In 2022, nearly 200 countries came together and agreed on the Global Biodiversity Framework, a multilateral agreement with a clear message: our natural world is in deep trouble, and we have to save it. The countries set a target to protect 30% of the planet's land and oceans by 2030. This was meant to do for nature what the 1.5°C goal of the Paris Agreement does for our climate. But the latest global assessment of the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework falls short of reducing mass extinction of species.
Aside from ensuring a liveable environment on our shared planet, protecting biodiversity should be in the core interest of big businesses to secure longer-term prosperity. We are therefore holding Ikea and other companies accountable to step up and lead by example to be part of the solution.
The Problem: They are all moving too slowly
While politicians move at a snails pace to write these goals into law, destruction hasn't paused. Logging companies are still cutting down trees in the very places proposed for future protection. Right in the middle of this is Ikea, the world's biggest furniture store, which sells itself as green and sustainable. And yet wood from some of Europe's precious and most biodiverse forests is ending up on its shelves.
Forests we can't get back
This isn't just a hypothetical threat. It is happening right now. In Romania, a precious forest was set to become a strictly protected zone. But loggers got there first and clear-cut the forest before any legal protection could be established. That forest and its biodiversity is now gone. It will take hundreds of years for that ecosystem to grow back. Now, the land has been removed from the protection list, as there is no longer any forest left to protect.
What needs to happen now
This destruction has to stop. We are demanding Ikea immediately stop buying wood from some of Europe's most valuable forests. These areas must be saved from exploitation and officially protected by law. To facilitate this, Greenpeace offices have mapped out these critical zones. There is no guesswork-Ikea knows exactly where not to log. As the biggest player in the game, Ikea has the power to change everything. If they step up and stop buying from these forests, the rest of the industry will follow, forcing politicians to finally act.
We need to protect these forests today, before more and more of them vanish forever.
Frida Bengtsson is the Head of Greenpeace in Sweden
