Posted on March, 20 2015

March 21 marks the International Day of Forests, an opportunity for us to reflect on the life-sustaining value of Earth’s threatened forests. WWF’s global Forest and Climate Programme is joining in the celebration, working, as it does every day of the year, to conserve and value forests for the benefit of humans and nature. 
 
Forests play an integral role in the survival of people and the planet. More than 1.6 billion people around the world are directly dependent on forests for fuel, housing and nourishment. Forests are also carbon stores – holding more carbon than found in the entire atmosphere. Deforestation and forest degradation, through agricultural expansion, conversion to pastureland, infrastructure development, destructive logging, and fires account for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions.  It is imperative, therefore, that we conserve forests to ensure the long-term sustainability of the planet.

Recognizing the value of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and of enhancing forest carbon stocks, known by many as REDD+,  is one tool to help us do just that. REDD+ can not only benefit the climate, but also biodiversity and local livelihoods – in ways above and beyond other traditional forest conservation initiatives. REDD+ does this by creating incentives for developing tropical forest countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. But it can only work if it benefits nature and people – if it preserves forests while respecting the rights and livelihoods of the communities that live in and depend on them.
 
For these reasons, WWF’s international Forest and Climate Programme is working on the ground with local WWF offices and partners in tropical forest countries and at the global policy level to conserve forests and to harness their value for people’s livelihoods, development, biodiversity and the climate. 
 
“Forests are essential for people and our planet,” said Peter Graham, leader of WWF’s Forest and Climate Programme. “They are a vital natural resource for all of us that depend on them, and help to keep our fragile Earth in balance.  This year in particular, in anticipation of a new global climate deal in Paris, March 21 is an important opportunity for the global community to reaffirm our commitment to conserving forests, which will in turn reduce greenhouse gas emissions, empower local communities, maintain critical ecosystem services and protect vulnerable wildlife.”