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The report finds that the 2020 target of restoring 150 million hectares of forest was not met, with only 18% achieved by 2019. It highlights the difficulty of monitoring restoration progress due to the limitations of satellite data and notes that in regions like Central America, gross tree cover gains have been offset by higher rates of loss. The document argues that achieving the 2030 goal requires transforming the enabling environment through quantified targets, strengthened policy and finance, and more consistent monitoring frameworks.

The document reports that improvements in forest governance are too slow to measurably reduce deforestation, noting that illegal deforestation increased from 49% to 69% between 2014 and 2020. While some progress has been made in establishing environmental frameworks and demand-side regulations, systemic challenges such as corruption, weak rule of law, and a failure to legally recognize IPLC land rights persist. The report highlights that weak forest governance causes over USD 17 billion in annual economic losses and calls for accelerated action to address legal weaknesses and enhance the participation of women and IPLCs in decision-making.

The Forest Declaration Assessment 2022 reports that global deforestation rates declined by 6.3% in 2021, falling short of the 10% annual reduction needed to halt deforestation by 2030. While Tropical Asia is on track to meet this goal, Tropical Latin America and Africa are not. Despite significant reforestation efforts, the world saw a net loss of 100 million hectares of forest over the last two decades. The report emphasizes that funding must increase up to 200 times, with a specific need for more support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

The NYDF Platform welcomes the Glasgow Leaders' Declaration on Forests and Land Use as a reaffirmation of the goal to halt deforestation by 2030. However, the NYDF Assessment reports that the world is not on track to meet this target, noting that forest loss has increased, restoration is slow, and finance is inadequate. While the Glasgow Declaration brings more leaders and financing pledges, the NYDF emphasizes the urgent need to translate these commitments into concrete actions and blunt reforms to achieve sustainable land use.

The 2021 NYDF Progress Assessment finds that national climate pledges for forests meet only 50% of their mitigation potential, and annual government investments of USD 2.4 billion represent only 0.5–5% of the required funding. While some progress in reducing forest loss has been noted, global deforestation and degradation continue, necessitating a whole-of-society approach and the integration of forest goals into macroeconomic policy.

The report evaluates the ambition, investment, and strategic implementation of forest-related climate goals across governments. It finds that national targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) significantly underutilize the mitigation potential of forests, and that current financial investments are insufficient compared to the funding required for forest protection and restoration.

The report evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) and the Paris Agreement, concluding that current efforts are insufficient to end forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that forest mitigation goals are fundamentally conflicted with an economic system based on unlimited production and consumption. To address this, the document outlines six key strategies for governments: strengthening land governance, securing indigenous and local community rights, aligning financial incentives, supporting multi-stakeholder collaboration, improving forest monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, global efforts to end forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 remain insufficient. It argues that current economic systems incentivize forest exploitation and that existing government initiatives—such as REDD+ programs and monitoring systems—have not been enough to counter these drivers. To realize forests' mitigation potential, the authors recommend that governments increase ambition in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), massively scale up domestic and international finance, and implement six specific strategies: strengthening land governance, securing Indigenous Peoples and local communities' (IPLCs) rights, aligning fiscal incentives, promoting multistakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report concludes that while the Paris Agreement has confirmed the role of forests in the international climate agenda, global efforts remain insufficient to stop deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that current economic systems, driven by infinite production and consumption, contradict climate goals. To address this, the report proposes six core strategies: strengthening land governance, securing indigenous and local community rights, aligning fiscal incentives with mitigation, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, ensuring reliable forest monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while Goal 7 of the NYDF—integrating forests into the international climate agenda via the Paris Agreement—has been achieved, overall progress in ending forest loss and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 remains insufficient. It argues that current mitigation efforts are undermined by an economic system driven by infinite production and consumption of forest-risk commodities. To address this, the document proposes six core strategies for governments: strengthening land-use governance, securing Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) rights, aligning financial incentives with mitigation goals, promoting multi-stakeholder jurisdictional collaboration, ensuring robust forest monitoring, and expanding demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has integrated forests into the international climate agenda, current national actions are insufficient to stop forest loss and greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It argues that governments must increase the ambition of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), align financial flows with climate goals, and implement six core strategies: strengthening governance, protecting indigenous land rights, aligning incentives, promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, ensuring robust monitoring, and implementing demand-side measures in importing countries.

The report finds that while the Paris Agreement has integrated forests into the international climate agenda, national ambitions in NDCs remain insufficient and often lack quantitative targets. Public finance for forest climate goals is a small fraction of the required amount, with 'grey' finance for deforestation-driving sectors vastly outweighing 'green' investments. While many countries have established REDD+ programs and robust monitoring systems, implementation is hindered by weak governance, widespread illegality, and a lack of secure land tenure for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs). The report recommends scaling up domestic and international finance, strengthening land rights, and expanding demand-side regulations in consumer countries to curb illegal deforestation.

The transition to low-carbon technologies is highly mineral-intensive, requiring an estimated 3 billion tons of minerals and metals to achieve a below 2°C future. This demand increases the risk of deforestation and fragmentation of intact forest landscapes (IFLs), particularly in the Amazon and Congo Basin. In the Amazon, mining contributes up to 9% of IFL area loss, while in the Congo Basin, the demand for cobalt for batteries drives exploration in high-forest-cover areas. Analysis shows a gap in corporate and government governance, with only a minority of assessed companies adopting specific forest-related commitments and 78% of state and regional governments lacking forest management plans that directly address mining-related deforestation.

The document reports that infrastructure is responsible for 9-17% of tropical and subtropical deforestation, while mining contributes to approximately 7% of global forest loss. Data from CDP's forest module indicates that while many regional governments have forest policies, there is a lack of operational management plans and risk assessments. The most frequently reported impact of mining and infrastructure-related forest loss is increased greenhouse gas emissions, which governments attempt to manage through integrated land-use planning, afforestation, and policy enforcement. Case studies highlight the Piura Region in Peru, where mining has driven deforestation and indigenous displacement, and New York State, where infrastructure and agriculture are primary drivers of forest loss.

The annex evaluates the gap between the economic mitigation potential of forests and the quantitative targets set in NDCs for 32 high-potential countries. It identifies a global annual finance need for forest protection and restoration ranging from USD 45 billion to USD 460 billion, while noting that current 'green finance' flows are significantly lower than 'grey finance' flows directed toward sectors like agriculture.

The 2021 NYDF Assessment finds that while forests are recognized in the Paris Agreement, global forest loss is increasing and current government efforts are insufficient to meet 2030 targets. The report highlights a critical funding gap, where current investments cover only 5% of the required finance, and notes that government targets for high-mitigation potential countries capture only half of the available potential for emission reductions and carbon sinks. It further emphasizes that while legal frameworks for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC) exist, their implementation and tenure security remain weak, with only 11% of empowerment funding explicitly advancing tenure reform between 2011 and 2020.

The 2020 assessment concludes that the goal of restoring 150 million hectares of forest by 2020 is not on track, with global forest cover gain meeting only one fifth of the target. While political will is evident through 63 Bonn Challenge pledges totaling 172.82 million hectares, biophysical progress is hindered by data gaps and the fact that tree cover gains are often offset by ongoing deforestation. A case study of Central America highlights this dynamic, showing a net loss of 320 million hectares of tree cover between 2011 and 2018 despite significant gross gains. The report notes a growing trend of private-sector restoration pledges from companies like Amazon and Nestle, though financial transparency and systematic planning remain significant hurdles for scaling forest landscape restoration (FLR).

The report concludes that Goal 6 was met through the adoption of SDG 15, but highlights significant gaps in how forest conservation is measured and reported. It notes that indicators for SDG target 15.2 measure net rather than gross deforestation, failing to capture the extent of natural forest loss. Furthermore, the report warns that SDG targets 15.1 and 15.2 were set to expire in 2020 without adopted revisions. Reporting challenges persist at national levels, with many countries lacking the data and statistical systems needed to track progress, while corporate reporting on SDGs remains largely superficial.

The report evaluates the operationalization of REDD+ and the inclusion of forest-related mitigation targets in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. While the overarching goal of including forests in a global climate agreement is considered met, the report identifies significant barriers to REDD+ implementation, including insufficient finance and a lack of quantifiable targets in many NDCs. Recent updates to NDCs show some improvement in the quality and scale of forest targets in specific countries.

The 2020 assessment of NYDF Goal 9 reveals that while nearly USD 4.7 billion in results-based finance has been committed since 2010, only 40 percent has been disbursed. The report highlights a significant gap in funding for the implementation phase of REDD+ activities and notes that carbon markets have channeled USD 2.5 billion to forests over 20 years. While private sector demand for forest carbon offsets is rising among airlines and petroleum companies, current carbon prices remain too low to meet Paris Agreement objectives. Additionally, the report details various domestic compliance schemes in countries like Australia, Canada, and China that allow for forest carbon credits.