Sustainable forests

How can we use forests sustainably without destroying them? We help in combining sustainability and profitable business in ways that protect and preserve the forests.

Multi-talented forests
Sustainable use of forests
Communication between all forest users
High-tech to protect forests

Forests cover one-third of the Earth's land mass and have profound effects on the climate and biodiversity, both locally and globally. Landscapes with high tree cover can cope better with the impacts of climate change. Nonetheless, around ten million hectares of forest disappear every year to make way for the production of meat, soy or palm oil, or through mining, slash-and-burn clearance or urban developments.

GIZ supports authorities, local people and companies in using the forests sustainably without destroying them. Working together, we develop ways to restore landscapes with large numbers of trees. In areas where global markets influence what happens with the land locally, we contribute to creating fair value chains. This involves harmonising the needs of local people with forest protection.

We provide technical and strategic advice, develop innovative digital solutions, and ensure cooperation at all levels and in all areas, including across national borders. In this way, we expand the skills of our partners so that we can overcome the challenges involved in achieving sustainable forest management together - from the village level to the global level.

													1.6
													Billions
							

Roughly this number of people live on what the forest provides.

Multi-talented forests

Healthy, biodiverse forests offer a wide variety of benefits:

People’s livelihoods
Important source of income
Water storage
Soil improvement
Binding CO2
Habitats for more than two thirds of all land animals and plants

International initiatives and instruments

We help our partners to implement international agreements:

REDD+ 
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation aims to ensure that forest countries receive money if they preserve their forests and thereby demonstrably emit fewer climate-damaging gases.
European Forestry and Trade Policy
ensures that products for the EU market have not contributed to deforestation and do not originate from illegal logging.
FLR
Forest and Landscape Restoration supports partner countries in restoring their forest landscapes, for example as part of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

Sustainable use of forests

We are working at all levels to ensure that forests are preserved and utilised sustainably. In order to support our partners effectively, we rely on a wide range of measures - strategic, technical and social:

We advise partner countries on how they can design and implement sustainable forest policies
Experts expand their knowledge through practical training programmes
We build bridges between the different sectors that influence the forest
Innovative financing models reward the ecological services of the forest as a carbon sink or water reservoir
Modern technologies can be used to monitor forest areas, recognise risks at an early stage and trace the origin of wood products
Together with local people, companies and investors, we develop business models that utilise and preserve the forest at the same time
We empower municipalities and village communities to take the management of their forests into their own hands
Independent certifications strengthen confidence in the sustainability of forest products

Hello from the forest

My name is Martin Neumann. I focus on sustainable forest management in the Sectoral Department.

More

Communication between all forest users

We create platforms for dialogue and cooperation – both within countries and across borders. Communication between authorities, companies and all those who use the forest is essential for resolving conflicts and finding common solutions.

During this process we pay special attention to disadvantaged groups: smallholder families, women and indigenous communities play a key role when it comes to preserving and protecting the forests. We therefore encourage their fair participation and support their usage rights and codetermination rights Women often have important tasks in these areas – we give them targeted support and promote their roles.

High-tech help to protect forests

Digital solutions help in improving forest surveillance, recognising risks at an early stage, and implementing specific protection measures. They open up new ways of making the benefits of forests visible and financing them on a permanent basis.

We develop transparent and fair systems for tracing agricultural products from sensitive forest regions, so that consumers in Europe can be sure that they are not contributing to deforestation.

At the same time, climate change is putting the forests under more pressure. Here, too, we support our partners, for example with strategies for preventing and combating forest fires.