THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL AND THE FORESTS IN THE WORLD

Abstract

The Green Pact of the European Union is part of the United Nations' programme of sustainable development to 2030. To implement this pact, it is necessary to transform the European Union's economy with a view to protect and restore endangered and damaged natural ecosystems, sustainably use resources, and improve people's health status. For this purpose, it has been envisaged to stabilize climate by reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases by 55% up to 2030, as compared with their levels of 1990. Changes are necessary in emission trade, land use and forestry. Forests are particularly important for realizing the Green Pact because of their multi-functionality. The following, most general inferences can be made about the world forests intended to perform their resource-providing, environmental and social functions: - The world area of forests has continued diminishing in the recent 10 years by 4.7 million ha per year as an average as the rate of forest loss has been abating due to the expansion of the forests in Asia and Europe. The deforestation for the period from 2015 to 2020 occurred at the rate of 2 million ha per year with a trend as to abatement. - The forests in Africa are the most vulnerable ones, in terms of their area, as their reduction already surpasses that in South America. The deforestation in South America from 2010 to 2020 decreased to the half of that in the period 1990-2000 and 2000-2010. - Sustainable forest management requires contemporary forest-management planning and forestry but, only for half of their total area there are forest-management plans. This planning activity has been carried out almost completely in Europe only, whereas its proportions in terms of forest area are 2/3 – in Asia, 1/2 – in North and Central America, and only 1/3 – in Oceania, 1/4 – in Africa and 1/6 – in South America. Without total forest-management planning, it is impossible to realize the multi-functional, sustainable management of forests. - The proportions of forests for harvesting timber and non-timber products, for preservation of the soil and water, for conservation of the biodiversity, and for social benefits and other purposes, in the particular continents, have not been sufficiently well-founded scientifically, hence. the need for optimizing these in congruity with the human needs determined in consideration with the on-going climate changes and the current socioeconomic factors. - The European Green Deal is, to a certain extent, a continuation of previous polices partly formulated in the last decades of the 20-th century and improved by means of modern philosophy and technology suggesting a new approach to reasonable taking of what is sufficient while harvesting resources.