Anticipated impacts of achieving SDG targets on forests - a review

Bibliographic Data

ID15112838
AuthorsJamie Carr (0000-0003-2219-5374, University of Leeds, corresponding author), Jamie A Carr, Gillian Petrokofsky (0000-0001-6748-3869, University of Oxford), Dominick V Spracklen (0000-0002-7551-4597, University of Leeds), Su Lin Lewis (0000-0002-8066-6851, University College London), Simon L Lewis, Dilys Roe (0000-0002-6547-6427, International Institute for Environment and Development), Nicholas Trull (0000-0002-5750-1602), Adriana Vidal (0000-0001-6855-3857), Sylvia Wicander (World Conservation Monitoring Centre), John Worthington-Hill, Susannah M Sallu (0000-0002-1471-2485, University of Leeds)
Year2021
Volume126
Pages102423
Publication date2021-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueForest Policy and Economics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1389-9341 • E-ISSN: 1872-7050
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102423
OpenAlexW3132569295
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited71

Sustainable development requires knowledge of trade-offs and synergies between environmental and non-environmental goals and targets. Understanding the ways in which positive progress in matters of development not directly concerned with the environment can affect the natural environment, whether for better or for worse, can allow policymakers and development agencies to avoid the negative impacts of their actions, while capitalising on mutually beneficial opportunities. Through a systematic review of the literature, we consider the impacts of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on forest ecosystems, and identify 63 targets associated with potentially beneficial, damaging or mixed (i.e. damaging and/or beneficial depending on context or location) impacts. Types of impact are not uniform within SDGs, nor necessarily within individual targets. Targets relating to energy and infrastructure are among the most damaging and best studied, while targets expected to potentially result in beneficial outcomes, typically associated with social progress and well-being, have been investigated to a much lesser degree, especially in the context of external interventions. Thirty-eight targets have some variation in the direction of their impacts (i.e. at least one record with mixed impacts, or two or more records with different directions), suggesting the potential to achieve beneficial over damaging impacts in many cases. We provide illustrative examples of a range of impacts and use our findings to provide recommendations for researchers, development agencies and policymakers

Business · Economics · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Natural resource economics · Political science · Psychological intervention · Sustainable development · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Forest Management and Policy · Psychology

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