Even though more and more companies are committing to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains, the tropics lost a Vietnam-sized area of forest in just the last two years. Why aren't forest protections working?
forests
Brazil's semi-arid Caatinga region is a living laboratory for climate change impacts, with record-breaking droughts from 2010 to 2016. Local farmers are using landscape restoration techniques to boost climate resilience -- and are creating jobs for women in the process.
Rangers in Uganda take mobile phones and tablets on their forest patrols. But they aren't texting friends or playing Temple Run during downtime. They're following up on deforestation alerts generated by satellites circling the earth.
Satellite data reveals new deforestation in Colombia, Brazil and Indonesian Papua.
Community forestry has long been hailed as a strategy for reducing poverty and improving conservation by empowering communities to directly manage their forest resources, but it is a recent experiment in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A recent visit to North Kivu showed signs of progress.
DNA evidence often implicates violent criminals. Now it can do the same for poachers harvesting wood from protected forests.
China's tariff on U.S. soy could drive production to South America. Without precautions, deforestation could follow.
Sumatra's Leuser Ecosystem is the last place on Earth where rhinos, elephants, sun bears and orangutans live in the wild, but it's threatened by logging, road development poaching and illegal mining. Global Forest Watch works with local partner HAkA to protect this distinctive area's environment.
Cinderella’s job in the household included cleaning the ashes from the fireplace – exactly the role forests play for Earth by absorbing fossil fuels' carbon emissions. Yet much like Cinderella, forests remain underappreciated.
China, the world's largest importer and consumer of timber products, has emerged as a leader in global environmental governance. It still has an opportunity to match that leadership in global efforts to protect forests.