Mechanisms for Implementation

The business of biodiversity: mainstreaming sustainable practices in the forestry sector

This webinar is part of the Communities of Practice Webinar Series, hosted by the CBD Secretariat to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors.

This webinar will focus on the critical role of the forestry sector in advancing the implementation of the GBF. In particular, this session will bring together representatives of international organizations, governments, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders to explore practical experiences, policy approaches, tools and partnerships that can support the integration of biodiversity considerations into forest-related planning, management and value chains, while contributing to sustainable, resilient and biodiversity-inclusive forest systems.

The webinar will be held on June 16 2026, between 8:00 - 9:30AM EDT.

For registration, please access this link.

• How forest businesses are prioritizing biodiversity in their business practices;
• On-the-ground experiences and challenges associated with mainstreaming biodiversity into forestry practices, including market access, regulatory frameworks and compliance, private sector expectations, social license;
• How sustainable patterns of production can be promoted, and;
• How the business sector can work with countries and intergovernmental partners to achieve international forest and biodiversity commitments.

Please note that the list of panelists will be published on this webpage shortly.

Background Information

Forests support approximately 80% of Earth’s biodiversity, and at the same time, contribute significantly to economic activity worldwide. Today’s forest sector is diverse and employs at least 42 million people globally (FAO FRA, 2025). The global bioeconomy sector alone is estimated to be valued at US$4-5 trillion, with growth potential to US$30 trillion by 2050 (Climate Policy Initiative, 2025). The global reported value of non-timber forest products is approximately $9.41 billion as of 2020 and are used by approximately 3.5–5.8 billion people worldwide (FAO FRA, 2025; Shackleton & De Vos, 2022).

Conserving, maintaining and sustainably using biodiversity supports healthy forests that can, in turn, become more productive both for ecosystems and better contribute to societal needs and sustainable development objectives. As various pressures continue to be put on forests, it is important to consider how a sectoral approach can be put into practice that balances biodiversity and economic needs.

Mainstreaming biodiversity in forestry requires prioritizing forest policies, plans, programmes, and investments that have a positive impact on biodiversity at the ecosystem, species and genetic levels. In practical terms, this involves the integration of biodiversity concerns into everyday sustainable forest management practices, as well as in long-term forest management plans, at different scales. It is an approach aimed at achieving more balanced and mutually reinforcing outcomes across the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development (FAO and CIFOR, 2022).