FAO, with forest defense -3.6 billion tons CO2 per year

(ANSA) - ROME, 02 MAY - Stopping deforestation, restoring degraded land and using forests in a sustainable way are the three ways to release their potential and recover from the impact of crises such as Covid, conflicts, the climate crisis and the loss of biodiversity, according to the FAO 2022 report on the state of forests in the world.

Stopping deforestation and maintaining forests alone could avoid emitting 3.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year between 2020 and 2050, about 14% of what is needed until 2030 to maintain the global warming below 1.5 ° C.

"The balanced and simultaneous pursuit of these pathways can help address the crises facing people and the planet, while generating sustainable economic benefits, especially for rural communities," writes FAO Director General Qu Dongyu in the preface. to the rappor, which was presented at the World Forestry Congress in Seoul.

In addition to stopping deforestation, the second road indicated is the restoration of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land and the increase in tree cover which could increase agricultural productivity by another billion hectares.

Between 2020 and 2050, the restoration of degraded land through afforestation and reforestation could take up to 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent out of the atmosphere per year, similar to 325 million cars at gasoline off the road every year.

The third and final path is the sustainable use of forests and the construction of ecological value chains that would help meet future demand for materials - with global consumption of all natural resources expected to more than double from 92 billion tons in the 2017 to 190 billion tons in 2060 - and would support sustainable economies with more job opportunities and safer livelihoods. 

Funding for forests must at least triple, to more than $ 200 billion a year for creation and management alone, by 2030 to meet climate neutrality, biodiversity and land degradation goals, according to the FAO. .

"Smallholders, local communities and indigenous peoples own or manage nearly half - 4.35 billion hectares - of the world's forest and agricultural landscapes and will be key," reads the Forest State report.

According to one estimate, the smallholders of such land generate a gross annual income of up to $ 1.290 billion.

More than 8.5 million producer organizations already exist to help local actors get involved and support green recovery.