Promoting trust-building, practical solutions, and local leadership at GLF Forests 2025 

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) joined global leaders at the Global Landscape Forum's Forests 2025, held in Bonn, Germany, from 24 to 25 April 2025. Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30, this event brought together a global community to explore the role of sustainable land management and forests as key solutions to climate change.   

Forests serve as carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots, and sources of livelihood and food for millions of people around the world. Yet they are facing increasing challenges. The conference explored the path forward to shape the future of forests, including key themes of policy, climate finance, rights, just transition, and technology.   

FSC Director General Subhra Bhattacharjee participated in three key discussions during the event, highlighting the urgent need to involve all forest stakeholders to address the main challenges, enhance local leadership, and use technology resources to shape the future.   

Defining the next decade of actions  

In the closing plenary on the first day, Subhra Bhattacharjee joined policymakers, experts, Indigenous leaders, and practitioners to discuss actions to overcome major challenges facing forests and foster a resilient future.   

The plenary highlighted the urgent need to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. As the Director General noted, three core elements that define FSC’s —consensus-building through dialogue, voluntary compliance, and inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement—are now more critical than ever in today's increasingly polarised world.  

The climate crisis requires collaboration among governments, the private sector, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples' organisations, and individual citizens. "FSC creates that platform," she said, highlighting FSC's unique role in bringing together multi-sector actors for dialogue. 

Subhra finished with a strong message, amplifying the words of the panel's two Indigenous speakers: "The voices of those who have skin in the game – including those of local communities and Indigenous Peoples – must define the global agenda."   

Building inclusive AI for forest policies  

On the second day, stakeholders gathered in person to continue the exchange. A roundtable discussion on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) in forest decision-making provided the opportunity to explore how to use these tools for equitable and just forest policies.  

For FSC, integrating artificial intelligence into global forest governance frameworks presents a powerful opportunity to enhance transparency and accelerate responses to deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss.  

FSC's Director General highlighted the potential of AI as a force multiplier to both deepen inequality or empower communities: "AI should be an open-sourced tool, providing democratised and accessible output in the local language to support governments and communities in decision-making to focus their resources to protect their forests".  

Supporting compliance with EU Regulations for a forest-based bioeconomy  

Regarding the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), FSC, as a voluntary certification system, helps stakeholders navigate and comply with these requirements. "EUDR and FSC certification contribute to a common cause," she said. "Both seek to fight deforestation and degradation in Europe and worldwide".  

By streamlining the compliance process, FSC offers practical tools and guidance to companies, forest managers, forest owners, and communities to contribute to sustainable forest management. FSC certification can also help companies to meet EUDR requirements.   

"EUDR presents a unique opportunity to drive large-scale capacity building, incentivisation, and support—creating the conditions needed to earn smallholder trust and provide meaningful incentives to keep forests standing", she added.  

Please click here for more information about GLF Forest 2025.