Large-scale restoration of forests and landscapes is a cost-effective way to address food security, biodiversity and climate challenges, according to a report released Monday by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The 2026 edition of the FAO's flagship State of the World's Forests report, released during the 28th Session of the Committee on Forestry, calls for greater investment, inclusive governance and sustained political commitment to scale up restoration efforts.
Forests cover about 4.14 billion hectares, or 32 percent of the world's land area, and store an estimated 714 gigatons of carbon. They also support food security and livelihoods for nearly one-third of the global population, according to the report.
However, about 489 million hectares of forest were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2025, while more than 460 million hectares of forests are degraded worldwide. An estimated 1.56 billion hectares of land are degraded, driven by population growth, land-use change and growing demand for natural resources.
The report estimated that failing to restore degraded ecosystems costs the global economy between 878 billion U.S. dollars and 6.3 trillion dollars annually. By contrast, restoring more than 1 billion hectares of degraded land could generate 1.8 trillion dollars in annual benefits through improved biodiversity, water regulation and soil health.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said forest and landscape restoration is "more than an environmental priority," describing it as a strategic investment in resilient agrifood systems and rural development.
The report identified four priorities for expanding restoration: strengthening people's rights and participation, adopting landscape-scale approaches, mobilizing long-term financing, and improving policies, laws and institutions.
Governments in 91 countries and areas have pledged more than 190 million hectares for forest restoration, the report said. It cited China's Three-North Shelterbelt Program, the Great Green Wall initiative in Africa's Sahara and Sahel region, and the Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact in South America as examples of large-scale restoration efforts.
FAO report urges large-scale forest, landscape restoration to boost food security
As the U.S.-Canada tension over trade and tariff escalates, Canada is aiming to diversify its export structure while seeking to negotiate with its southern neighbor, Wang Yaojing, associate professor of economics at Peking University noted.
As part of the responsive measure by the Trump administration to Canada's tariff retaliation on a range of U.S. goods earlier this month following a breakdown in trade talks, the United States banned several Canadian imports of alcohol, dairy, and motorcycles, which has taken effect on Tuesday.
While the new trade ban is considered part of the U.S. move to manipulate its partners with trade policy, the strategy is a double-edged sword for the country, said the professor.
"I think Washington is trying to use access to the U.S. market as leverage to force Canada to make concessions on issues such as dairy, alcohol, autos, and even the broader market access. Moving from tariffs to outright importer restrictions itself is sending a much stronger message. And there is also a wider strategic point here. The U.S. is increasingly treating trade policy as part of the national power even towards close allies. But I also want to mention that is that the leverage on the U.S. is not cost-free. The Canada has already retaliated I think against roughly 20 billion worth of American goods. it can hurt Canada, U.S. exporters, raise cost of retailers and consumers for both countries and also create uncertainty across the highly integrated North America supply chain," she said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
As the cross-border rivalry escalates, the EU has proposed to make Canada its first associate member. While the unexpected move provides Canada with a new choice to diversify its overly reliant export structure, Europe cannot completely replace the United States to support Canadian economy, according to Wang.
"The current trade tension with Washington have reminded Canada just how dependent it is still on the U.S. market. And roughly two thirds of Canada exports still go south of the border. And that is why the EU proposal is very interesting, even though this idea of Canada becoming an associate member is still quite vague. But the political signal is very clear. Both sides want a closer relationship not only in trade, but also in defense technology, critical minerals, and Arctic security. But at the same time, Europe cannot simply replace the U.S. So, I would describe this relationship as becoming more triangular," she said.
The U.S. attempt to pressure its neighbor has triggered public resentment. A recent poll from CTV News, Canada's major broadcast TV network, showed that over 80 percent of Canadians support the country's tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. imports, laying solid political foundation for Canada to hold its position, Wang noted.
"For many Canadians, the dispute is no longer viewed simply as a technical disagreement over tariffs. It has increasingly become a question of economic sovereignty and whether Canada should push back against the pressure from its much larger neighbor. And that matters politically because it gives the Canadian government more room to maintain a relatively firm negotiation position. But at the same time, public support does not automatically remove the economic constraints. And if this escalation prolongs, it could hurt jobs, investment, and supply chains. So, the Canadian government has an incentive to appear firm domestically while continuing to look for and negotiate a settlement and, as we just talked about, to increasingly diversify trade toward Europe and other markets," she said.
Trade tension with US prompts Canada to diversify trade structure: expert
