Blog Posts: forests

Indonesia is one of few tropical nations actually decreasing deforestation. As a result, the country will earn its first payment as part of the UN's REDD+, a program where developed nations pay developing ones to reduce emissions by protecting forests.

Peruvian indigenous communities have shown themselves to be exceptional environmental and conservation leaders. Their leaders have worked for a decade to ensure a government commitment to conserve 54 million hectares of forest, as a part of the REDD+ program.

Malawi's growing population depends on forests for wood or charcoal for cooking, but these forests are being cleared for agriculture, which 80 percent of Malawians rely on to support themselves. To combat this potentially disastrous trend, Malawi's government plans to pay its young people to plant trees.

In two of Indonesia's prized parks, forest restoration only took off when drivers of degradation were addressed. In one instance, that meant providing affordable health care.

Papua and West Papua provinces contain some of the world's most biodiverse forests. Recent reforms have pulled forests back from peak tree cover loss in 2015. Here's how they can keep up the conservation while developing sustainably.

The Forest Resilience Bond, backed by several foundations, an investment company and even an insurer, provides an innovative way to bring down costs to utilities and other stakeholders.

Social network analysis has been used in fields as diverse as epidemiology and counterterrorism. Now, WRI experts have devised a guidebook for applying social network analysis to environmental interventions and sustainable development.

If tropical deforestation were a country, it would rank third in global emissions behind China and the United States. Tree cover loss is on the rise, but channeling climate mitigation finance towards forests could change the course of the world's climate.

With a million dollars at stake, a crack team of scientists combined cutting-edge technologies to address one of Indonesia's pressing environmental challenges: mapping the extensive peatlands that sequester massive amounts of carbon.

Charcoal production is destroying mountain gorillas' habitat in Virunga National Park. Pastureland is pushing into protected forests in Brazil. Satellites are watching these and other threatened forests.