Forestry governance

Forests cover 31 per cent of the Earth’s surface, but they are shrinking at a rate of 13 million hectares (ha) each year. ¹ They play a fundamental role in regulating CO₂ levels in the atmosphere, and, as a result, they naturally mitigate the effects of climate change by acting as carbon sinks. Conserving forests and promoting reforestation rather than deforestation or forest degradation has a twofold benefit: the preservation of the carbon already stored and the maintenance or enhancement of the forests’ ability to act as a carbon sink and absorb atmospheric CO₂.