Forests Stories

Through extensive investigation, WWF uncovered ample evidence that forests provide, prevent, and heal. Public health and forests are entwined—at the local, regional, and global scale.

To restore a forest landscape—one that will thrive for generations into the future—every detail must be planned and adapted over time.

Forests cover approximately one-third of the Earth’s surface and are home to more than three-quarters of the planet's remaining biodiversity, but are declining around the world at an alarming rate. Learn about how WWF's Education for Nature program and The UPS Foundation partner to fund locally-led reforestation and restoration projects in areas with critical need.

Zoonotic diseases are a stark reminder of how humans and nature are connected. While we can't predict where the next spillover will happen, we are able to identify the combination of factors that increase risk.

As restoration coordinator for forest restoration organization Copaíba, Mayra Flores works manages activities on the ground to bring forest recovery projects to life.

A new WWF report on global forest cover and forest loss finds that over 160,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of California, were lost in deforestation hot spots around the world between 2004 and 2017. Deforestation puts human health and the health of our planet at risk. 

On a hilltop in southeast Brazil, 4,500 feet above the surrounding landscape, is a coffee plantation that has been operating in the same family for more than 150 years—five generations. Owner Ellen Fontana is restoring additional forest habitat on her property, connecting the span of natural forest on her land to another forest fragment on a neighboring property.

Thirty Hills is the last large block of intact, lowland forest still standing in central Sumatra. After five years of successful forest conservation, we celebrate five major wins within this critically important landscape.

Tawau, the east malaysian district where Christina Ak Lang grew up, is a tropical paradise.

The Elephant Conservation Unit of WWF-Malaysia uses collaring to learn more about the elephants in Sabah. The information they collect from these collars helps the conservationists better protect the elephants and develop strategies to reduce instances of human wildlife conflict. 

Kerry Cesareo, WWF-US senior vice president for forests, on WWF's solutions to protect and restore the world's forests—and to address climate change.

As vice president and deputy lead for forests, Josefina Braña Varela leads WWF's work to halt deforestation and forest degradation around the world.

In an ambitious undertaking, WWF and International Paper (IP) are working alongside a local nursery to help restore parts of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, which has faced of years of deforestation.

Marisela Silva Parra, 41, is the only female member of a WWF-supported group of local farmers and community leaders who are helping their community realize the value of its natural resources. The group calls themselves Los Exploradores—The Explorers.

In partnership with local Indigenous organization Azicatch, WWF is supporting the work of Ecosystem Services Assessment Technical Teams, which combines traditional knowledge with modern conservation practice. The aim is to strengthen Indigenous decision-making and governance and create an environmental management plan for their territory.

The conservation and restoration of forests is a necessary component of a future where humanity is better able to manage and cope with the emergence of new infectious diseases. Without landscapes that balance the needs of both nature and people, the world will continue only to react to global health crises instead of preventing them.

The latest survey assessing the population of monarch butterflies that winter in Mexico indicates a population decrease of 53% since the previous season. In the 2019-2020 wintering season, the area of forest occupied by monarch butterflies was 7 acres, down from 15 acres in the 2018 - 2019 season.

In Nepal, citizen scientists are working with biologists from WWF to help protect tigers, rhinos, elephants, and other wildlife found in Bardia National Park.

Mangroves are a vibrant part of coastal wetlands on five continents. Explore some of the most diverse coastal forests around the world.

New images from the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon show what conservationists have long known: that people harvesting trees responsibly can live harmoniously with animals.

WWF and World Resources Institute partnered with a lab to examine 73 commercial wood products sold by major US retailers. Forty of them were labeled as the wrong tree species.

Our forests are in crisis. Nearly half of all global forests are under threat of deforestation and forest degradation, which represents a major risk to global climate, biodiversity, water, people, and businesses who depend on healthy forests. HP is one company that’s responding to this need for action.

It's hard to identify a tree species by looking at just the wood. We rarely know whether the tree listed on the label of wood products is accurate—or legal. WWF is looking to forensics for answers.

The sounds of Peru’s jungles are akin to those of a symphony. The high-pitched calls of toucans, the slow roar of howler monkeys, and the buzzing of insects together create unforgettable melodies. But these natural harmonies do more than simply please the ear—they provide us with valuable information about the health of the forest.