INTERNATIONAL NEWS
united voice to advocate for greater global governance and enforceable legal frameworks in supply chains and within producer forest countries .
Tropical forests are in danger as never before . Global forest cover is falling worldwide while greenhouse gas emissions as a direct result of deforestation increase . At least twelve percent of greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to tropical forest deforestation and degradation ( World Bank , 2021 ) largely caused by agricultural expansion . Global strategies to halt deforestation or forest degradation to date have had significant ambitions for climate mitigation but have fallen short of their ambitions .
The tropical timber sector has a key role in achieving the forest management and conservation goals of COP26 . However , the private sector , Governments and civil society in producer and consumer countries must come together to establish relationships promoting governance and sustainable management to achieve this .
David Hopkins , CEO of the UK Timber Trade Federation , launched the Tropical Timber Accord at COP at the UK Pavilion in the Blue Zone immediately after the World Leaders Summit Forest and Land Use session on Tuesday 2nd November 2021 . The timing of the launch highlights the importance of governance for tropical forests and the urgent need to put governance and our forests on the climate agenda .
Panelists highlighted the importance of tropical forests for COP26 climate mitigation objectives and the need to strengthen legality , sustainability and governance across supply chains in the tropical belt . Governments can and must play a critical role in establishing governance conditions in-country reforms , as well as working with international parties and the private sector .
To launch the Tropical Timber Accord at COP is a huge success for the facilitative work and process that trade associations across the tropical belt have contributed to .
The Accord is available for download from the World of Wood website : https :// worldofwoodfestival . org / accord /
Strong , inclusive legal frameworks are essential for the sustainable management of tropical forests and underpin all other climate policy ambitions relating to tropical forests .”
6 DECEMBER 2021 / JANUARY 2022 // www . timberiq . co . za