Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest threats to forests worldwide. Over half of the world's tropical forests have been destroyed since the 1960s, threatening biodiversity and essential services that forests provide. These activities also negatively impact the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. Approaches like forest landscape restoration can help reverse the effects by restoring degraded land and improving forest health and management.
Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest threats to forests worldwide. Over half of the world's tropical forests have been destroyed since the 1960s, threatening biodiversity and essential services that forests provide. These activities also negatively impact the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. Approaches like forest landscape restoration can help reverse the effects by restoring degraded land and improving forest health and management.
Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest threats to forests worldwide. Over half of the world's tropical forests have been destroyed since the 1960s, threatening biodiversity and essential services that forests provide. These activities also negatively impact the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. Approaches like forest landscape restoration can help reverse the effects by restoring degraded land and improving forest health and management.
Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest threats to forests worldwide. Over half of the world's tropical forests have been destroyed since the 1960s, threatening biodiversity and essential services that forests provide. These activities also negatively impact the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people. Approaches like forest landscape restoration can help reverse the effects by restoring degraded land and improving forest health and management.
• Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest threats to forests worldwide. • Over half of the tropical forests worldwide have been destroyed since the 1960s, and every second, more than one hectare of tropical forests is destroyed or drastically degraded. • The degradation and loss of forests threatens the survival of many species, and reduces the ability of forests to provide essential services. • Deforestation and forest degradation impact the lives of 1.6 billion people whose livelihoods depend on forests. One billion of them are among the world’s poorest. • Nature-based solutions such as forest landscape restoration (FLR) can reverse the effects of deforestation and degradation and regain the ecological, social, climatic and economic benefits of forests.
What is the issue? and reduce the ability of forests to provide essential services such as clean air and water, healthy soils for Deforestation and forest degradation are the biggest agriculture, and climate regulation. threats to forests worldwide. Deforestation occurs when forests are converted to non-forest uses, such Sustainable livelihoods as agriculture and road construction. Forest Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion degradation occurs when forest ecosystems lose people globally, one billion of whom are among the their capacity to provide important goods and world’s poorest. Deforestation and forest degradation services to people and nature. have real and tangible impacts on the lives of these vulnerable communities. For example, 52 per cent of Over half of the tropical forests worldwide have been all land used for food production is moderately or destroyed since the 1960s, and every second, more severely impacted by the erosion of healthy soil. This than one hectare of tropical forests is destroyed or occurs when trees are removed from a landscape, drastically degraded. This intense and devastating leading to increased food insecurity. pressure on forests is not limited to the tropics – an estimated 3.7 million hectares of Europe’s forests are Climate mitigation and adaptation damaged by livestock, insects, diseases, forest fires, The world’s forests absorb 2.4 billion tonnes of and other human-linked activities. carbon dioxide (CO2) per year, one-third of the annual CO2 released from burning fossil fuels. Forest destruction emits further carbon into the atmosphere, with 4.3–5.5 GtCO2eq/yr generated annually, largely from deforestation and forest degradation. Protecting and restoring this vast carbon sink is essential for mitigating climate change.
Forests also play a crucial role in climate change
adaptation efforts. They act as a food safety net during climate shocks, reduce risks from disasters like coastal flooding, and help regulate water flows and microclimates. Improving the health of these forest ecosystems and introducing sustainable management practices increase the resilience of Deforestation in Myanmar. Photo: Li Jia/IUCN human and natural systems to the impacts of climate change. Why is this important? Biodiversity What can be done? Over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity can be Forest landscape restoration (FLR) found in forests - from pine trees in the boreal North Nature-based solutions such as forest landscape to the rainforests in the tropics. The degradation and restoration (FLR) can help countries reverse the loss of forests threaten the survival of many species, effects of deforestation and degradation and regain
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IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) – 28 rue Mauverney, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland - Tel.: +41 22 999 0000 – Fax: +41 22 999 0002 DEFORESTATION AND FOREST DEGRADATION NOVEMBER 2017
the ecological, social, climatic and economic benefits
of forests.
FLR brings people together to identify and implement
the most appropriate restoration interventions in a landscape. It seeks to accommodate the needs of all land users and multiple land uses.
FLR is not just about planting trees – it can include
multiple activities like agroforestry, erosion control and natural forest regeneration. FLR also addresses the underlying drivers of forest loss. For example, it provides farming communities living in and around forests with knowledge on sustainable agricultural Forest landscape restoration (FLR) in Colombia. Photo: James methods that do not rely on destroying forests. McBreen/IUCN
Countries and other land owners are committing to Where can I get more information? FLR through the Bonn Challenge – a global effort to restore 150 million hectares of degraded and IUCN’s Forest Programme deforested land by 2020 and 350 million hectares by iucn.org/forest 2030, launched by IUCN and Germany in 2011. The Bonn Challenge has so far generated pledges from The Bonn Challenge governments and organisations to restore over 156 BonnChallenge.org million hectares. Forest landscape restoration InfoFLR.org
Learn more at BonnChallenge.org
Assessing restoration opportunities
With IUCN’s support, 26 countries are applying the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM) – a framework that assesses the extent of degraded and deforested landscapes in a country or area, and identifies the best strategies for restoring them. ROAM helps governments and decision makers use FLR interventions to meet multiple national priorities and international goals on climate, biodiversity and land degradation. For example, a ROAM assessment in Malawi helped the government introduce sustainable agricultural systems to address food insecurity. In Colombia, FLR interventions have supported the rehabilitation of landscapes after decades of conflict.
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