Blog Posts: deforestation

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.

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.

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.

Transforming the way the world eats is the forgotten solution for achieving major economic and climate gains.

Global Forest Watch has always been able to tell you where tree cover loss has occurred. Now, in a huge leap, it can tell you why.

Countries are joining the restoration movement, and especially the Bonn Challenge. But few have yet aligned their restoration and climate commitments. Doing so would make the planet greener—and the air cleaner—faster.

Indonesia must build on recent reductions in tree cover loss and protections for peatlands. To get there, they'll need more international support, innovative schemes such as peatland restoration and continued monitoring.

Most of the tree cover loss in our sample concession occurred in areas where, using clues from the ground, we can conclude it wasn't illegal deforestation. That doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Colombia is the latest country to join the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, which aims to create a global movement for deforestation-free cocoa. Sustainable cocoa farming offers a viable alternative to Colombia's violent coca trade, among other benefits.

Most news stories about the Democratic Republic of the Congo focus on ebola outbreaks and violence. But within the country's forests, positive changes are happening.