Forests’ contributions to SDGs: an overview and examples from Switzerland for integrated approaches in anticipation of future changes

Some contributions of forests to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are readily acknowledged such as CO² sequestration, biodiversity conservation and livelihoods. Our overview reveals a wider variety of possible interactions between forest ecosystem services and all the SDGs. While forests should be seen as an asset to be integrated into the sustainable development agenda, it is difficult to deliver such straightforward and powerful messages beyond the forest realm. Recognizing the need to better integrate forest contributions into wider policies, Swiss examples are presented through the current role of forests in the national sustainable development agenda as well as through its international forest development aid. Key elements supporting the integration of forests in other sectoral policies as well as ways of improving communication on forest ecosystem services are found to be similar across the globe. The paper concludes that traditional forest development and management strategies, which provided some of the most ancient nature-based solutions to societal needs, can provide useful lessons to the sustainability agenda. It points out that improved science-policy dialogues and cross-sectoral prioritization for action (in other words knowledge to action) can be seen as vital stepping stones. These are needed to link contributions of forests to the service of other sectors and to an accelerated implementation of the SDGs. All forests’ contributions to the implementation of the Agenda 2030 should be acknowledged now and integrated forest adaptation strategies can serve as models in the face of climate change and in anticipating the future.