Sustainable Development Goals - 17 Goals to Transform our World

Progress towards sustainable forest management

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from US statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from US statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other US-specific metadata information.

Actual indicator available
Actual indicator available - description
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Scheduled update by SDG team

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator name Progress towards sustainable forest management
Target name By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
Global indicator description Sustainable forest management is a central concept for Goal 15 and target 15.1 as well as for target 15.2. It has been formally defined, by the UN General Assembly, as follows: [a] dynamic and evolving concept [that] aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of present and future generations". (Resolution A/RES/62/98) An "index of sustainable forest management" with four sub-indicators can be used as a basic indicator of progress towards sustainable forest management by a country. The four sub-indicators are 1. Annual average percent change in forest area over most recent available 5 year period 2. Annual average percent change in stock of carbon in above ground biomass over most recent available 5 year period 3. Share of forest area whose primary designated function is biodiversity conservation, most recent period 4. Share of forest area under a forest management plan, of which forest area certified under an independent forest management certification scheme, most recent period For each of these components, countries can set national targets, monitor and report on progress. The four sub-indicators will be combined into a single composite index, but targets would be set at the level of sub-indicators. Once targets have been set by national authorities, in terms of the four sub-indicators, and progress measured over an agreed period, countries would assess progress (on track to exceed target, on track to achieve target, progress but at an insufficient rate, no significant overall progress, moving away from target). The final value of the index would be a simple arithmetic average of the values for the four sub-indicators. The use of national targets allows each country to define sustainable forest management for its own specific circumstances, within a coherent international framework. Targets on the sub-indicators can also be set at regional or global levels.
UN designated tier 1
UN custodial agency FAO (Partnering Agencies: UNEP, UNFCCC)
Link to UN metadata Link opens in a new window
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