Over one billion people live in and around forests, depending on them for fuel, food, medicines and building materials.
But human impacts have already led to the loss of around 40% of the world’s forests.
WWF therefore welcomes a new UN declaration on restoring the world’s deforested and degraded landscapes in the coming decade. With over two billion hectares worldwide offering opportunities for restoration, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will help energize action on global restoration commitments.
WWF Forest Practice Leader Alistair Monument said: “By creating productive landscapes out of this degraded land, we can reduce the pressure on natural forests and help slow down deforestation and forest degradation. Forest landscape restoration presents a huge opportunity for countries to meet their global climate and biodiversity targets and expand economic opportunities. It also brings numerous benefits to people through increased forest area and improved livelihoods.”
WWF works with partners around the world to help create and accelerate restoration initiatives.
