Implementation of the COP26 declaration to halt forest loss must safeguard and include Indigenous people

Haenssgen, M.J., et al. | Nature Ecology & Evolution | 2022 | Communication | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01650-6

Abstract

To the Editor — World and industry leaders at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), held in Glasgow in November 2021, asserted in their declaration on forest and land use a commitment to “halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030”. Nothing less than decisive and coordinated global action is required as we near an apocalyptic future of environmental degradation, species extinction and catastrophic climate change. With the recent acceleration in newly created global commitments and successes, such as the achievement of Aichi Target 11 in 2021, we should nonetheless pause and reflect about the implications of such top-down pledges to conserve forests for Indigenous peoples worldwide.