20, rates remain higher than in any year before 2016. The report highlights a significant gap between government 'green growth' agendas and actual investment, noting that trillions of dollars are mobilized for infrastructure like the Belt and Road Initiative while global public investments in forest goals are only USD 2.3 billion per year. In the private sector, only a quarter of major agricultural companies have ambitious policies to eliminate deforestation, and less than 20% of companies disclosing to CDP report near full compliance. The extractives sector shows even lower transparency and a lack of explicit forest-focused policies. Grassroots resistance, led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, has achieved some successes, such as a temporary moratorium on new concessions in Ecuador, but defenders face high rates of violence, with over 200 killed in 2021.

The document examines the proposed EU Regulation on deforestation-free products, specifically focusing on the country benchmarking mechanism in Article 27. It argues that the European Commission's initial unilateral approach risks trade distortions and diplomatic tensions, and instead advocates for a multi-stakeholder process involving civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and smallholders. The briefing compares the positions of the Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council, recommending that benchmarking include not only deforestation rates but also compliance with national legality requirements and human rights standards. It suggests that a transparent, inclusive process will better incentivize producer countries to reform forest governance and reduce the risk of 'leakage' to less stringent markets.

The interim evaluation of the I-GFLL/CliPAD IV project in Lao PDR indicates a generally successful implementation, rated as 'Level 2: successful' overall. The project is highly aligned with national policies and the needs of rural populations in Luang Prabang, Sayabouri, and Houaphan provinces. While it has successfully established an enabling environment for REDD+ and integrated women and ethnic groups, effectiveness is rated as 'moderately successful' because many village-level activities only began in 2021, making it too early to quantify total CO2 reductions. Key achievements include the creation of a Climate Change Funding Window within the Environment Protection Fund and the development of 25 Village Forest Management Plans. However, challenges remain regarding high staff turnover in government agencies, bureaucratic delays in fund disbursement, and external risks from mining concessions and infrastructure projects.

The report highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon—defined as the partial loss of vegetation—is a critical but neglected threat to climate goals. It asserts that degradation often exceeds deforestation in terms of annual area affected and carbon emissions, driven by selective logging, forest fires, and the edge effects of deforestation. The author argues that Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor this phenomenon but fails to include it in official environmental performance metrics or greenhouse gas inventories. The document calls for Brazil to integrate degradation measures into its policies and international reporting to reclaim a global leadership role in climate action.

The policy brief highlights that forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon is a critical but overlooked driver of greenhouse gas emissions, often exceeding the impact of clear-cut deforestation. It identifies selective logging, fire, and the edge effects of deforestation as primary drivers. The author contends that while Brazil possesses the technical capacity to monitor degradation, it fails to include these emissions in national inventories or set specific reduction targets. The document calls for the integration of degradation metrics into environmental performance indicators and the application of Brazil's experience in combating deforestation to address this complex phenomenon.

The Government of Jamaica is seeking USD 322,148.00 over 12 months to strengthen its REDD+ readiness. Building on the initial JAM-RS-003 project, this supplement focuses on establishing a National Bureau for REDD+ Management, enhancing Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) capacity, engaging private forest landowners who own over 70% of the island's forest resources, and creating a Social Safeguard Information System (SIS). The proposal identifies critical gaps in jurisdictional control of forested lands and the lack of systematic social and gender-disaggregated data. Key deliverables include a Forest Disturbance Index for broadleaf forests and non-binding agreements with 15 private landowners.

The paper analyzes the EU's proposal for a regulation on deforestation-free products and the UK's Environment Act 2021, detailing their respective scopes, due diligence processes, and enforcement mechanisms while highlighting challenges related to WTO consistency and impacts on smallholders in developing countries.

The document addresses industry resistance to the proposed EU deforestation regulation, specifically the 'Geolocation Requirement' which mandates that operators collect latitude and longitude coordinates for all plots of land where covered products (cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, soy, and wood) were produced. ClientEarth argues that traceability is indispensable for ensuring products are 'deforestation-free' and produced legally. It refutes claims that the regulation mandates specific supply chain models like 'identity preserved' or 'segregated' chains, clarifying that mixed-origin supply chains remain permissible as long as they are traceable. The briefing also contends that geolocation requirements will not necessarily exclude smallholders, noting that many in the cocoa and palm oil sectors already support transparency to improve their market position. Furthermore, it argues that compliance costs are likely to be negligible when implemented at scale and that voluntary certification schemes, while useful tools, cannot serve as automatic evidence of compliance due to documented shortcomings in governance and reliability.

The European Union has proposed a regulation to prevent commodities linked to deforestation and forest degradation from entering its market. While the author views the draft as an ambitious step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting biodiversity, they identify four critical areas for improvement: clarifying definitions of 'forest' and 'agricultural use', expanding the scope to include rubber and other ecosystems like peatlands, increasing transparency through public disclosure of company declarations, and implementing targeted supply-side engagement to protect smallholder producers.

The proposal argues that shifting fire patterns from the late to the early dry season through Traditional Fire Management (TFM) can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, and create employment for Indigenous and local communities in Belize. It identifies critical gaps in awareness, technology (specifically MRV systems), human capacity, and regulatory frameworks. The proposed 24-month project, budgeted at USD 399,313, aims to develop a Project Concept Note for the GCF and establish knowledge-sharing partnerships via the International Savanna Fire Management Initiative (ISFMI) network.

The document identifies infrastructure and extractive industries as 'drivers of drivers' that open forest access and facilitate further deforestation. While these sectors directly cause less loss than agriculture (10% and 7% respectively), they enable vast indirect degradation. The brief highlights systemic failures, including power imbalances excluding Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), lack of transparency, and finance flowing to destructive activities. Despite some progress through G7 commitments, World Bank initiatives, and increased legal actions by IPLCs, the document argues that a fundamental realignment of economic pathways and incentives is required to protect intact forests.

The document highlights a severe funding gap for forest protection, where annual needs range from USD 45 to 460 billion but current funding averages only USD 2.4 billion. While there has been growth in REDD+ commitments, private finance from voluntary carbon markets, and ESG funds since 2015, 'grey finance'—investments driving deforestation—continues to dominate. The brief identifies systemic barriers such as perverse economic incentives and weak governance, and calls for governments and the private sector to align budgets, reform subsidies, and increase investment transparency to meet global climate goals.

The project aims to mitigate 6.7 million tCO2eq over 3.5 years by expanding sustainable forest and agricultural practices to six provinces in Northern Lao PDR. It focuses on reducing deforestation driven by shifting cultivation and agricultural expansion through participatory land-use planning, the promotion of 32 sustainable farming models (the 'White List'), and the integration of agri-micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) into low-emission value chains. The project also emphasizes climate adaptation, targeting 153,700 direct beneficiaries through ecosystem-based adaptation and climate-resilient agriculture to combat risks from floods, droughts, and wildfires.

The study finds that while forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon are not systematically used as a direct first step to clear vegetation—with only 11% of fire-affected areas being deforested within three years—they often serve as a leading indicator of imminent deforestation in the surrounding vicinity. This association is significantly stronger in rural settlements and occupied public lands, suggesting fires may facilitate land grabbing. Regionally, the link between fire and nearby deforestation has strengthened in states such as Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, and Roraima, peaking in 2017.

The study finds that while the direct local conversion of degraded areas into deforested land is low (10% of total deforestation), there is a strong regional association: 30% of total deforestation occurs within one kilometer of previously degraded areas. This association is most frequent in medium or large private properties, rural settlements, and undesignated areas. The authors argue that degradation alerts can serve as a leading indicator for regional forest risk, suggesting that law enforcement should target both degraded areas and their immediate surroundings, particularly on private lands.

The briefing analyzes the proposed EU law on deforestation-free products, which aims to replace the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR). It highlights improvements such as the expansion of covered commodities to include cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, and soya, and the introduction of a 'deforestation-free' criterion alongside legality requirements. The document notes strengthened due diligence for large traders, mandatory geo-localisation coordinates for traceability, and more rigorous compliance check requirements for Member States. However, it warns of definitional ambiguities regarding 'forest' and 'deforestation' and criticizes the failure to include criminal liability for serious violations.