Forests
Conserve the world's most important forests to sustain nature's diversity, benefit our climate, and support human well-being
Overview

8 out of 10
Eight out of 10 land-dwelling species and nearly 750 million people live in forests.
The dawn chorus of birds singing, monkeys howling, frogs calling and insects buzzing. The crystal clear waterfalls that are perfect for a refreshing afternoon swim. Fireflies illuminating trees at night.
The beauty and tranquility of forests all over the world—from tropics to the tundra—inspire all of us. We know that eight out of 10 species found on land live in forests. Approximately 750 million people, including 60 million Indigenous people, live in forests, too.
But threats to the world’s forests are growing. Expanding agriculture, due to an increased population and shifts in diet, is responsible for most of the world’s deforestation. Illegal and unsustainable logging, usually resulting from the demand for cheap wood and paper, is responsible for most of the degradation of the world’s forests—the largest threat to the world’s forests. In degraded forests, small trees, bushes and plants often are severely damaged or dead; rivers are polluted; slopes are eroded; and more.
The threats are so severe that we are losing huge swathes of forests at an alarming rate. The Amazon, the planet’s largest rain forest, lost at least 17% of its forest cover in the last half century due to human activity—mainly clearing trees to create new or larger farms and ranches.
WWF is working to address the threats to forests: By 2020, we must conserve the world’s forests to sustain nature’s diversity, benefit our climate and support human well-being.
Most of WWF’s work is being done in tropical rain forests, which are the most biologically diverse and complex forests on Earth—forests in the Amazon, the Congo Basin, the Greater Mekong and other regions near the equator. But it also is taking place in temperate regions, such as the Russian Far East and the United States.
Bringing forest restoration to life
As restoration coordinator for forest restoration organization Copaíba, Mayra Flores works manages activities on the ground to bring forest recovery projects to life.

Why It Matters
What WWF Is Doing

Eliminate Deforestation Threats
To eliminate one of the largest drivers of deforestation—the irresponsible expansion of agricultural operations—WWF is focused on ensuring that agribusinesses, governments and others meet their commitments to help conserve the world’s forests. Doing so marries the strengths of two approaches WWF uses to stop deforestation. One is the ability, via REDD+ programs, to engage with governments. The other is the ability, via market-based certification schemes, to engage with agriculture producers. To address infrastructure-related drivers of deforestation, we seek to influence the financing of roads, mines and other infrastructure in the developing world, largely by ensuring that the value of forests are factored into decisions about where to create or expand infrastructure. And to tackle overconsumption, also a large threat, we strive to raise awareness about how the food people eat is produced, particularly in the context of how much and what land is used to produce it.
Influence Funding
WWF seeks to close the gap between how much is available for forest conservation and how much is needed. We help create multi-million dollar funds to properly manage forests that are designated as protected. The funding is to train park officials about responsible forest management, buy satellite GPS collars to monitor and track endangered wildlife, and more. We also support Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+), a global initiative designed to pay groups or countries for protecting their forests and reducing emissions of greenhouse gas pollutants, especially carbon dioxide.
Influence Policies
Effective policies related to forest conservation are as important as the funding. That’s why WWF helps countries, like Myanmar and Belize, assess the value of their natural resources and the services they provide, such as forests that absorb carbon and provide habitat for endangered wildlife. Decision makers use the assessments in a variety of ways, including promoting a green economy approach—one in which the sustainable use of natural capital is integrated into a country’s new plans and policies for the economy, agriculture, energy and more.
Stop Illegal and Unsustainable Logging
Forests will not survive unless the responsible management of them becomes the norm. That requires eliminating illegal and unsustainable logging. To do so, WWF works to strengthen the US government’s ability to prosecute illegal timber cases; stop illegal logging in countries that export high volumes of timber; ensure full implementation of the Lacey Act, a US law that prohibits illegal timber and timber products from entering the US market; and design rural energy programs that rely on fuels other than firewood.
Motivate the Marketplace
We tap into the power of US companies that buy and sell forest products. For example, through our Global Forest & Trade Network, we help US companies source products from responsibly managed forests, particularly those certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We also encourage them to invest directly in increasing the acreage of responsibly-managed working forest and to help increase the demand for FSC-certified products.
Press Releases
Projects
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Biogenic Carbon Footprint Calculator for Harvested Wood Products
WWF, in partnership with Quantis, Intl., has developed a free, user-friendly calculator to calculate biogenic emissions for a variety of forest-based products. The calculator's aim is to support companies in the dynamic accounting of biogenic emissions of wood-based products, improving the quality of their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and facilitating decision-making around the sustainable sourcing, design, and use of those products. This calculator is a beta test and, if useful and aligned with forthcoming Greenhouse Gas Protocol guidance, will be updated and improved.
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Transforming the global rubber market
Forests in Asia, home to elephants, tigers and other endangered species—are often cleared to make room for growing rubber trees. They are among the most threatened forests in the world. That’s why WWF has set an ambitious goal of transforming the global rubber market.
Publications
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Exploring Smallholder Solutions in the Rubber Sector
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Living Planet Report 2020
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Emergency Amazon Fire Fund Report - March 2020
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WWF Emergency Fund for Amazon
Experts
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Kerry Cesareo Senior Vice President, Forests
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Linda K. Walker Senior Director, Corporate Engagement, Forests
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Colby Loucks Vice President, Wildlife Conservation Program
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Meg Symington Managing Director, Amazon
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Kate Newman Vice President, Forest and Freshwater Public Sector Initiatives
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Amy Smith Deputy Director, Forests
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Erin Simon Head, Plastic Waste and Business
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Nirmal Bhagabati Lead Natural Capital Scientist, Forest Team, Natural Capital
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Josefina Braña Varela Vice President and Deputy Lead, Forests
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Lloyd Gamble Director, Forests and Climate
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Christopher Holtz Vice President, Earth for Life
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Pablo Pacheco Global Forests Lead Scientist, Global Science
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Stephanie Cappa Deputy Director, Policy and Government Affairs
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Naikoa Aguilar-Amuchastegui Director, Forest Carbon Science
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Dechen Dorji Senior Director for Asia, Wildlife Conservation
How You Can Help
Act for Forests
Tell Congress to help end deforestation worldwide and increase funding to protect biodiversity strongholds like the Amazon.
Adopt a Gorilla
Make a symbolic gorilla adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF's conservation efforts.