The Sydney Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development, adopted at the fifteenth APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2007, announced an APEC-wide aspirational goal of increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares (ha) of all types of forests by 2020. This report assesses the extent to which the APEC 2020 Forest Cover Goal was achieved. It updates a progress report, published in 2015, with information provided in 2021 by 12 of the 21 APEC economies and an analysis of the 2020 Global Forest Resources Assessment.1 Forest area in the APEC region increased by 27.9 million ha between 2007 and 2020. Over the same period, the area of forest in protected areas in APEC economies increased by almost 16 million ha and the area of planted forest increased by slightly more than 30 million ha. Although, overall, the APEC economies achieved the 2020 Forest Cover Goal, not all economies reported an increase in forest area over the period. Forest area increased in nine economies, with the largest increases in China (26.5 million ha), Australia (5.0 million ha) and the United States (3.5 million ha). Conversely, forest area declined in ten economies in the region. Key direct drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in APEC economies include agricultural expansion, forest product extraction (legal and illegal), infrastructure development, and biophysical factors (e.g. climate and extreme weather events, forest fire and invasive species).

The purpose of the roadmap is to delineate and inform the process by which decision makers and actors can evaluate the status, diversity and trends of primary forests in the region, identify priority areas for primary forest conservation, assess the threats they face, and explore possible ways to address them. This report suggests a practical process in four steps, through which the recommendations can be articulated at different scales (from regional to local) and adapted to the specific context, priorities and needs of various forest types, countries and categories of actors.

A global assessment of potential and anticipated impacts of efforts to achieve the SDGs on forests and related socio-economic systems. This title is available as Open Access via Cambridge Core.

This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2023 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.

Restoring Forests and Trees for Sustainable Development utilizes a multidisciplinary perspective to analyze and discuss the various opportunities and challenges of restoring tree and forest cover. It examines forest restoration commitments, policies and programs, their implementation at different scales and contexts, and how forest restoration helps to mitigate environmental, societal, and cultural challenges. This book explores how restoration affects forest ecosystem services, contributes to biodiversity conservation, and generates benefits and synergies, while recognizing the considerable costs, tradeoffs, and variable feasibility of its implementation.