Global Forest Coalition

Last updated
Global Forest Coalition
PredecessorForest Working Group
Formation2000
PurposePrevention of Forest Loss
Simone Lovera
Website globalforestcoalition.org/en/

The Global Forest Coalition (GFC) is a coalition of NGOs and indigenous peoples organizations engaged in the global policy debate related to forests. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

The Global Forest Coalition was set up in 2000 by 19 groups from all over the world. [5] It succeeds the informal network Forest Working Group, which was established in 1995 to advocate for social justice issues and the underlying causes of forest loss to be addressed in international forest policy debates. [1] Simone Lovera is presently serving as the executive director of the Coalition. [6] [7] [8]

Objective and Activities

The mission of the Global Forest Coalition is to advocate the rights of forest-dependent peoples as a basis for forest policy and addressing the direct and underlying causes of deforestation and forest degradation. [9] To do so, the coalition facilitates effective and equitable participation of these groups in global policy for a related to forests and monitors the implementation of agreed policy commitments. The three primary targets of the coalition are the United Nations Forum on Forests, the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity. [10]

Forest Working Group

The Forest Working Group was an informal network of 15-20 NGOs established in 1995, predating the Global Forest Coalition. It included NGOs from all regions that participated in international forest policy meetings and organized joint advocacy campaigns on issues such as indigenous peoples’ rights, socially-just forest policy, and underlying causes of forest loss.

Related Research Articles

Global Climate Coalition

The Global Climate Coalition (GCC) (1989–2001) was an international lobbyist group of businesses that opposed action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and publicly challenged the science behind global warming. The GCC was the largest industry group active in climate policy and the most prominent industry advocate in international climate negotiations. The GCC was involved in opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, and played a role in blocking ratification by the United States. The coalition knew it could not deny the scientific consensus, but sought to sow doubt over the scientific consensus on climate change and create manufactured controversy. The GCC dissolved in 2001 after membership declined in the face of improved understanding of the role of greenhouse gases in climate change and of public criticism.

Center for International Forestry Research

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) is a non-profit scientific research organization that conducts research on the use and management of forests with a focus on tropical forests in developing countries. CIFOR is the forestry research center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a network of 15 research centers around the world that focus on agricultural research for sustainable development, working closely with governments and other partners to help develop evidence-based solutions to problems related to sustainable agriculture and natural resource management.

Sustainable forest management

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural. Successfully achieving sustainable forest management will provide integrated benefits to all, ranging from safeguarding local livelihoods to protecting biodiversity and ecosystems provided by forests, reducing rural poverty and mitigating some of the effects of climate change. Forest conservation is essential to stop climate change.

Rainforest Foundation Fund

The Rainforest Foundation Fund is a charitable foundation founded in 1987 and dedicated to drawing attention to rainforests and defending the rights of indigenous peoples living there.

Climate justice Term linking the climate crisis with environmental and social justice

Climate justice is a term used to frame climate change as an ethical and political issue, rather than one that is purely environmental or physical in nature. This is done by relating the causes and effects of climate change to concepts of justice, particularly environmental justice and social justice. Climate justice examines concepts such as equality, human rights, collective rights, and the historical responsibilities for climate change. Climate justice actions can include the growing global body of legal action on climate change issues. In 2017, a report of the United Nations Environment Programme identified 894 ongoing legal actions worldwide.

The Forests Now Declaration is a declaration that advocates using carbon credits to protect tropical forests. The Declaration was created by the Global Canopy Programme, and has been signed by over 200 NGOs, business leaders, scientists and conservationists. The Declaration was created as carbon credits from land use, land-use change and forestry were omitted from the Clean Development Mechanism for the First Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol despite contributing 18-25% of all emissions.

Fern is a Dutch foundation created in 1995. It is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) set up to keep track of the European Union's involvement in forests and coordinate NGO activities at the European level. Fern works to protect forests and the rights of people who depend on them.

Climate Justice Now! (CJN!) is a global coalition of networks and organizations campaigning for climate justice.

The Rainforest Foundation US is a non-profit NGO working in Central and South America. It is one of the first international organizations to support the indigenous peoples of the world's rainforests in their efforts to protect their environment and fulfill their rights to land, life and livelihood.

Avoided Deforestation Partners

Avoided Deforestation Partners, or AD Partners, is a non-profit organization under the auspices of the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C. AD Partners is involved in the global effort to solve climate change by working to end deforestation in tropical rainforest countries. By avoiding the practice of deforestation, i.e., clearing forests to provide inexpensive farmland, the world gains the significant climate benefits of not releasing carbon into the atmosphere. In addition, avoiding deforestation also allows forests to sequester carbon and scrub the air of pollutants. Beyond protecting our air quality, tropical forests create the conditions for rain, recharge our water sources, provide habitats for myriad plant and animal species, and support a way of life for 1.6 billion forest dependent people. Leading scientists and economists say that ending deforestation is the most cost effective and scalable method of reducing greenhouse gases. In fact, they believe that ending deforestation will cut the timeframe for solving the climate crisis in half.

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) was first negotiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2005, with the objective of mitigating climate change through reducing net emissions of greenhouse gases through enhanced forest management in developing countries. Most of the key REDD+ decisions were completed by 2013, with the final pieces of the rulebook finished in 2015.

International Day of Forests International day established by the United Nations

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012. Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional and subregional organizations. International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

Deforestation in Papua New Guinea

Deforestation in Papua New Guinea has been extensive in recent decades and is continuing at an estimated rate of 1.4% of tropical forest being lost annually. Deforestation in Papua New Guinea is mainly a result of illegal logging, which contributed to 70-90% of all timber exports, one of the highest rates in the world. Illegal logging is linked to corruption, environmental issues and human rights concerns.

Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is a network of indigenous, grassroots environmental justice activists, primarily based in the United States. Group members have represented Native American concerns at international events such as the United Nations Climate Change Conferences in Copenhagen (2009) and Paris (2016). IEN organizes an annual conference to discuss proposed goals and projects for the coming year; each year the conference is held in a different indigenous nation. The network emphasizes environmental protection as a form of spiritual activism. IEN received attention in the news as a major organizer of the fight against the Keystone Pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline in the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

Ancestral domain or ancestral lands refers to the lands, territories and resources of indigenous peoples, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The term differs from indigenous land rights, Aboriginal title or Native Title by directly indicating relationship to land based on ancestry, while domain indicates relationships beyond material lands and territories, including spiritual and cultural aspects that may not be acknowledged in land titles and legal doctrine about trading ownership.

The aim of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is to establish bottom-up participation and consultation of an indigenous population prior to the beginning of development on ancestral land or using resources within the indigenous population's territory. Indigenous people have a special connection to their land and resources, and they inhabit one-fifth of the earth's surface. These areas are environmentally rich in both renewable and non-renewable resources. The collective ownership style of most indigenous peoples conflicts with the modern global market and its continuous need for resources and land. To protect indigenous peoples rights, international human rights law has created processes and standards to safeguard their way of life and to encourage participation in the decision-making process. One of these methods is the process of FPIC. There is criticism that many international conventions and treaties only require consultation and not consent, which is a much higher threshold. Without the requirement for consent, indigenous people are not able to veto government projects and developments in their area, which directly affects their lives and cultures. FPIC allows indigenous peoples to have the right to self-determination and self-governance in national and local government decision-making processes over projects that concern their lives and resources.

The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIFPCC) is the representative body of indigenous peoples participating in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties (CMP) to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

Mithika Mwenda

Joseph Mithika Mwenda commonly known as Mithika Mwenda or simply Mzalendo, is the Kenyan-born co-founder of an African climate change activism organisation Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), and has been climate advocate for over 10 years.,

Green grabbing is the foreign appropriation of land and resources for environmental purposes, resulting in a pattern of unjust development. The purposes of green grabbing are varied; it can be done for ecotourism, conservation of biodiversity or ecosystem services, for carbon emission trading, or for biofuel production. It involves governments, NGOs, and corporations, often working in alliances. Green grabs can result in local residents' displacement from land where they live or make their livelihoods.

References

  1. 1 2 "Submissions - REDD+". redd.unfccc.int. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  2. Redação. "Cúpula do Clima 2021: Que paguem, por uma transição justa!" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  3. "Tree plantations are not a climate solution (commentary)". Mongabay Environmental News. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  4. Kreuzberg, Elena (2020-04-28). "Global Forest Coalition by Andrey Laletin and Elena Kreuzberg". Holarctic bridge. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  5. "Global Forest Coalition | Devex". www.devex.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  6. "Simone Lovera". Progressive.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  7. "Indigenous communities make a list of "do's and don'ts" for forest conservation schemes". CIFOR Forests News. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  8. "Global non-profits appeal to India to prevent forced evictions of forest dwellers". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  9. Global Forest Coalition website: http://globalforestcoalition.org/about-us
  10. Coalition, Global Forest. "Home". Global Forest Coalition. Retrieved 2021-04-30.