What are you doing for forests?

It’s possible to meet human demands for food, energy and raw materials in the coming decades without sacrificing precious forests. However, a number of solutions are needed to safeguard forests. Below is a list of solutions that WWF believes are key to tackling deforestation and forest degradation. We asked participants at XIV World Forestry Congress (WFC) to fill out one of these "postcards" and tell us what they are doing for forests. The WFC is over but our campaign isn't. We would love to hear your ideas on how we can co-create solutions to safeguard forests for future generations. Pick one of these solutions (or add your own) and tell us via e-mail what you are doing.

For more information on the campaign, visit panda.org/wfc2015

Final results as of Friday, 11 September 2015:

The tally of postcards below was updated at 13:00 CET Friday, 11 September 2015.

#1 Responsible Forest Management

Number of votes = 36 of 242
Percentage of the total = 14.9%

Responsible forest management, motivated by a commercial interest in maintaining wood supply, can help protect vulnerable forests from illegal logging, encroachment or conversion to farmland. Forest management that is environmentally sound, socially just and economically viable, can help meet society’s needs without depleting natural capital.

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Responsible Forest Management

PDF 280 KB

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"IKEA is committed to building sustainable supply chains, sourcing from more sustainable sources and advancing responsible forestry. In 2020, 100% of wood we use will come from more sustainable sources. And we are at 49% today. We're also contributing to certifying FSC 35 mha of forests and by 2020 will add another 15 mha."

Mikhail Tarasov, IKEA

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"Live green, grow green, think green. "

Adnan Arshad Potohan Org for Development Advocacy

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"Sustainable forestry practices is part of my daily life. We need to manage our natural resources for the generations to come. "

Pieter Keeve, TWC Agri (Pty) Ltd.

#2 Innovative Ideas

Number of votes = 31 of 242
Percentage of the total = 12.8%

Tell us about the solutions you think are crucial to safeguarding forests.

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Other

PDF 580 KB

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"Ensuring stakeholder engagement in on the future of forests. FSC certification is one tool to engage social, environmental and economic stakeholders to come together for sustainable decisions. "

Kim Carstensen, Director General, FSC

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"Reach out beyond the forest sector - raise public awareness and alert politicians. Partner with the energy and agriculture sectors responsible for much of the deforestation. Let's identify solutions together. "

Benjamin Singer, United Nations Forum on Forests

#3 Landscape Approach

Number of votes = 27 of 242
Percentage of the total = 11.2%

A landscape approach to halting deforestation entails working across sectors and beyond the scale of individual farms, forest management units and protected areas to secure food, fibre and energy production, improvements in improved livelihoods and ecosystem conservation.

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Landscape Approach

PDF 342 KB

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"Validate a climate smart territorial approach integrating different land uses to achieve sustainable development adapted to climate change."

Bastiaan Louman, CATIE, Costa Rica

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"It is very important to maintain constant dialogue between different stakeholders involved in the exploitation of natural resources (forest, mines, agro, industries, etc). "

Tchuante Tite Valerie, COMIFAC

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"I am doing research on climate change mitigation in the forest sector. I wish that education in the forest sector would be improved in Africa in order not to destroy the planet."

Christophe Mbuyi, UNISA

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"Engage people from all sectors to participate in the process of adopting the plantation of forest trees to increase the green cover for environmental conservation by a participatory approach. "

Somaya Omer M Abdoun, Forests National Corp

#4 Well Managed Plantations

Number of votes = 24 of 242
Percentage of the total = 9.9%

Over the next few decades, tree plantations are likely to expand on a large scale to meet demand of a growing population for timber, paper, fuelwood and other biomaterials. Carefully designed and managed plantations in the right places can benefit people and lessen the pressure to harvest the world’s remaining natural forests.

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Well Managed Plantations

PDF 341 KB

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"We establish fuelwood plantations in partnership with farmers to minimize deforestation from curing tobacco. Our annual target plantations is 5000ha planted in tobacco growing areas."

Lloyd Mwbaiwa, Sustainable Afforestation Association, Zimbawbe

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"We are working on the transformation of plantations following close-to-nature principles. "

Xiangdong Lei, Chinese Academy of Forestry

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"I facilitate use of improved genetic resources (seed/clone) for commercial applications. I work with private and public sectors, small growers and communities in the southern highlands of Tanzania. "

Christopher Otim Komakech, Forestry Development Trust

#5 Ecosystem Services

Number of votes = 23 of 242
Percentage of the total = 9.5%

Forests provide many benefits – from securing clean water supplies to harbouring important species and sites of cultural significance. Recognizing the value, including the economic value, of these ecosystem services can help governments and businesses make wiser land-use decisions that conserve forests.

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Ecosystem Services

PDF 336 KB

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"Forests offer a range of goods and services that must be accessed by people, but we need to use them in such a way that future generations also benefit from them."

Matsea Steven, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa

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"More education and awareness is needed. Stakeholder engagement should also be emphasized in order to protect the environment. "

N. Hanise, BCMM

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"Having local awareness campaigns to include the benefits locals can take from natural habitats and their contributions to protecting the forest through facilitating their sense of ownership."

Nabegh Ghazal Assuad, Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife, Syria.

#6 Protected Areas and Indigenous Reserves

Number of votes = 19 of 242
Percentage of the total = 7.9%

Well-managed protected areas, including indigenous reserves, can provide sanctuaries for biodiversity and serve as a reservoir for future restoration. Ideally they should be well connected and large enough to ensure wildlife can move freely and ecological processes continue to function.

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Protected Areas & Indigenous Reserves

PDF 552 KB

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"I am coordinating the harmonization of forest policy and regulation in Central Africa and contributing to build the capacity of countries for establishing trans boundary protected areas. I also am contributing to public awareness on wildlife trafficking."

Nchoutpouen Choumbou, COMIFAC

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"To address forest deforestation, we have to address simultaneously climate change through mitigation and adaptation. There are good examples of programmes like NAMA, REDD+, etc. "

Gadedjisso-Tossou Agossou, Wascal

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"Setting up a shared governance system to protect Hin Nam No National PA in Lao PDR. With 77 village rangers and 35 toursim service providers from the villages to manage the area more effectively. Villagers are paid for their service and receive training."

Marjam de Koning, GIZ, Germany

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"We developed a project of conservation of biodiversity in the eco-development area fo the national park in Conkovati in Congo. The forest (gallery forests) disappear under the pressure of slash and burn agriculture. "

Marie Laforge, HELP Congo

#7 Deforestation-free Supply Chains

Number of votes = 16 of 242
Percentage of the total = 6.6%

A growing number of major retailers, brands, suppliers and investors have pledged to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation from their supply chains and portfolios. Expanding and fulfilling these commitments could help to halt deforestation linked to international commodity markets.

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Deforestation-free Supply Chains

PDF 293 KB

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"As part of Greenpeace, I am putting pressure on companies to ensure their supply chains are deforestation-free, and on governments to enact legislation to ensure compliance. "

Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace International

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"Working with Norwegian consumers, companies and investors to reduce consumption of commodities that deforest, and the Norwegian pension fund to end investments in companies that deforest. "

Ane Schjolden Rainforest Foundation Norway

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"We believe in sustainable management of forests. And forests in our country are protected through a series of legislative measures. "

Rajasree Ray, Ministry of Finance, India

#8 Tenure Reform

Number of votes = 14 of 242
Percentage of the total = 5.8%

Tenure reform, especially recognition of the customary rights of forest dependent people, empowers communities and other actors with legitimate rights to prevent unwanted extractive industries and settlers from destroying their forests.

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Tenure Reform

PDF 320 KB

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"Specifically recognizing women’s land rights and tenure will provide a platform for individual ownership and better investments that sustainable to development. This would also doors for others income source alternatives. "

Jummai Othniel Zila, African Forest Forum

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"Land tenure is fundamental for local peoples livelihoods. Pa-O is a national indigenous peoples org in Myanmar working for community forests. "

Khun Yaw Pa-O org

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"Land ownership is critical to conservation. When a village is assured of land ownership, he/she will protect forest resources."

Dr. Ismail Aloo, Tanzania Forest Services

#9 (Tie) Forest-friendly Infrastructure

Number of votes = 11 of 242
Percentage of the total = 4.5%

Those financing, building and regulating infrastructure like roads, dams and mines can take measures to mitigate their social and environmental impacts, without undermining local development opportunities. Forest safeguards should be built into all infrastructure projects.

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Forest-Friendly Infrastructure

PDF 334 KB

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"The most important thing to do is to create a platform for dialogue where people with a different interests come together and discuss what could be the common interest that will benefit both economic and social development and forest protection."

Peter Umunay, Yale University and a WWF Russel E Train Fellow

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"Forest beyond timbers!"

Dato' Sri Dr. Hj. Abd. Rahman bin Hj. Abd. Rahim, Forestry Dept of Agriculture, Malaysia

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"Creating a South-South transfer knowledge platform as a means for reaching new generations with applied solutions for sustainable forestry management and environmental services developed in Costa Rica. "

Felipe Carazo, FUNDECOR

#9 (Tie) Investment in Locally Controlled Forestry

Number of votes = 11 of 242
Percentage of the total = 4.5%

Many forested landscapes are inhabited by rights-holders who seek genuine business partnerships to manage their natural resources, not patronage schemes. Investing in locally controlled forestry is about achieving acceptable returns while putting local people ‘in the driving seat’, developing and implementing projects – and often, but not necessarily, working within them.

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Investment in Locally Controlled Forestry

PDF 285 KB

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"Bringing financial literacy to SMEs (small and medium enterprises) to increase their credit readiness and present sound investment plans, FAST is providing information to financial service providers about the opportunities of investing in sustainable MNEs. Bringing MNEs together with financial service providers to facilitate access to finance."

Noemi Perez, President and CEO, Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST)

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"We are facilitating communities living around local forest to get together and partner with government to manage local forest through joint forest management for equitable cost and benefit sharing."

Bwalya Chardauka, Forestry Department of Zambia

#11 REDD+

Number of votes = 9 of 242
Percentage of the total = 3.7%

REDD+ provides incentives to developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. It can help prevent deforestation while supporting poverty alleviation, land rights and equitable resource governance

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REDD+

PDF 397 KB

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"REDD+ could be the best solution to stop deforestation in COMIFAC countries, particilary the + of the REDD+! "

Gervais Ludovic Itsovia Madzovs, REDD+ regional project COMIFAC

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"I think with the whole situation of global warming and countries experiencing droughts that cloud seeding should be considered for arid lands. "

Lisakhanya Ndovela, Saasveld Forestry Association

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"Improve forest management systems and give more access to local people surrounding concessions. REDD+ should be economic activities that create less dependance on the forest environment. "

Irsyal Yasman, Assoc. of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires

#12 Responsible Purchasing

Number of votes = 8 of 242
Percentage of the total = 3.3%

Responsible purchasing of forest products means sourcing products that contain wood or fibre from well-managed forests that are credibly certified, or from post-consumer recycled materials, and not from unknown, illegal or controversial sources.

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Responsible Purchasing

PDF 444 KB

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"We are working with WRI (World Resources Institute) on the sustainable procurement guide for wood and paper-based products, giving companies the right tools to make responsible choices and build/implement informed sourcing policies."

Uta Jungermann, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

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"Encourage all friends and family to find and buy FSC-certified. Nearly all (including me) didn’t know about it until I began working for FSC."

Lisa Smyth, FSC

#13 Diet Shift

Number of votes = 7 of 242
Percentage of the total = 2.9%

Eating less animal protein, which uses more land than a plant-based diet, and reducing food waste can take the pressure off forests.

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Diet Shift

PDF 343 KB

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"Eco-preneurship - supporting Meat Free Monday, planting vegetable gardens for food security, tree planting season, waste management, recycling, energy efficiency projects."

Ilze Sanders, Miss Earth South Africa

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"Forests can serve various nutritional requirements in their different stages of life, proteins in their early life have great role we would like to utilize it for more protein consumption for optimum production from livestock. "

Achyut Acharya Agriculture and Forestry Univ, Nepal

#14 Reuse and Recycling

Number of votes = 6 of 242
Percentage of the total = 2.5%

A single piece of wood or wood fibre can be reused and recycled through a succession of different products, thus reducing the total volume of virgin wood that needs to be harvested from natural forests or grown in plantations. This cascading use of a renewable material, combined with new manufacturing technologies, could deliver efficient (and low carbon) products with less pressure on forests.