The UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is the overarching international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity – at genetic, species and ecosystem levels.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) adopted in December 2022 supports the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and sets out an ambitious pathway to reach the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. One of the Framework’s 4 goals is: Human induced extinction of known threatened species is halted, and, by 2050, the extinction rate and risk of all species are reduced tenfold and the abundance of native wild species is increased to healthy and resilient levels. A revised Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) is being developed to support this major goal and the work of the GTSG fully supports the GTSG.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) includes over 900 tree species in its Appendices, including species traded for timber, medicinal and aromatic products. The GTSG supports the implementation of CITES through the provision of species information; analyses of the proposals to list new species on the Appendices of the Convention; and involvement in the development of guidance on Non-Detriment Findings (NDFs). CITES requires an NDF to be carried out to demonstrate that export will not be detrimental to the survival of a species before export of a species is allowed.

The GTA assessments of timber species can help with NDF development and new work is planned to further enhance links between Red Listing for timber species and the NDF process.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes policies and mechanisms designed to reduce deforestation with a pledge made at UNFCCC COP26 to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. Trees are essential for carbon sequestration and the GTSG advocates for planting “the right tree in the right place at the right time”.