Target countries: Global
Lead members: CBD, UNFFS, FAO
Timeframe: 2025–2028
Contributions to forest-related goals: GFGs 1, 2, 3, 5, and KMGBF targets 10, 14, 20, 21
This joint initiative aims to assist countries in understanding the role of conservation and sustainable use of forests in the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework goals and targets and the interlinkages of the Global Forest Goals and other forest-related instruments. The issue of biodiversity conservation, halting deforestation and forest degradation is a priority for this joint initiative, given the potential of natural and planted forests in biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.
Biodiversity mainstreaming involves integrating biodiversity considerations into the policies and practices of key public and private actors to ensure its conservation and sustainable use. Specifically, mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry means incorporating biodiversity concerns into daily forest management to achieve optimal outcomes that balance economic benefits, ecosystem services, and biodiversity conservation.
The joint initiative will facilitate collaboration among countries and agencies to collectively elevate the recognition of natural forests, especially primary forests, within the framework of the three Rio Conventions, the UN Forum on Forests and the Sustainable Development Goals and identify opportunities for coherence and synergies for enhanced actions on conservation of forest biodiversity and enhance the role of sustainably managed forests and trees outside forests in biodiversity conservation.
The focus will be on reviewing and analyzing forest-related commitments, including NBSAPs, national voluntary contributions to forests, and other forest-related policies. This will include the development of a policy brief summarizing the analysis and providing recommendations for synergies at national and global levels, covering forest-related commitments, financing, implementation, and reporting. Activities will also center on outreach and awareness-raising, resource mobilization for country-level actions, and informing the CBD COP17 on the implementation of the COP16/30 decision.
Based on the recommendations for synergies at national and global levels, including forest-related commitments, financing, implementation and reporting, the governments, and stakeholders will be able to co-design coherent commitments, diversify financial support and streamline forest-related reporting. The CPF member organizations will be able to address more effectively the barriers and needs identified to reduce the fragmentation of the international forest agenda.
In addition, enhancing the integration of forestry into national biodiversity strategies is expected to strengthen the role of forests in national planning and implementation processes, ensuring that forests contribute effectively to achieving the KMGBF targets and broader global biodiversity commitments.
The forest factor: The role of protection, restoration and sustainable management of forests for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, 
was presented during Forest and Water Day at the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16). Led by the CBD under the umbrella of the CPF, the report underscores the essential role of forest biodiversity conservation and sustainable forest management in achieving the KM-GBF goals. It addresses global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development and sets out practical policy recommendations and pathways to reverse deforestation and degradation and enhance forest ecosystem health.
What are countries doing for their forest biodiversity? is an analysis of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) submitted by countries under the CBD and the KM-GBF,
jointly produced by FAO and CBD under the CPF and launched at the 27th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-27) of the CBD. The study identified specific threats to forest biodiversity, as well as proposed policies, strategies and actions to address them, along with implementation barriers. Its findings confirm forests’ central role in national biodiversity strategies, while highlighting the need to strengthen the integration of forest conservation in forest production, address the under-prioritization of primary forests and close persistent data limitations and financing gaps for effective implementation.
