Global governance mechanisms and frameworks for forest governance – the set of policy, legal and institutional frameworks for international decision-making on forests – have multiplied and diversified over the past two decades. However, perhaps more than any other area of climate and environmental issues, reaching a binding global commitment to forests has remained elusive. As a result, the role of global (and regional) governance in promoting sustainable forest management and conservation remains piecemeal: scattered across a broad gamut of frameworks, mechanisms, principles, and recommendations, none of them legally binding. What does this fragmented landscape mean for the world's tropical forests? This paper hones in on the case of the Amazon Basin, with a specific focus on the Brazilian Amazon, to analyse the relevance and effectiveness of global governance instruments (including regional mechanisms) in preventing activities defined under national laws as illegal deforestation and other environmental crimes and in promoting more sustainable approaches to forest areas. It outlines recommendations to harness and engage with three promising spaces – new regional efforts, emerging protagonism by subnational governments, and cross-sectoral coalitions.

27 p. : ill.

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