Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Fourth Report - The UK's contribution to tackling global deforestation
Environmental Audit Committee
HC 405
Published 4 January 2024
Recommendations
3
Accepted
Para 23
Commence setting a UK environmental footprint target to reduce global environmental impact and deforestation.
Recommendation
We reiterate the recommendation we made in our September 2021 report on The UK’s footprint on global biodiversity, which reflects that of the Global Resource Initiative Taskforce, that the UK Government should commence the process of setting an environmental footprint …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government describes its existing Forest Risk Commodities scheme, support for the UK Soy Manifesto, the UK Sustainable Commodities Initiative (UK SCI), and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) as initiatives already in place or coming into force to promote transparency and reduce deforestation impacts. It does not commit to setting a new overarching environmental footprint target.
35
Accepted
Para 120
Provide clear transparency on spending of £1.5bn funding committed to addressing deforestation.
Recommendation
The UK Government should lead by example. We therefore welcome the recent confirmation that the UK is to maintain its flagship £11.6bn climate and nature funding pledge. The UK cannot step off the global stage in relation to its climate, …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government confirms it is on track to deliver its £1.5 billion forest funding pledge, detailing £345 million spent in 2021-23 and announcing £576 million in new programming at COP28. It also states its commitment to transparency, publishing annual progress reports, and provides an overview of ICF forest spend.
37
Accepted
Ensure greatest possible proportion of UK funding reaches IPLC organisations directly and verifiably.
Recommendation
We welcome the commitment of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to fund capacity building initiatives for IPLC grassroots organisations. We recommend The UK’s contribution to tackling global deforestation 51 that, in order to ensure that this funding is used …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the recommendation to increase direct funding to IPLC organisations. It outlines current efforts and new initiatives, including channeling £9m through the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility to provide direct grants to IPLCs, and supporting capacity building to access carbon finance.
39
Accepted
Para 138
Ensure Forest Governance Programme scope includes significant drivers of deforestation through regular review
Recommendation
We recommend that the scope of the next phase of the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate Programme should be kept under regular review to ensure that the most significant drivers of deforestation are included.
Government Response Summary
The government has accepted the recommendation, stating that the new 10-year forest governance programme, for which a business case is being developed, will adopt a phased approach to adapt to new threats and will have a broader remit to include more drivers of illegal deforestation beyond timber.
43
Accepted
Para 159
Ensure Foreign Office makes significant contribution to securing indigenous tenure rights
Recommendation
Security of tenure rights for IPLCs is essential to measures to address deforestation. The UK Government can make a significant contribution to ensuring security of tenure. We recommend that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Government Response Summary
The government highlights several existing UK ODA programmes and contributions to international funds that focus on improving IPLC tenure rights and forest security, and mentions a recent scoping mission to inform future work.
44
Accepted
Para 159
Require Foreign Office to continue improving indigenous tenure rights and promote their inclusion
Recommendation
We recommend that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office continue to address measures to improve tenure rights through its development programming. Ministers must ensure that IPLCs are supported in the protection and restoration of forests: one means of achieving this …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government details current UK ODA programmes and contributions that aim to improve IPLC tenure rights and forest security, and highlights ongoing efforts to promote IPLC inclusion in global negotiations, such as through the FCLP platform and UNFCCC processes.
45
Accepted
Ensure biodiversity considerations are consistently incorporated into all trade agreements and operations
Recommendation
For the UK Government to make good on its declared intention to put environmental sustainability measures at the heart of global production and trade, Ministers must ensure that biodiversity considerations are more consistently incorporated into its trade agreements and operations. …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of working with partners, including through trade negotiations, and states it will continue to uphold high environmental standards in all trade agreements. It is working to secure provisions supporting environmental protection and aims to use trade relationships to advance its ambitions on forestry, nature, and sustainable supply chains.
46
Accepted
Para 169
Extend UK engagement to major consumers in other markets to halt deforestation
Recommendation
Ending commodity-driven deforestation requires decisive action by all major consumers. While the UK and EU markets represent a relatively high proportion of global consumption of some forest risk commodities, such as cocoa and coffee, they account for a relatively small …
Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of working with international partners and explains its approach through trade negotiations to uphold environmental standards and address deforestation. It also highlights its leadership in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration and the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue to engage major producer and consumer countries.
Conclusions (12)
1
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 21
Significant action is required to reduce the impact on deforestation of the UK’s consumption of agricultural products. While the UK is the 15th largest contributor to tropical deforestation in global terms, the intensity of UK consumption (measured in footprint per tonne of product consumed) is higher than that of China. …
Government Response Summary
The government states it has already taken significant action through initiatives like the Global Resource Initiative Taskforce and incorporated recommendations into the Environment Act 2021. It also highlights ongoing work by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee to monitor the global environmental impact of UK consumption, with this evidence already informing policymaking.
9
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 38
Given the scale of government purchasing power, both centrally and across the wider public sector, the UK Government has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to drive best practice and to demand the use of sustainably sourced products.
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Environment Act will require large organisations using forest risk commodities to ensure compliance with local land laws, and commits to publishing a review of the Forest Risk Commodity scheme two years after it comes into force to assess its effectiveness.
14
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 51
Current UK regulation is not sufficient when it comes to limiting non-sustainable deforestation. It relies too heavily on the laws in exporting countries and an assumption that that these laws will incorporate adequate provision for sustainability: as currently drafted the Regulations take control of the UK’s impact on sustainable timber …
Government Response Summary
The government commits to publishing guidance on the application of the Schedule 17 regime for the financial sector when secondary legislation is laid, and HM Treasury will conduct a review to assess the regulation of illegal deforestation financing.
20
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 80
To be effective, the Government’s proposed approach requires the UK to work in partnership with producer countries and to reinforce (and in some cases, strengthen) their legal and policy provisions to counter deforestation. We therefore recommend that the proposed demand-side due diligence system is complemented by Government initiatives to support …
Government Response Summary
The government stated it shares responsibility for IPLC Forest Tenure Pledge commitments and detailed numerous existing UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes that support IPLCs, strengthen tenure rights, and build capacity in producer countries, including future scoping missions and support for IPLC inclusion in negotiations.
23
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 83
A due diligence system is likely to require companies to comply with any human rights requirement included in local land use or land ownership laws. We observe that the legal status of customary land tenure rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) varies between nations. Unless customary tenure rights …
Government Response Summary
The government recognises the importance of safeguarding customary tenure rights and explains that its due diligence legislation applies where these rights are protected by national laws. It details several FCDO programmes (Land Facility, Land Enhancing Governance for Economic Development) working to promote land governance reform, tackle barriers to land rights recognition, and support IPLCs, with future work informed by recent scoping missions.
28
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 93
Information and data availability is one of the greatest challenges for financial institutions with regards to allowing them to assess and reduce their deforestation risk. We therefore welcome the Government’s championing of the work of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. We observe that making nature-related disclosures mandatory would not …
Government Response Summary
The government commits to publishing guidance on the application of the Schedule 17 due diligence regime to the financial sector and to conducting a review of financial regulation concerning the financing of illegal deforestation.
31
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 104
The UK Government has played a significant role in brokering agreements to reverse deforestation and has been influential in increasing the profile of nature at climate COPs. For the first time, many nations and significant private sector institutions have committed to action on deforestation: substantial financial commitments on deforestation have …
Government Response Summary
The government details its ongoing commitment to invest at least £1.5 billion in UK International Climate Finance for forest protection, confirming it is on track to deliver this pledge. It also highlights new funding announced at COP28, including significant support for the Amazon Fund and the IFSLU programme.
33
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 118
It is encouraging to see the commitments made at COP26, COP27 and COP28 on deforestation which were accompanied by major funding commitments. Past commitments to mobilise finance for climate adaptation have not yet been fulfilled and commitments to restore nature remain relatively underfunded. In order to meet the commitments of …
Government Response Summary
The government reiterates its commitment to invest at least £1.5 billion in UK International Climate Finance for forest protection, outlining progress towards this target and detailing new funding announcements from COP28. This demonstrates its efforts to mobilise promised funding.
34
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 119
Whilst the Committee welcomes recent funding announcements to tackle deforestation, it is unclear whether these are in addition to the £1.5 billion previously committed to in the Global Forest Finance Pledge.
Government Response Summary
The government clarified that it remains committed to the £1.5 billion pledge, and announced £576 million in new forests programming at COP28, with £466 million of this committed for support beyond the current ICF3 period, including a £35 million uplift for the Amazon Fund and up to £500 million for the IFSLU programme.
36
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 128
It is encouraging to see the IPLC donor pledge supporting the principle of the advancement of Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ forest tenure rights and rewards their role as guardians of forests and nature. However, extremely little funding pledged for nature has previously supported IPLC tenure rights, and even less …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation and is actively addressing the issue of direct funding for IPLCs. It details new ODA programmes that strengthen IPLC governance, including channeling £9m through the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility for direct grants and supporting capacity building for IPLCs to access carbon finance.
40
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 149
We look forward to the publication of the report of the Government’s review of the effectiveness of FLEGT-VPA programme. The evidence we have received indicates that the experience of the FLEGT-VPA varies greatly depending on the country context.
Government Response Summary
The government confirms that the FLEGT Post Implementation Review (PIR), reflecting on VPA countries and country-specific factors, provides clear conclusions and recommendations, and will be published shortly on gov.uk.
42
Conclusion
Accepted
Para 158
Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are vital protectors of forests: but they themselves are victims of the negative effects of deforestation activity, which can include violence and deprivation of livelihoods. Ensuring the full and meaningful participation of IPLCs in negotiations to address deforestation activity is therefore crucial: it is …
Government Response Summary
The government confirms its recognition of the crucial role of IPLCs and outlines extensive ongoing efforts through various ODA programmes to improve IPLC tenure rights and ensure their participation in global and national negotiations, including establishing dedicated platforms like the FCLP.