The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has urged world leaders to strengthen forest protection efforts ahead of the COP-30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, warning that the progress made over the past three decades is now at serious risk. UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean emphasized that forests, which serve as one of the planet’s most powerful natural defences, are under severe threat from the escalating climate emergency. Carbon storage in forests has increased by 11 per cent since 1990, but this gain could be reversed as rising temperatures, droughts, and pest infestations take their toll.
Molcean stressed that the international community must recognize forest protection as a key component of global carbon security, not merely an environmental concern. The UNECE region—which includes Europe, North America, the Caucasus, and Central Asia—covers over 1.76 billion hectares of forest, representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s total. While these forests have expanded by 60 million hectares, particularly in Central Asia and Europe, global forest loss remains alarming, with nearly 10.9 million hectares disappearing each year.
Wildfires pose a growing danger, with 12.6 million hectares burned in 2021—an area comparable to Greece—and 73 million hectares affected by insects and diseases. UNECE’s Paola Deda warned that if these trends continue, forests that currently act as major carbon sinks could become sources of emissions, undermining international climate goals. Long-term conservation efforts have led to a doubling of protected areas since 1990, with 300 million hectares now legally safeguarded, but accelerating climate impacts threaten to undo these gains.
The UNECE report, published every five years, highlights worsening forest destruction from fires, pests, and drought, alongside a slowdown in forest growth and expansion. It warns that without urgent policy action, forests could suffer irreversible damage, jeopardizing the achievement of forest-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Boreal forests—circling the Arctic and holding roughly 32 per cent of global terrestrial carbon stocks—are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, thawing permafrost, and fires, demanding immediate global policy responses.
Ahead of COP-30, UNECE is calling for enhanced forest protection strategies, including stronger fire prevention, pest control, and restoration initiatives. Ms. Deda emphasized that while the climate summit will take place in Brazil, the world’s largest forested nation is Russia, underlining the critical importance of northern hemisphere forests in global climate action.
