Stories of hope and resilience from forest communities around the world

Due to the growing realisation that deforestation affects us all, five years ago a coalition of governments, businesses, civil society organisations and Indigenous Peoples’ groups made a historic pledge to halve deforestation by 2020.

Yet this goal is nowhere near being realised. In fact, forest loss is accelerating.

The stories in this report, however, show a path to a better future – one in which the people most directly affected by deforestation are at the forefront of actions to tackle it.

It raises the voices of the Liberian women fighting to own and govern land that’s rightfully theirs, of the Guyanese Indigenous Peoples resisting companies attempting to seize their forests, of the rural Lao communities adapting to profound changes in lifestyles that have endured for generations, and of the Ghanaians finally getting justice from the logging operators in their areas.

This report also highlights seven key elements that the EU should focus on to improve the way forests are managed and strengthen community ownership rights: Accountability, capacity, coordination, transparency and equity in benefit sharing, gender and participation.

Combined, these elements can be the bedrock to protect the world’s forests for future generations.