Why forests are important

Benefits of forests

Forests play a critical role for the global environment, population and economy. Besides alleviating the effects of climate change and natural disasters, they represent some of the richest biological areas on Earth. They also provide food, renewable raw materials for many of our products, and livelihoods for millions of people.

Forests in everyday life

Forests provide opportunities to improve our quality of life through recreation, and by their natural beauty. They also provide us with numerous products that we rely on everyday. From the air we breathe to the water we drink, forests deliver invaluable benefits that we often take for granted.

Threats to forests

Forests are among the most biodiverse and valuable terrestrial ecosystems on the planet. However, maintaining forests and their biodiversity is both complex and sensitive, and natural and human impacts on forest ecosystems is making this increasingly difficult.