WCS is working to secure recognition for intact forests’ contribution to climate change mitigation and the goals of the Paris Agreement, particularly Article 4 which calls for the world to achieve a net balance between emissions by sources and removals by sinks by 2050.
To support the implementation and impact of efforts to halt agriculture-driven deforestation, WCS has developed a new ‘risk-based’ framing for action on deforestation, that prioritizes efforts towards the farm and forests frontier: the Forest First approach. A brochure presents some case studies from WCS’s work in the field and provides some recommendations as to how producer countries can be supported to make the transition to becoming deforestation-free, whilst also involving and taking account of the impacts on local communities and smallholders. More information is available here.
The EU is currently considering whether to adopt new policy instruments to decrease the imports of commodities associated with deforestation (e.g. palm oil) and to support further action within developing countries to address tropical deforestation. WCS strongly supports such policy instruments.
For more information about WCS’s work on Intact forests and climate change, please click here.
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WCS Forest First Approach - Position Paper (February 2021)