Forests Stories

When a forest is degraded it still exists, but it can no longer function well. It becomes a shell of its former self; its health declines until it can no longer support people and wildlife by, for example, filtering the air we breathe and water we drink or providing animals with food and places to live.

One of the best ways to stop deforestation is to ensure there’s long-term funding to properly manage the country’s national parks.  

More than 1 million acres of forest land in China are now managed responsibly or under improved forest management, thanks to a joint initiative by WWF and Apple.

The flames start out small and barely audible. But within 15 minutes they're two stories high—a roaring wall. It's Jose Luis Neris da Silva's job to make sure they don't burn out of control.

In 2008, WWF began working with groups in the Goma area to make and sell fuel-efficient cookstoves. Goma Stove, started with a loan from WWF, is now financially independent—and business is booming.

In the Amazon and beyond, WWF’s Earth for Life vision calls for saving massive pieces of the planet we call home.

Forests have shaped and inspired every chapter of my life.

The men in question can’t be named or pictured, because they’re undercover investigators for a deforestation watchdog group called Eyes on the Forest (EoF). And they’re routinely putting their safety on the line to protect Thirty Hills, one of the last great swaths of rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

WWF is on a mission to save the world’s forest land. Saving forests means using every tool at our disposal and working with partners around the globe. And that’s where drones come in to play.

A new collaboration between WWF and International Paper (IP)—a participant in WWF’s Global Forest & Trade Network program and one of the world’s largest packaging, pulp and paper companies—research and assessments will help determine how much forest land—and what quality—is needed to ensure forests can continue to provide people, plants and animals worldwide with the clean air and water, food and other “services” they need to thrive.

It’s one of the easiest things you can do to help save the world’s forests. Look for the logo that says FSC® when you buy paper towels, tissues, furniture or any other products that come from forests.

Hey Mer is not just producing good quality rubber, she is doing so in accordance with farming practices that don’t degrade the forests or mistreat workers. Such steps are necessary to protect the environment and human rights, but also to ensure good rubber prices for farmers and a long-lasting rubber industry.

When his three daughters were hungry, Omary Mbunda would turn to illegal timber for money. That changed when the CARE-WWF Alliance—a partnership focused on creating food systems that better nourish vulnerable communities while supporting healthy ecosystems—began promoting sustainable forestry management and conservation agriculture in Mbondo in 2015.

When we think of wild animals losing their habitats, we usually envision elephants, rhinos, and tigers in faraway places. But monarch butterflies are losing their homes right here in the US—and our food is playing a part.

Deep within Africa’s second-largest country, Salonga is a core part of one of Earth’s greatest and last tropical forests, still virtually untouched by modern-day resource extraction and development.

The future of bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is beginning to look promising. WWF is increasing surveillance of them and creating a management plan that benefits people and wildlife.

WWF is working to empower women by teaching them sustainable farming techniques, building their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, and ensuring their representation in decision-making bodies.

This will be one of the great litmus tests of the conservation movement: can we marshal the resources necessary to secure the gains we’ve made in the Amazon and chart a new path forward?

As 2017 comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to highlight some of our biggest conservation successes of the year. And we couldn’t have done it without your support.

Bhutan now has a great means for bringing that commitment to life—long-term funding to ensure its protected areas, which cover half of the country, are properly managed forever. It is the first initiative of its kind in Asia and one of only a few in the world.

Heritage Colombia is a conservation financing project designed to secure protections for Colombia’s natural landscapes.

With the peace agreement comes the opportunity to restore the health of the country’s protected areas and prevent damage or loss to the many wild wonders that still exist.

The report, New Species of Vertebrates and Plants in the Amazon 2014-2015, details 381 new species that were discovered over 24 months, including 216 plants, 93 fish, 32 amphibians, 20 mammals, 19 reptiles and one bird.

WWF recently concluded a project that worked closely with local communities to reduce land degradation, forest loss, and climate change vulnerability in the Himalayas in Nepal. Empowered by the Global Environment Facility, WWF worked directly with the government of Nepal to design and implement the project.