Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Life on Land


Goal 15 is about conserving life on land. It is to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and stop biodiversity loss.

Earth’s ecosystems are vital for sustaining human life, they contribute to over half of global GDP and encompass diverse cultural, spiritual, and economic values.

However, the world is facing a triple crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Between 2015 and 2019, at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land were degraded every year, impacting the lives of 1.3 billion people.

Agricultural expansion is the direct driver of almost 90 per cent of deforestation. This is in direct relation to our food systems, and oil palm harvesting accounted for 7 per cent of global deforestation from 2000 to 2018.

Global and regional efforts to sustain forest ecosystems as well as their social, economic and environmental functions are essential, in particular for developing countries and the tropics.

We need to shift humanity’s relationship with nature to achieve Goal 15, and realise that nature is the root of our life of earth. The recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework provides renewed impetus for Goal 15, outlining four outcome- oriented goals to be achieved by 2050 and 23 targets to be achieved by 2030.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

5G Americas

2002 Bellevue WA USA G

A New Course

2010 Bainbridge Island WA USA G

A Rocha International

1983 London UK F

Abolition 2000 - Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons

Abolition 2000 1995 Oakland CA USA F y

Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative

AGEDI 2002 G g

Academic Council on the United Nations System

ACUNS 1987 Washington DC USA E y

Académie d'environnement d'expression francophone, philosophique et scientifique

1977 Le Vésinet France G jv

Access Agriculture

2012 Brussels Belgium F

Accord RAMOGE

Monte Carlo Monaco E g

Ace Africa

2003 London UK F

Act for Peace

1948 Sydney NSW Australia G

ACTAsia

2006 High Wycombe UK F

Acting for Life

AFL 1973 Le Bourget France G

Action for Animal Health

A4AH London UK C y

Action for Dolphins

AFD Melbourne VIC Australia G

Action for Greening Sahel

1991 Tokyo Japan N

Action for Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Diversity

A SEED 1992 Amsterdam Netherlands F

Action for World Solidarity

1957 Berlin Germany G v

Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration

ETC Group 1983 Val-David QC Canada F

Action Plan for Protection, Development and Management of the Marine Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region

NOWPAP 1991 Busan Korea Rep F g

Action Plan for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas of the East Asian Region

EAS 1981 Bangkok Thailand F g

Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Areas in the South East Pacific

SE/PCF 1981 Guayaquil Ecuador F g

Action positive pour l'environnement et le développement en Afrique centrale

APEDAC 2002 Ndjamena Chad G

Action pour le développement - SOS Faim

SOS Faim 1964 Brussels Belgium G

Action vivre ensemble

1977 Brussels Belgium G

ACTRiS

2014 Helsinki Finland E

Additional Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Animals During International Transport

1979 Strasbourg France T g

Adessium Foundation

Reeuwijk Netherlands G f

ADL Braun Holocaust Institute

1977 New York NY USA G j

Advanced Cell Technology Industrial Platform

ACTIP 1990 Houten Netherlands F t

Adventure Travel Conservation Fund

ATCF 2016 Monroe WA USA F f

Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea

ACOPS 1952 London UK E y

Aerospace Medical Association

ASMA 1929 Alexandria VA USA G y

Africa Association of Quantity Surveyors

AAQS 1999 Midrand South Africa D

Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group

ABCG 2000 Washington DC USA G y

Africa Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science

ACCESS Rondebosch South Africa F

Africa Civil Society for the Information Society

ACSIS 2003 Dakar Senegal D

Africa Culture Internationale Human Rights

ACI Human Rights 1996 Geneva Switzerland G

Africa Development Interchange Network

ADIN 1985 Douala Cameroon G

Africa Earth Observatory Network

AEON Port Elizabeth South Africa N

Africa Foundation

1997 Johannesburg South Africa F fy

Africa Fund for Fungal Biodiversity and Mycotic Infections

Utrecht Netherlands G f

Africa Leadership Forum

ALF 1988 Ota Nigeria F

Africa Network for Animal Welfare

ANAW 2006 Nairobi Kenya F

Africa Nomads Conservation

ANC Nairobi Kenya G

Africa Soil Science Society

ASSS 1986 Yaoundé Cameroon D

African Aeronautics & Space Organisation

AASO Dammarie-les-Lys France G

African and Caribbean Diversity

ACD 1990 London UK G

African Association of Insect Scientists

AAIS 1978 Nairobi Kenya D

African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment

AARSE 1992 El Jadida Morocco D y

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