Role of Forestry in Ensuring Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, setting the agenda for 2015-30 for the member nations, pose a challenging task to end poverty, hunger and other inequalities, promote sustainable growth, provide employment, mitigate climate change impacts and usher in global peace. Sustainability is the key to achieving these goals. Forestry sector plays a crucial role in these goals to ensure that sustainability is achieved in true sense. There are specific goals for forestry and climate action. For the remaining goals, forestry comes into play as well. The author studied each of the goals separately from forestry perspective and analyzed how forestry is linked to the goals. The potential of forestry sector in contributing to these goals is also studied. It is observed that all the goals are complimentary. If forests are managed sustainably deforestation and degradation are halted and biodiversity is conserved, the achievement of other goals also becomes better On the other hand, if goals of ending poverty growth, industrialization etc. are given excess priority then our natural resources will get depleted further In that scenario, sustainability cannot be ensured. There are trade-offs involved amongst various goals and a fine balance needs to be maintained, through policy interventions, to ensure that all the goals work in tandem to achieve desired outcomes.