The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) released a new report in October 2025 titled.“High-Risk Forests,
High-Value Returns: A Co-Benefit Assessment for Decision-Makers.”The report
highlights the growing environmental, economic, and social threats faced by the
world’s tropical forests.
Key Findings of the
Report
¨
The report
states that nearly one-third of the world’s tropical forests have now entered
the “high-risk” category.
¨ These forests are under increasing pressure
due to illegal logging, mining, agricultural expansion, and climate change.
¨ If current deforestation trends continue,
over 25% of tropical forests could disappear within the next 20 years.
¨ UNEP warns that the degradation of these
forests will severely affect biodiversity, air quality, and the livelihoods of
local communities.
¨ The UNEP report stated that 391 million
hectares of tropical forests are at high risk of deforestation and degradation,
posing serious threats to biodiversity, carbon storage, and livelihoods.
¨ It was observed that these forests sustain
around 53 million people who live within 5 km of them and depend directly on
forest resources for food, water, and income.
¨
It
highlighted that the Asia-Pacific region has the highest number of people
living near high-risk forests, while Africa has the largest population living
close to any tropical forest.
United Nations and
Environment Programme (UNEP)
¨
UNEP was
founded in 1972 after a UN General Assembly resolution (2997 XXVII).
¨ It unites 193 Member States to find solutions
to climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, collectively
known as the triple planetary crisis.
¨ Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya.
¨ It noted that between 1990 and 2019, tropical
forests absorbed nearly half of global fossil fuel emissions, underscoring
their importance for climate stability.
¨ It is mentioned that each year the world
loses about 10 million hectares of tropical forests, an area equivalent to the
size of the Republic of Korea.
¨ It warned that deforestation disrupts the
natural “flying rivers” that recycle 10–14 percent of rainfall and sustain
water flows, especially in regions like the Amazon.
¨ It emphasised that the protection of these
forests prevents around 527 million tonnes of sediment from entering rivers
annually, protecting reservoirs and infrastructure from damage.
¨ It further added that these forests help
avert nearly $81 billion in annual GDP losses by preventing floods, landslides,
and soil erosion.
¨ It reported that the annual investments in
forest protection must triple by 2030 and increase sixfold by 2050 to ensure
sustainable forest management.
¨ It clarified that current global forest
funding stands at $84 billion, with a shortfall of $216 billion compared to the
required $300 billion annual investment by 2030.
¨
It
pointed out that $400 billion in harmful agricultural subsidies contribute to
deforestation of about 2.2 million hectares every year, outweighing positive
investments in forest conservation.
Significance of the
Report
¨
The
report underscores that tropical forests are the foundation of global food,
water, and economic systems, not merely carbon sinks or wildlife habitats.
¨ It highlights that protecting high-risk
forests is central to achieving climate, biodiversity, and development goals
under international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
¨ It stresses that investing in forest
protection safeguards livelihoods, ensures water and food security, and
strengthens resilience to natural disasters.
¨
It calls
for governments and investors to recognise the true economic and ecological
value of forests and integrate forest action into national development and
climate strategies.
