Changes in climate can affect forest-dwelling creatures by altering their habitats and decreasing availability of food and water. These greenhouse gas emissions contribute to rising temperatures, changes in patterns of weather and water, and an increased frequency of extreme weather events. For example, in Sumatra, rainforests on deep peatlands are being cleared, drained and converted to pulp plantations, contributing to Indonesia’s high greenhouse gas emissions.
Deforestation and forest degradation are responsible for around 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical forests alone hold more than 228 to 247 gigatons of carbon, which is more than seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities.īut when forests are cut, burned or otherwise removed they emit carbon instead of absorb carbon. The hot spots are located in the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco, Borneo, the Cerrado, Choco-Darien, the Congo Basin, East Africa, Eastern Australia, Greater Mekong, New Guinea, and Sumatra.įorests are carbon sinks and, therefore, help to mitigate the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Up to 420 million acres of forest could be lost between 20 in these "deforestation fronts" if current trends continue. If nothing is done, 11 of the world's most ecologically important forest landscapes-including forest homes or orangutans, tigers, and elephants-will account for over 80 percent of forest loss globally by 2030, the report states. Over the next 15 years, forest landscapes equaling an area more than twice the size of Texas could be lost to rampant deforestation, according to a WWF report. While deforestation appears to be on the decline in some countries, it remains disturbingly high in others-including Brazil and Indonesia-and a grave threat to our world’s most valuable forests still remains. WWF works with governments, companies, communities and other stakeholders to promote certification for responsible forest management practices, combat illegal logging, reform trade policies, protect forested areas, and more.ĭeforestation can happen quickly, such as when a fire sweeps through the landscape or the forest is clear-cut to make way for an oil palm plantation. WWF has been working to protect forests for more than 50 years. Deforestation in this region is particularly rampant near more populated areas, roads and rivers, but even remote areas have been encroached upon when valuable mahogany, gold, and oil are discovered. For example, in the Amazon around 17% of the forest has been lost in the last 50 years, mostly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching.
In 2019, the tropics lost close to 30 soccer fields' worth of trees every single minute.ĭeforestation is a particular concern in tropical rain forests because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity. The main cause of deforestation is agriculture (poorly planned infrastructure is emerging as a big threat too) and the main cause of forest degradation is illegal logging. The threats manifest themselves in the form of deforestation and forest degradation.
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Forests also play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink-soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns.īut forests around the world are under threat, jeopardizing these benefits. Forests are home to more than three-quarters of the world’s life on land. They help people thrive and survive by, for example, purifying water and air and providing people with jobs some 13.2 million people across the world have a job in the forest sector and another 41 million have a job that is related to the sector. Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet.