"As of 2020, there were <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">4.06 billion hectares</a> of trees, covering about 35 percent of global land area. [1] A small number of large countries have an outsized effect on forests globally: 10 countries contain approximately 70 percent of the world’s remaining forests. "

"As of 2010, the world had <a href=\"http://data.unep-wcmc.org/datasets/4\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">13 million hectares</a> of mangroves—trees and shrubs growing in tropical coastal swamps. Mangroves provide important goods and services both to the marine environment and people, such as support for fisheries, coastal protection, and timber products. "

As of 2010, the world had <a href="http://data.unep-wcmc.org/datasets/4" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">13 million hectares</a> of mangroves—trees and shrubs growing in tropical coastal swamps. Mangroves provide important goods and services both to the marine environment and people, such as support for fisheries, coastal protection, and timber products.

"Communities around the world depend on forests for food, fuel, timber, and other products. <a href=\"http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/publication/2012/05/forest-peoples-numbers-across-world-final_0.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">300 million people</a> worldwide live within or adjacent to dense forests on which they are highly dependent for their subsistence and income, and 1.6 billion rural people depend directly upon forests worldwide.&nbsp;In 2001, the forest sector, particularly roundwood production, wood processing, and pulp and paper, contributed over<a href=\"http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3710e.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\"> US$600 billion</a>, or about 1 percent of global GDP, and employed more than 13 million people."

Communities around the world depend on forests for food, fuel, timber, and other products. <a href="http://www.forestpeoples.org/sites/fpp/files/publication/2012/05/forest-peoples-numbers-across-world-final_0.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">300 million people</a> worldwide live within or adjacent to dense forests on which they are highly dependent for their subsistence and income, and 1.6 billion rural people depend directly upon forests worldwide.&nbsp;In 2001, the forest sector, particularly roundwood production, wood processing, and pulp and paper, contributed over<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3710e.pdf" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> US$600 billion</a>, or about 1 percent of global GDP, and employed more than 13 million people.

"Forests are also a haven for biodiversity, including some of the most unique and endangered habitats in the world. The areas that house the highest density of biodiversity—the tropics—are under the greatest threat of habitat loss. In 2000, 24 percent of tree cover occurred in biodiversity hotspots, areas where biodiversity conservation is most urgent because of high levels of endemism and human threat."

Forests are also a haven for biodiversity, including some of the most unique and endangered habitats in the world. The areas that house the highest density of biodiversity—the tropics—are under the greatest threat of habitat loss. In 2000, 24 percent of tree cover occurred in biodiversity hotspots, areas where biodiversity conservation is most urgent because of high levels of endemism and human threat.

"Forests play a <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/forestry/climatechange/53459/en/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">critical role</a> in mitigating climate change, as they absorb and store an immense amount of carbon. When forests are cleared or degraded, they release the stored carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.&nbsp;﻿In 2011, the carbon stock in the world’s forests was estimated at around<a href=\"http://science.sciencemag.org/content/333/6045/988.full\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> 861 billion metric tons of carbon </a>, with 42 percent in live biomass (above and below ground) and the rest in soil, deadwood, and litter. Geographically, 55 percent was stored in tropical forests, 32 percent in boreal forests, and 14 percent in temperate forests."

Forests play a <a href="http://www.fao.org/forestry/climatechange/53459/en/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">critical role</a> in mitigating climate change, as they absorb and store an immense amount of carbon. When forests are cleared or degraded, they release the stored carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.&nbsp;﻿In 2011, the carbon stock in the world’s forests was estimated at around<a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/333/6045/988.full" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> 861 billion metric tons of carbon </a>, with 42 percent in live biomass (above and below ground) and the rest in soil, deadwood, and litter. Geographically, 55 percent was stored in tropical forests, 32 percent in boreal forests, and 14 percent in temperate forests.

"Forests also help purify and store water, while supporting the livelihood of communities that depend on them. Watersheds that lose their forests face poorer water quality and greater risks of floods. <a href=\"http://water.nature.org/waterblueprint/#/intro=true\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">42</a> percent of the land that the world's 100 largest cities source their water from is forested, providing clean water to over 700 million people."

Forests also help purify and store water, while supporting the livelihood of communities that depend on them. Watersheds that lose their forests face poorer water quality and greater risks of floods. <a href="http://water.nature.org/waterblueprint/#/intro=true" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">42</a> percent of the land that the world's 100 largest cities source their water from is forested, providing clean water to over 700 million people.

"From 2001 to 2019, there was a total of <a href=\"https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/global/?category=summary&amp;location=WyJnbG9iYWwiXQ%3D%3D&amp;map=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\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">386 million hectares</a> of tree cover loss globally, equivalent to a 9.7% decrease in tree cover since 2000 and 105Gt of CO₂ emissions. Due to natural forest growth and tree growth in plantations, the world also gained <a href=\"https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/global/?category=summary&amp;dashboardPrompts=eyJzaG93UHJvbXB0cyI6dHJ1ZSwicHJvbXB0c1ZpZXdlZCI6WyJzaGFyZVdpZGdldCJdLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJzaG93UHJvbXB0cyI6dHJ1ZSwicHJvbXB0c1ZpZXdlZCI6W10sInNldHRpbmdzIjp7Im9wZW4iOmZhbHNlLCJzdGVwSW5kZXgiOjAsInN0ZXBzS2V5IjoiIn0sIm9wZW4iOnRydWUsInN0ZXBJbmRleCI6MCwic3RlcHNLZXkiOiJzaGFyZVdpZGdldCJ9LCJvcGVuIjp0cnVlLCJzdGVwc0tleSI6ImRvd25sb2FkRGFzaGJvYXJkU3RhdHMifQ%3D%3D&amp;location=WyJnbG9iYWwiXQ%3D%3D&amp;map=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&amp;treeLossTsc=eyJoaWdobGlnaHRlZCI6ZmFsc2V9\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">80 million hectares</a> of tree cover from 2001 to 2012. [2]"

"Human activities are often the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, though they vary from region to region. Commercial agriculture is the largest driver of <a href=\"http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044009\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\">deforestation</a>, followed by subsistence agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and urban expansion. Overall, agriculture causes around 80 percent of deforestation worldwide. <h2> </h2>"

Human activities are often the main drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, though they vary from region to region. Commercial agriculture is the largest driver of <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044009" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;">deforestation</a>, followed by subsistence agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and urban expansion. Overall, agriculture causes around 80 percent of deforestation worldwide. <h2> </h2>

"Though fires occur naturally in many healthy forest ecosystems, man-made forest fires attributed to land clearing, subsistence farming, and land disputes are a major<a href=\"http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/about/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> </a><a href=\"http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/about/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">long-standing problem</a> in many countries. Forest fires can exacerbate climate change, cause health issues, wreck economic damage, and result in habitat loss. "

Though fires occur naturally in many healthy forest ecosystems, man-made forest fires attributed to land clearing, subsistence farming, and land disputes are a major<a href="http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/about/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> </a><a href="http://fires.globalforestwatch.org/about/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">long-standing problem</a> in many countries. Forest fires can exacerbate climate change, cause health issues, wreck economic damage, and result in habitat loss.

"﻿Sustainable management of the world’s remaining forests is necessary to preserve their value to the people and wildlife that depend on them. Protected areas, such as national parks and community conserved areas, are at the core of efforts to conserving nature and the services it provides us. In 2000, <a href=\"http://www.globalforestwatch.org/map\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">19 percent</a> of tree cover was part of a protected area. [3]"

﻿Sustainable management of the world’s remaining forests is necessary to preserve their value to the people and wildlife that depend on them. Protected areas, such as national parks and community conserved areas, are at the core of efforts to conserving nature and the services it provides us. In 2000, <a href="http://www.globalforestwatch.org/map" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">19 percent</a> of tree cover was part of a protected area. [3]

"Another widely used sustainable forest management mechanism is <a href=\"https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/forest_sector_transformation_updated/forest_certification/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;\">certification</a>. Certification programs monitor, trace, and label forest or agricultural products by comparing the quality of forest management to a series of standards. Forest certification programs can cover logging practices, the social and economic well-being of workers and local communities, as well as the transparency and inclusiveness of decision-making. About <a href=\"http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3710e.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">11 percent</a> of global forests were part of a certification program in 2014. "

Another widely used sustainable forest management mechanism is <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/forest_sector_transformation/forest_certification/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">certification</a>. Certification programs monitor, trace, and label forest or agricultural products by comparing the quality of forest management to a series of standards. Forest certification programs can cover logging practices, the social and economic well-being of workers and local communities, as well as the transparency and inclusiveness of decision-making. About <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3710e.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">11 percent</a> of global forests were part of a certification program in 2014.

"Restoration can bring back or enhance the services and benefits that forests provide. More than<a href=\"http://www.wri.org/resources/maps/atlas-forest-and-landscape-restoration-opportunities\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;\"> 2 billion hectares</a> worldwide could be restored, an area larger than South America. Most of these lands are in tropical and temperate areas. "

Restoration can bring back or enhance the services and benefits that forests provide. More than<a href="http://www.wri.org/resources/maps/atlas-forest-and-landscape-restoration-opportunities" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> 2 billion hectares</a> worldwide could be restored, an area larger than South America. Most of these lands are in tropical and temperate areas.

"Governments, communities, and businesses around the world have made commitments to sustainably manage forests, as well as halt and reverse degradation of forested lands. Launched in 2011, the<a href=\"http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\"> Bonn Challenge</a> is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. Governments throughout Latin America and Africa have also made commitments through the Initiative 20x20 and AFR100 projects, respectively."

Governments, communities, and businesses around the world have made commitments to sustainably manage forests, as well as halt and reverse degradation of forested lands. Launched in 2011, the<a href="http://www.bonnchallenge.org/content/challenge" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent;"> Bonn Challenge</a> is a global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. Governments throughout Latin America and Africa have also made commitments through the Initiative 20x20 and AFR100 projects, respectively.

"<a href=\"https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg15\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0);\">Sustainable Development Goal 15</a> urges the global community to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss. To achieve the goal, countries must conserve, restore, and sustainably use terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services. "

<a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg15" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Sustainable Development Goal 15</a> urges the global community to sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss. To achieve the goal, countries must conserve, restore, and sustainably use terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.

"Footnotes: [1] The term “tree cover” is used when statistics are calculated based on the data set by Hansen et al. 2013. “Tree cover” is defined as the biophysical presence of trees and may take the form of natural forests or plantations existing over a range of canopy densities.&nbsp; [2] “Loss” indicates the removal or mortality of tree cover and can be due to a variety of factors, including mechanical harvesting, fire, disease, or storm damage. As such, “loss” does not equate to deforestation. [3] Not all protected areas receive the same degree of protection. While some have strict guidelines designed to preserve intact ecosystems, others allow for sustainable land use, often including limited resource extraction."

Forests

Forests are closely linked to human society and the global economy.  Forest ecosystems also play a critical role in stabilizing the climate, supporting much of the world’s biodiversity, and regulating water quality and availability. 

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Forests

Forests are closely linked to human society and the global economy. Forest ecosystems also play a critical role in stabilizing the climate, supporting much of the world’s biodiversity, and regulating water quality and availability.

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