420 millions of hectares of forests have been lost between 1990 and 2020 : a surface bigger
than Europe. In the Congo basin a surface equivalent to the size of Senegal has been lost in the
past 20 years. Deforestation and forest degradation are important factors of climate change
(11% of greenhouse gas emissions) and biodiversity loss.

The business forum will build on the work of the first day of the One Forest Summit on
sustainable supply chains, to tackle the three main root causes of deforestation: land
consuming agriculture, use of wood as an energy source, and unsustainable forestry practices.
It will provide concrete solutions for a sustainable use of forests, enabling communities to
thrive and to protect local know-how, while preserving the vital reserves of carbon and
biodiversity captured in these ecosystems. These best practices will include exemplary
commitments from local and international companies, notably through the sourcing of
certified and sustainably produced products and the investment in local transformation and
training, with significant value creation and job potential.

It will result in a shared vision and recommendations, which will be first discussed with Ministers
and later shared with heads of state and governments on the afternoon of the 2nd of March.