The Global Forest Goals Report 2026 indicates a lack of sufficient progress towards meeting the Global Forest Goals by 2030. Out of the 26 targets, only seven have been broadly achieved, with 17 partially on track and two off target. The report draws on voluntary national reports from 48 countries covering over half of global forest coverage, providing the latest assessment under the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030.
Global forest area has decreased by over 40 million hectares between 2015 and 2025, as highlighted in the report. There is also a significant shortfall in funding for sustainable forest management. Despite these challenges, several countries have implemented policy reforms, expanded forest restoration initiatives, enhanced governance, and boosted international cooperation for forest protection.
While progress varies across regions, improvements have been noted in protected forest areas, long-term management planning, and forest monitoring systems. However, threats such as deforestation, climate change, wildfires, pests, and illegal activities persist globally. The report suggests pathways for expediting action, including stopping deforestation, rehabilitating degraded lands, increasing protected and sustainably managed forests, enhancing forest-related governance, bridging the financing gap for sustainable forest management, and promoting innovative financing mechanisms.
The report’s release coincided with the commencement of the 21st session of the UN Forum on Forests at the UN Headquarters, where member states and partners are convening to advance the implementation of the Global Forest Goals. These goals, part of the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030, aim to halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and encourage sustainable management, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to boost global forest area by 3 per cent, approximately 120 million hectares.
