Forests provide us with a multitude of benefits – some are easily quantifiable (e.g. as a source of construction timber, cooking fuel, animal fodder, medicinal herbs), while some are harder to assess (e.g. water cycling, climate regulation, prevention of soil erosion and recreation purposes).1
Forests also provide ecosystem services that underpin agriculture and contribute to the formation of topsoil which serves as an important sink for carbon. Each year, forests lock up 335-365 gigatonnes of carbon2 making them a viable solution to climate change mitigation. At current rates of deforestation we add 20% to the global carbon emissions annually – an amount more than the combined emissions from cars, ships and airplanes.3
Forests are different in every corner of the world
-there are tropical rain forests, boreal lands, mangroves, grasslands and peatlands which all form the forest family, but serve distinct purposes. Grasslands, for instance, support many different wild animals and livestock production. When intact, they protect against soil erosion and land degradation, and they sequester carbon, a service that is especially prominent in peatlands.4
Conserving forests and grasslands and increasing their area is becoming a priority not only for governments but is now recognized as a business opportunity in terms of carbon credits. Many local authorities are also looking at ways to enhance the value of forests and its benefits to communities.5
- TEEB for National and International Policy Makers, Chapter 1.Page 20. [↩]
- MA – Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005b).‘Chapter 21: Forests and woodland systems’ in: MA Ecosystems and Well-being: Current State and Trends, Island Press, Washington DC p605. [↩]
- IPCC.Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change.2007 Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policy Makers. [↩]
- TEEB for Local and Regional Policy.Chapter 5 page 20 [↩]
- TEEB for Local and Regional Policy.Chapter 5 page 93 [↩]
