🌳 A world in the atlas

Forests

Forests host ~80% of land biodiversity; deforestation is slowing in places.

← The Atlas
Forests

PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA

The picture

Forests store carbon, regulate water and shelter around 80% of land-based species. Agriculture - especially beef, soy and palm oil - drives most deforestation, but certification and rewilding are turning the tide in places.

The science

Tropical forests are the most biodiverse habitats on land, with some single trees hosting hundreds of species.

In numbers

~80%Land biodiversity hosted

Worth repeating at dinner

Forests are home to around 80% of the world’s land-based species.

- Our World in Data

Agriculture drives the majority of tropical deforestation.

- Our World in Data

What they face

Deforestation

Clearing for beef, soy and palm oil is the main driver.

Our World in Data

Degradation

Logging and fire thin and weaken forests.

GFW

What is already working

Deforestation-free supply chains

Certification pushes commodities toward zero-deforestation.

Reforestation & rewilding

Native replanting restores habitat and carbon.

Reasons for hope

Some frontiers slowing

Deforestation rates have fallen in several key regions.

Meet them

Red squirrelEuropean pine martenGreat spotted woodpeckerWild boarEurasian lynx

Small actions that reach them

Switch a product to palm-oil-free
Unsustainable palm oil drives tropical deforestation that destroys orangutan, tiger and elephant habitat.
~5 min
Have one meatless meal
Animal agriculture is a top driver of land use, emissions and farmed-animal suffering.
~30 min
Plant or fund a native tree
Reforestation restores habitat and captures carbon with native species.
~60 min
Choose shade-grown or bird-friendly coffee
Shade coffee keeps forest canopy standing - vital habitat for migratory birds.
~5 min
Buy one thing secondhand instead of new
Making new goods drives mining, logging and emissions that shrink wild habitat.
~15 min
Use a tree-planting search engine
Some search engines fund reforestation with their ad revenue - searching becomes habitat.
~3 min
Buy no new clothes this month
Fashion is a top polluter of waterways and a major carbon source.
~5 min

People doing the big work

Global Forest Watch ↗Rainforest Alliance ↗

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