Looking ahead from COP16 & COP29

With two down and one to be finalized this week, the United Nations CoP negotiations on Biodiversity (CoP16), Climate Change (CoP29) and Desertification (CoP16) provided some steps forward but weren’t as decisive as the nature and climate crisis urges. There is still a lot of work ahead of us. FSC attended and participated in the CBD and Climate CoPs.

Both CoPs have shown us again that governments alone will not be able to fund climate action at the scale needed to solve the climate crisis, especially in the current geopolitical landscape. The active contribution of other societal actors, especially civil society and the business world, is required, and we must focus on areas where solutions are readily at hand, and where our actions will matter now. Forest protection and responsible forest management are proven — and financially feasible — solutions largely managed by such actors based on current market incentives to keep carbon out of the atmosphere and biodiversity in our forests.

In Cali and Baku, well-protected and managed nature got increasing recognition for its contribution to reducing the climate crisis and its consequences. However, it did not make it into the final agreements. For FSC, responsible forest management, including initiatives to restore what has already been converted or degraded, is crucial and can have almost immediate, significant effects through avoiding deforestation, and restoring degraded areas.

Moving ahead, the involvement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is essential as stewards who manage one-quarter of the world's land and are also the most knowledgeable and connected to the needs of these territories. These stewards must be enabled, not just financially but also to use readily available solutions, such as those provided by FSC, that uphold their rights. FSC has also established the FSC Indigenous Foundation for activating this purpose collaboratively. This is also a clear message coming out of UNCCD-CoP16 and is connected with Land Tenure Rights.

“Forests and nature are the world’s most cost-effective buffers against the triple planetary crisis. FSC will intensify its work with partners to catalyze immediate action by promoting sustainable forest management, nature-based solutions, and the rights and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples,” says Subhra Bhattacharjee, FSC Director General.

Additionally, FSC will work to scale up tools to enable verifiable claims for the protection and maintenance  of critical ecosystem services. These new tools will help forest stewards diversify the markets they rely on financially to support their forest stewardship efforts - all assured by FSC certification.

Looking ahead to CoP30 in Brazil, integrating nature into climate strategies at all levels will be critical for safeguarding biodiversity and achieving global climate goals in an equitable way.

The challenges we face are formidable and multi-faceted, and solutions will only be found when we leverage the perspectives and contributions of the full spectrum of stakeholders. FSC does this through its wide membership base and stands ready to work with partners to achieve forests for all forever.