Irish Wildlife Trust welcomes announcement at COP26 to end deforestation – Ireland must move to address its own deforestation problem
The Irish Wildlife Trust, which is attending the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, welcomes
yesterday’s announcement by the UK hosts that over 100 countries have signed a pledge to end deforestation by 2030. This announcement comes with new funding commitments which will hopefully see the pledge implemented on the ground. The preservation of the world’s forests is essential for the stabilisation of global ecosystems including not only for climate but also water, biodiversity and livelihoods.
The IWT also welcomes the
announcement by four Latin American countries of an enormous new Marine Protected Area (MPA) covering half a million square kilometres and stretching from Panama and Costa Rica to the coasts of Colombia and Ecuador’s Galapagos islands.
These announcements emphasis the intertwined and inseparable nature of the climate and biodiversity crises. They also show that nature-based solutions are available, implementable, cost-effective and deliver real results.
The announcements shine a spotlight on Ireland as among the most deforested countries on earth while lacking any meaningful network of MPAs. IWT campaign officer, Pádraic Fogarty, who is in Glasgow, says “It is very encouraging to see the focus on forests and the ocean at COP26, two ecosystems that are critical for the functioning of life on earth as we know it. This puts our own record under the microscope and we call on the government to increase the level of urgency in protecting our own ocean as well as setting about the task of restoring our native forests.”