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Forests cover about 30% of the world’s land area and provide a range of environmental, social and the economic benefits. Forests mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity, improve water quality and soil conservation, and provide economic development and recreational facilities. Globally deforestation and forest degradation are serious environmental concerns, and New Zealand has a strong interest in ensuring that global rules support the sustainable management of the world’s forestry resource.
Forestry issues are dealt with across a range of forums, and regional and international agreements that New Zealand participates in. Key issues include: reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation and forest degradation; addressing trade in illegal timber and wood products; and capacity-building and technology transfer in support of sustainable forest management in developing countries.
The United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) was established in 2000 to promote the sustainable management of forests at the global level. In 2007 the 7th Session of the UNFF agreed on a Non-Legally Binding Agreement on All Types of Forests, aimed at strengthening political commitment and action at all levels to implement sustainable forest management practices.
New Zealand also plays an active role in the following forestry-related international organisations and processes: Convention on Biological Diversity, Food and Agricultural Organisation, International Tropical Timber Organisation , World Trade Organisation, World Bank, World Forestry Congress, and the Montreal Process group on criteria and indicators for temperate and boreal forests. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) deals with the use of forests to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through capture and storage of carbon dioxide.
Further information on New Zealand’s policies to address international illegal logging can be found on the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s website.
