Rainforest Foundation Norway Annual Report 2023

In 2023, deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell by nearly 50% compared to the previous year, which was the lowest recorded deforestation rate in the last five years. Data published by the National Space Agency INPE1 showed that 5153 km2 of the Amazon were cleared in 2023, down from 10278 km2 in 2022.

Yet, the threats in rainforest territories remained. This is particularly the case for illegal mining, drug trafficking, and various forms of organized crime. And while the political leadership has a clear socio-environmental agenda, much of our Brazilian partners' resources go towards rebuilding systems for rainforest protection that had been systematically dismantled under the previous federal Government.

There are still no calculations on deforestation in Peru in 2023. The most recent information available is from 2022, through analyses by Global Forest Watch and the University of Maryland. They estimate that Peru lost about 1,620 km2 of rainforest in 2022 – an increase of 6.7% compared to 2021- the fifth highest on record.

In 2023, a series of legislative proposals aimed to weaken the institutional framework for isolated peoples and hinder the creation of indigenous reserves. If passed, these would legalize several forms of deforestation, including road construction through indigenous territories. The changes would further allow for weaker regulation around land use change, and at least 300 cases of environmental crimes may be pardoned.

RFN and our partners have led high-visibility pushbacks against these legislations.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) vast tropical forests continue to decline at an average of around 0.3% per year since 2002. In 2023, DRC lost 5,260km² of tropical rainforest - up from 5,130km² in 2022. In 2023, the DRC was the country with the highest rate of primary forest loss, after Brazil.

Logging, mining, and agriculture remain the most significant contributors to deforestation, with oil and gas concessions in areas overlapping with intact forests and traditional territories of IPLCs, setting the stage for increased deforestation rates in the years to come.

Politically, 2023 was marked by presidential, legislative, and local elections in the DRC, as well as a deterioration of the conflict situation in North and South Kivu. Despite this, the DRC government continued efforts to strengthen its environmental policy within the sectors of land-use planning, land tenure, and forestry.

Furthermore, several laws and policies in favor of forest protection and/or Indigenous peoples and local communities’ rights were either passed or came into force.

This year, Papua New Guinea (PNG) pledged to end round log exports by 2025 and established a partnership for Forests, Nature in the Climate at COP28.

This pledge was a critical government commitment as PNG is the world's largest exporter of tropical round logs, exporting over three million cubic meters annually in the last years. A significant portion of this is illegally harvested. At the national level, the Government has accepted the Climate Change Regulation and policy on free prior and informed consent.

However, PNG faced a declining economy in 2023, intensifying pressures on the forests and the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities. Despite 97% of lands belonging to local communities, they remain unprotected in many places. PNG's response to economic decline includes promoting "impact projects" and Special Economic Zones, potentially increasing mining, logging, and palm oil activities.

Furthermore, weak governance, lack of accessible data on forests and concessions, corruption, and a decline in the economy continued to hinder the implementation of stronger environmental laws and policies.

Indonesia's rainforests faced ongoing threats from commodity-driven deforestation, worsened by the return of El Niño, which triggered drought and forest fires. With these challenges and the rising commodity prices linked to forest clearance, deforestation rates in Indonesia increased slightly from the low levels of 2021 and 2022.

Agriculture, industrial palm oil, and pulpwood expansion continue to pose significant risks to Indonesia's rainforests. Additionally, policies favoring investments and extractive industries remain in place. The revised Green Taxonomy, biofuel policies increasing the demand for palm oil, and regulations enabling land grabbing for carbon projects also represent setbacks for preserving Indonesia's rainforest.

On the positive side, Indonesia launched its first direct funding mechanism for IPLCs, the Nusantara fund, in May 2023. The fund will start disbursements in 2024.

In the first nine months of 2023, Colombian deforestation dropped by 70% compared with the same period. Furthermore, a record number and size of Indigenous territories were formalized in 2023: in total, 72 territories and approximately 2,000 km2 of tropical rainforests were put under some form of Indigenous management.

On a national policy level, Colombia's Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, expressed Colombia's commitment to protect 80% of the Amazon rainforest by 2025.

These developments are momentous achievements for protecting the rainforest and indigenous people's rights.

Under President Petro, ongoing peace efforts with armed groups include environmental protection as a crucial part of the peace negotiations. RFN partners such as FCDS play a key role. So far, at least ten illegal armed groups have agreed to the ceasefire.

Nonetheless, the situation on the ground remains fragile, with conflict and drought threatening to reverse the positive trend. Armed groups continue to challenge the territorial rights of Indigenous Peoples in areas such as Guaviare, Caquetá, Putumayo, Amazonas, and Guainía.