According to the Global Forest Goals Report 2021, it is estimated that world gross product fell by an estimated 4.3% in 2020 — the sharpest contraction of global output since the Great Depression. Such outcomes show that the pandemic is a global development emergency with devastating consequences for those already at risk of being left behind.

An estimated 1.6 billion people, or 25% of the global population, rely on forests for their subsistence needs, livelihoods, employment, and income. Of the extreme poor in rural areas, 40% live in forest and savannah areas, and approximately 20% of the global population - especially women, children, landless farmers, and other vulnerable segments of society - look to forests to meet their food and income needs. For centuries, forests have provided socio-economic safety nets for people and communities in times of crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the lifeline that forests so often provide. Economic contractions, disruptions to global trade and local commerce, and lockdown measures to contain the virus have affected almost 2.7 billion workers, representing approximately 81% of the world’s workforce. Forest-dependent populations are amongst this demographic. On the economic front, they have faced job loss, reduced income, diminished access to markets and information, and for many women and youth, a contraction in seasonal employment. Socially, many of these populations are already marginalized and vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples, least able to access critical socio-economic safety nets. Many forest dependent populations, especially those in remote or hard to reach places, have faced difficulties accessing healthcare or find that government assistance programmes and basic services are disrupted.

Pandemic driven health and socio-economic outcomes have increased pressure on forests. To ease their growing vulnerability, many indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as returning migrants and urban workers, have retreated deeper into the woods to seek food, fuel, shelter, and protection from the risks of COVID-19. As more and more vulnerable people have turned to forest products and forest resources as a coping mechanism, these ecosystems are beginning to show signs of stress. Several regions now find the stability and viability of their forest sectors in jeopardy.

The impact of the pandemic is coupled with the escalating impact of climate change and a biodiversity crisis – global emergencies with serious implications for forest ecosystems. Among its many findings, the ‘Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) highlighted that one million species were at risk of extinction and that 100 million hectares of tropical forest were lost from 1980 to 2000. At the same time, climate change is jeopardizing the resilience of forest ecosystems and their ability to support ecosystem services worldwide. Though forests offer nature-based solutions to overcome these concurrent global challenges, they have also never been more at risk.

This means that a resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic along with responses to the climate and biodiversity crises must be rooted in the world’s forests. The path forward needs to be paved with greater sustainability and a greener, more inclusive economy – of which healthy forest ecosystems and forest-dependent communities are an integral part. Sustainably resourced and managed forests can bolster employment, disaster risk reduction, food security and social safety nets, for starters. They can also protect biodiversity and advance both climate mitigation and adaptation. And with regard to global health, safeguarding and restoring forests are among the environmental actions that can reduce the risk of future zoonotic disease outbreaks.

The importance of forests for the well-being of people and the planet is clear. Some 1.6 billion people worldwide depend directly on forests for food, shelter, energy, medicines and income. Forests provide clean air and fresh water and help to avert desertification. They are home to 80 per cent of all known terrestrial species, and they regulate our climate, absorbing one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, forests have been a lifeline for the millions of people who have turned to them for their most essential subsistence needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the forest sector provided us with essential health products – from masks to cleaning supplies and ethanol for sanitizers. Healthy and well-managed forests create a natural buffer against the transmission of zoonoses. Thus building resilience and reducing the risk of future pandemics, forests have a critical role to play. Investing in forests is investing in our future.

The Global Forests Goals Report 2021 is the first evaluation of where the world stands in implementing the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030. Adopted four years ago, the Plan is a blueprint for forests and people expressed through six Global Forest Goals and 26 targets. Outlining a vision for a future where all types of forests and trees are sustainably managed, the Plan is integral to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (IPA Service)