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


Forests cover 30.7 per cent of the Earth’s surface and, in addition to providing food security and shelter, they are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population. By protecting forests, we will also be able to strengthen natural resource management and increase land productivity.

At the current time, thirteen million hectares of forests are being lost every year while the persistent degradation of drylands has led to the desertification of 3.6 billion hectares. Even though up to 15% of land is currently under protection, biodiversity is still at risk. Deforestation and desertification – caused by human activities and climate change – pose major challenges to sustainable development and have affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the fight against poverty.

Efforts are being made to manage forests and combat desertification. There are two international agreements being implemented currently that promote the use of resources in an equitable way. Financial investments in support of biodiversity are also being provided.

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

Agreement Concerning the Voluntary Contributions to be Given for the Execution of the Project to Preserve Borobudur

1973 T g

Agreement for Cooperation and Consultation between the Central African States for the Conservation of Wild Fauna

1983 T g

Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea Relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks

1995 T g

Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears

1973 T g

Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora

1994 T g

Agreement on the Action Plan for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Common Zambezi River System

1987 T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP 2001 Hobart TAS Australia T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area

ACCOBAMS 1996 Monte Carlo Monaco T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Gorillas and Their Habitats

2007 Bonn Germany T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats

EUROBATS 1991 Bonn Germany T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Seals in the Wadden Sea

1990 Wilhelmshaven Germany T g

Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas

ASCOBANS 1992 Bonn Germany T g

Agreement on the Exploitation and Conservation of the Maritime Resources of the South Pacific

1952 T g

Agreement on the Joint Regulations of Fauna and Flora

1977 T g

Agreement on the Preparation of a Tripartite Environmental Management Programme for Lake Victoria

1994 T g

Agreement on the Preservation of the Confidentiality of Data Concerning Deep Seabed Areas

1986 T g

Agreement on Transboundary Cooperation with a View to Preventing or Limiting Harmful Effects for Human Beings, Property or the Environment in the Event of Accidents

1989 T g

Agreement Respecting the Whangpoo Conservancy

1905 T g

Agreement to Promote Compliance with the International Conservation and Management Measures by Fishing Vessels on the High Seas

1993 Rome Italy T g

Agricultural and Land and Water Use Commission for the Near East

ALAWUC Cairo Egypt E gy

AGRINATURA

2009 Prague Czechia F y

AgroBioMediterraneao

ABM 1990 Athens Greece E

Agroecology Europe

2016 Corbais Belgium D

Agroecology Fund

AEF 2012 F f

AID/WATCH

1992 Erskineville NSW Australia G

AIDA

1998 San Francisco CA USA J

Air and Waste Management Association

A and WMA 1907 Pittsburgh PA USA G

ALADIN

1990 Ghent Belgium D

Åland International Institute of Comparative Island Studies

AICIS 2007 Mariehamn Finland N j

Albert Schweitzer Fellowship

1939 Boston MA USA G

Albertine Rift Conservation Society

ARCOS 1995 Cambridge UK E

Alcoa Foundation

1952 F f

Aleut International Association

AIA 1998 Anchorage AK USA G

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

AGRA 2006 Nairobi Kenya F

Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa

AFSA 2008 Kampala Uganda D

Alliance for Responsible Mining

ARM 2004 Medellin Colombia D

Alliance for Social and Ecological Consumer Organisations

ASECO D

Alliance for Sustainability

1983 Minneapolis MN USA G

Alliance for Zero Extinction

AZE 2005 The Plains VA USA C y

Alliance homme-environnement d'Afrique, Congo DR

AMEA J

Alliance Internationale pour la défense des Droits et des Libertés

AIDL 2009 Paris France G

Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organizations

ALLIANCE 1982 Istanbul Türkiye F y

Alliance of International Science Organizations

ANSO 2018 Beijing China C y

Alliance of Leading Environmental Researchers & Thinkers

ALERT C v

Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums

AMMPA 1987 Alexandria VA USA G y

Alliance of Small Island States

AOSIS 1990 New York NY USA F g

Alliance pour la Préservation des Forêts

APF Paris France G

Alliance to End Plastic Waste

AEPW 2019 Dover DE USA C

AlpArray

F

Alpine Ibex European Specialist Group

GSE-AIESG 1988 Turin Italy E

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