COP16 currently being held at Cali Colombia has brought forth the ongoing discussion regarding the Protection of Northern Forests. These forests are central greenhouse cycle zone and have the most carbon-capturing capacity of any boreal and temperate forests spanning across Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia.

This conversation comes after a major COP15 pledge, the ‘30 by 30” commitment of several nations to conserve 30% of global land and water by 2030. However, the deforestation rates in 2023 exceed the 2022 target by 50%, calling for a more international and practical conservation movement headed by the speaker of NRDC, Jennifer Skene, Yorgen Sundin from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, and Guan Bridges of the Oenakola Foundation. The consistent voice and action called by them has led to COP16 calling for the protection of Northern Forests.

Significance of Northern Forests for the Environment and Climate

Although the Northern forests make up 30% of the world’s forested area, approximately 1.9 billion hectares of land, only less than 10% have formal protection under legislation and international convention. Forests also make up roughly one-third of the world’s terrestrial carbon stock, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). This large forest expanse helps moderate and acclimate the temperature to continue the cycling of a naturally balanced ecosystem with flustering biodiversity. The northern forest is the natural habitat of the Siberian tiger, Canada lynx and many more.

Current Threats to Northern Forests

The reasons the northern forests are under duress are :

• Unlawful logging and clear-cut practices within the lumber industry.
• Causing biodiversity loss and imbalance in environmental cycles and systems, such as increased soil erosion and lesser groundwater levels more prone to changes via climate change.
• Mass Deforestation is causing Carbon storage to be released back into the atmosphere.
• When forests are cut down on a large scale, all the carbon the trees store is released when trees decompose. Such an instance has occurred since 1976. Approximately 35 million acres of boreal forests have been logged, causing the northern forests to turn into carbon source emitters. Leading to an imbalance in the carbon cycle and increasing trapping of greenhouse gasses.

Indigenous Rights and Forest Management

Advocates like Yorgen Sundin from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation have highlighted the importance of Indigenous knowledge of the local wildlife climatic patterns, flora, and its medical properties and various uses while coexisting with the northern forest for millennia.

Legal consent and rights of the Indigenous are often violated by the lumber and retail industry, leading to the devastation of community and wildlife, which is why FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) has been a hot topic at COP16, giving the Indigenous communities inhabiting or depending on the northern forest for their livelihood have the right to be informed regarding any developmental projects logging, mining and industrial involvement.

The lack of FPIC has been violated in the Russian far east region of the northern forest, bringing to light why FPIC is such an integral and important pact to adhere to. Multiple countries like Canada and Australia have been moving towards this direction of informed consent following the FPIC guideline.

Also Read: UN COP16: Colombia Spotlights Indigenous Inclusion In Nature Summit Agenda

Proposed Framework for Northern Forest Protection

The Tropical forests, particularly in the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia, have been at the heart of the topic regarding forest conservation for decades, receiving funding, awareness, and multiple movements, international and grassroots, for their protection with military legislations and international conventions led pacts and agreements to protect the biodiversity of these forests. On the other hand, The northern forest has often been forgotten and undermined. They lack conservation efforts, ecologically based movements, and legal protection and are mostly underfunded, although they hold about one-third of global forest carbon stocks.

COP16 has brought this disparity to light and has discussed imposing stricter and mandatory sustainable practices to be followed by industries using the northern forests. The NRDC brought forth the idea of enforced accountability to environmental standards and respect for the rights of Indigenous communities.

Also Read: World Lags Meeting 2030 Biodiversity Goals As COP16 Talks Begin