Synergies Within and Potential Barriers to Global Forest Sustainable Development

ABSTRACT Amid the escalating global environmental crisis and the pressing imperative to advance the sustainable development goals (SDGs), forest sustainability has emerged as a critical nexus between ecological conservation and economic development. The key drivers and constraints that shape global forest sustainability are not yet fully understood. We developed a forest sustainability index (FSI) that integrates both ecological and socio‐economic dimensions to assess spatial and temporal trends across 73 countries. The results indicate a modest global improvement in forest sustainability, with the average FSI increasing from 0.187 to 0.191 in 2010–2020. However, South America—particularly Argentina and Chile—exhibited persistently high FSI, forming sustainability hotspots. In contrast, Northern Africa and parts of Eastern and Northern Europe consistently emerged as coldspots, characterized by chronically low FSI and heightened vulnerability. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) between ecological and socio‐economic factors was significantly stronger in hotspots (CCD = 0.31) than in coldspots (CCD = 0.24), where the CCD remained in a state of severe dysfunction. Barrier analysis identified limited forest stocking capacity as the primary constraint on system synergy, while precipitation and forest‐related carbon emissions emerged as the dominant natural drivers influencing sustainable development. These findings underscore the pivotal role of natural environmental factors in enabling or impeding progress toward forest sustainability. The study provides critical insights for designing region‐specific forest governance strategies and provides a scientific basis for accelerating progress toward SDG 15 (life on land).