Context
People are more willing than ever before to protect forests and manage them in a climate-friendly manner. Nonetheless, many millions of hectares of forest are lost every year – mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. This loss not only accelerates climate change and biodiversity loss, but also destroys the livelihoods of many people. Around a third of people worldwide rely on forests for their food and income.
Forest conservation has risen in political significance due to its positive climate effects and, as a result, more funding is available from international donors. However, in many countries this engagement is outstripped many times over by investment in agriculture and farming, which can potentially lead to deforestation.
