The XV World Forestry Congress, held in Seoul, South Korea recently concluded with the adoption of the Seoul Declaration. This important document, signed by 141 participating countries, puts forth crucial steps and vision for global forestry sector’s sustainable development. Another highlight of the event was the release of the State of the World’s Forests 2022 (SOFO 2022) report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
About the World Forestry Congress
The World Forestry Congress is organized every six years to provide a platform for open discussion on the challenges and way forward for the forestry sector. This year’s event, co-organized by the Republic of Korea and FAO, had a theme of ‘Building a Green, Healthy and Resilient’. It aimed to build a new vision and approach for the future of forests and forestry in sustainable development at all levels.
Key Points from Seoul Declaration
Seoul Declaration underlines the importance of shared responsibility for forests that transcend political, social and environmental boundaries. The Declaration also stressed the need to triple investment in forest restoration by 2030 for meeting internationally agreed commitments and urged for moving towards a circular bioeconomy and climate neutrality.
Other Initiatives from XV World Forestry Congress
Several initiatives were launched at the Congress to boost international cooperation. These included the AFFIRM mechanism, aimed at better managing forest-related risks, the SAFE Initiative for safeguarding forest ecosystems, and the Platform for REDD+ Capacity Building, aimed at reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation.
India’s Major Forestry Initiatives
India has taken significant steps to safeguard its forest resources. National Mission for a Green India, launched in 2014, aims to protect the biological resources of the nation and associated livelihoods against the challenges of climate change. The National Afforestation Programme, implemented since 2000, focuses on afforestation of degraded forest lands. Besides these, there are schemes like the CAMPA Funds, launched in 2016 to manage and allocate funds for various forestry activities, and the National Action Programme to Combat Desertification, introduced in 2001 to address the issues of increasing desertification.
Managing Forest Fires
Forest fires pose a significant risk to India’s forest resources. To deal with this issue, the Indian government has initiated a dedicated program called the Forest Fire Prevention & Management Scheme (FFPM). It is a centrally funded scheme specifically aimed at assisting states in dealing with forest fires.
Past UPSC Civil Services Examination Question
As an exercise, let’s revisit a question from the previous year’s UPSC Civil Services Examination related to forests. The question was based on the ‘New York Declaration on Forests’. It was first endorsed at the United Nations Climate Summit in 2014, it endorses a global timeline to end the loss of forests and it’s a non-legally binding declaration endorsed by governments, big companies and indigenous communities. The correct answer to the question was option (a) – statements 1, 2, and 4 were correct.