WWF’s Global Forest Programme - we offer solutions
Forests. For LIFE.
Imagine a world where we recognize the life giving and life sustaining value of forests and work together to conserve them for the benefit of the whole planet.A world where:
- a soft drinks company is funding the protection of a forest that provides its clean water supply.
- Major retailers like IKEA are working to ensure that the wood in their products can be traced back to well-managed forests.
- Ranchers and landowners in the Pacific's New Caledonia work to restore the island's dry tropical forests, of which only 1% remains.
WHY?
Conserving forests means conserving life. It's in our own best interest and it's vitally important to the health of the whole planet. Forests are the storehouse of biological diversity, home to two-thirds of all plants and animals.What is more, they supply many of our most basic needs: shelter, food, clean water, oxygen and medicines. Forests share their natural wealth and diversity for our livelihoods and lifestyles, prevent severe water run-off and regulate climate. We must also remember the cultural, spiritual and recreational joys they give.
But we must move urgently and decisively: Nearly half the earth's original forests have been lost and those that remain face a very uncertain future. Deforestation has risen to alarming levels - 10% of all forests have disappeared in just the last 25 years, mainly due to human activities.
HOW?
If forests are to continue to serve the Earth and its people, WWF's Forests for Life Programme believes we must PROTECT the most significant and threatened forests, promote and encourage RESPONSIBLE FORESTRY, and RESTORE lost or degraded forests to a more authentic state.The Global Forests Programme has developed these principles into challenging targets and achievable milestones. They are ambitious, bold and break new ground, but we cannot achieve them alone.
WHO?
With the combined determination, experience and commitment of WWF's Global Forests Programme and the WWF Network, and in partnership with governments, government aid agencies, NGOs, communities and private industry, we can implement these innovative and tangible solutions together.WHAT?
We are already seeing results.- With the support of WWF and its partners, the government of Brazil has established the world's largest protected forest area in the Amazon, with a further 12% slated for protection.
- WWF is working with communities and indigenous people in Ecuador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Romania, Tanzania and other countries to improve management of forests and to secure funding for community development.
- At the initiative of WWF, the 6 governments of Africa's Congo Basin region have come together to protect and sustainably manage some of the most important forests on the planet.
- In partnership with major organizations like the World Bank, IKEA, Home Depot, IUCN and CARE, we are working towards WWF's goals of conserving forests.
Because forests are for life.
WWF's Global Forest Programme is working to conserve the world's forests for the benefit of the whole planet by following 3 main principles:
We aim to protect the most significant and threatened forests, ensure they are monitored and properly managed, guarantee that their ecological integrity is enhanced, and that they are increasingly self-sustaining.
We aim to improve the management of forests outside protected areas by increasing credible certification and curbing illegal logging. Pressure is placed on companies to source forest products from well-managed forests.
Restoration
Nearly 50% of the world’s original forests have been lost, and many are still being damaged or destroyed. This means the loss of habitat for plants and animals, as well as vital resources for communities. It is vital that we reverse the loss and degradation of forests, and restore their ecological role and function.
