Australia's forest industries support the Australian Government's move in joining the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP), ensuring our forest resources maximise their climate potential into the future.
The UK-led voluntary partnership was launched at COP27 in Egypt overnight to spearhead action on climate change through forest-based initiatives, and build on an initial global forest pact signed at COP26 in Glasgow.
The partnership commits signatory countries to "work closely with the private sector, civil society, international and multilateral organisations and community leaders to implement and rapidly scale up solutions on deforestation, forest degradation, reforestation and sustainable forest and land use management".
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Victor Violante said Australia can lead the world in these priority areas, and with global demand for wood fibre on track to quadruple by 2050, it's critical we get sustainable forest production right across globe.
"Australia's sustainable forest industries are already contributing positively to climate change mitigation because we manage our precious forest resource to the highest environmental standards in the world, regenerating after harvest to ensure there is no net loss of forest area," Victor Violante said.
"And we can do even more by delivering on the Australian Government's One Billion Trees goal to grow the timber plantation estate by one billion trees this decade and secure Australia's future timber and fibre supply," Victor Violante said.
"Timber and paper products continue to store half their weight in carbon for the life of the product, and the benefit is even greater when these products are made here in Australia. Wood really is the ultimate renewable, and the world will need much more of it in the coming decades. We are pleased Australia is taking a leadership role in showing the world how we manage our forests sustainably to meet our wood fibre needs."
Victor Violante said AFPA is showcasing the climate change potential of forest industries at COP27 through a series of events, and the FCLP is an important step towards embedding the sector's role in global climate change mitigation strategies.
"We share the Australian Government's commitment to working with our global counterparts to achieve the same high standards we have in Australia and halting deforestation," Victor Violante concluded.
