© Neil Ever Osborne / WWF-US
Forests at WWF
Forests are our life support system

We cannot tackle the nature and climate crises or provide sustainable jobs without forests. And yet we are destroying them.

Forests are the lungs of the world, helping to keep our climate stable and providing 40% of the planet’s oxygen. They regulate our water system, increase rainfall and improve the quality of the water we need to survive. Over 1.6 billion peoples’ livelihoods depend on forests, and forests are home to many Indigenous peoples and communities who steward some of the earth’s most fragile ecosystems.

Yet we are losing forests at an alarming rate. Every year, around 10 million hectares of forests globally are destroyed. We need strong action to stop this, immediately.

Everyone has a role to play in protecting, sustainably managing and restoring forests and stopping deforestation and forest degradation. Governments, global organizations, businesses, consumers and Indigenous peoples and local communities need to work together for our forests.

What WWF is doing

We’re working to end deforestation, protect and restore forests and expand sustainable forest management to help the people and species which depend on them. 

We work with local communities to ensure forests are carefully and sustainably managed. By partnering with businesses, we help them to deliver their zero-deforestation promises and ensure their supply chains are forest-friendly.

We advocate for stronger forests regulations and government policies that take forests into account. 

Learn more about forests

© Kent Andreasen / WWF-Germany

Why forests are so important

Over 2 billion people rely on forests, which provide us with shelter, water, food, medicine, jobs and fuel.

Forests are home to more than half of all species found on land and a crucial ally in the fight against climate change. Learn more about why forests matter so much to life on earth.

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© WWF-Madagascar / RAKOTONDRAZAFY A. M. Ny Aina

The causes of deforestation

Forests are being destroyed with devastating speed - some 178 million ha has been lost since 1990, an area about the size of the country of Libya.

Why is this happening? Learn more about what’s driving deforestation today.

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© Martina Lippuner / WWF-Africa

Forests and climate change

Did you know that tropical forests cool the world by more than 1°C?

Forests are a climate hero, buffering communities against extreme weather and absorbing and locking away planet-warming carbon dioxide.

Learn more

© Luis Barreto / WWF-UK

Transforming the forest sector

Forests provide valuable resources like wood, but we’re taking more and more from forests, at a scale greater than they can cope with.

There is another way - we can manage production more sustainably. Learn more about how the forest sector can secure a different future.

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Reports
Learn more about WWF's work with Forests

Dive deeper into WWF's work with forests

Our Forest Solutions website has more detailed information about our approach, including case studies and research.

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