NEWS RELEASES

Washington, D.C.–Lauren Cooper, SFI Chief Conservation Officer, and Dr. Healy Hamilton, SFI Chief Scientist, are representing the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) at the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), taking place from October 21 through November 1, 2024, in Cali, Colombia.

COP16 brings together thousands of representatives from government, non-profits, Indigenous communities, academia, and the private sector to collaborate on solutions that will shape the policy and practice of biodiversity conservation. COP16 is the first meeting of the signatories to the CBD since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at COP15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada. In recognition of humanity’s profound economic and societal dependence on biodiversity, nearly 200 countries have signed this global agreement, setting goals and targets for reversing nature’s decline by 2030.

SFI’s attendance aligns with its long-standing commitment to advance sustainable forestry practices benefitting biodiversity, water quality, and carbon sequestration, ensuring that forests across North America remain central in solutions for biodiversity protection and sustainable development. SFI is committed to advancing efforts to protect species at risk and maintain the biodiversity integrity of managed forests.

“COP16 is a pivotal moment for the global community to address the formidable challenge of continued biodiversity decline. At the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, we are committed to advancing forest management practices that support biodiversity, water quality, and climate resilience. I’m looking forward to engaging with leaders who share this vision while exploring new ways to collaborate on conservation efforts across the SFI footprint—more than 147 million hectares in North America,” said Lauren Cooper, Chief Conservation Officer at SFI.

The GBF includes targets that call for private sector engagement to “regularly monitor, assess, and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies, and impacts on biodiversity” and to support consumers with information that promotes sustainable patterns of consumption. These efforts align with forest management and procurement companies who voluntarily certify to the SFI standards, which include objectives for biodiversity conservation, climate smart forestry, fire resilience, and respect for the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“Private sector companies that have chosen SFI certification are well-positioned to demonstrate leadership in responding to the Global Biodiversity Framework,” said Dr. Healy Hamilton, SFI Chief Scientist. “Many of the objectives of the SFI Forest Management Standard and SFI Fiber Sourcing Standard are aligned with the goals and targets of the GBF.”

The recently announced SFI 2025-2030 Strategic Direction outlines how SFI will support and advance forest management and fiber sourcing practices that deliver positive outcomes for greater forest health and biodiversity. To fulfill this opportunity, SFI is collaborating to expand the use of credible data, research, and reporting to improve forest management practices across the United States and Canada.

SFI conservation efforts contribute to its forest management standards by advancing beneficial conservation outcomes across the SFI footprint of over 147 million hectares/360 million acres of certified forests. The decade-long SFI Conservation Impact Project has advanced an understanding of how sustainable forest management can benefit biodiversity, climate, and communities. As part of this effort, SFI Conservation Grant-supported projects have invested over $4.8 million in conservation collaborations since 2010, including projects with a focus on measuring and enhancing the conservation benefit of the SFI standards for biodiversity outcomes.

At COP16, SFI will advance dialogues and partnerships for biodiversity outcomes with governments, academics, Indigenous organizations, non-profits, and SFI-certified organizations. For more information about SFI conservation impact and commitment to sustainable forest management, visit forests.org/conservation.