Sustainable forestry pays off, not just in slowing climate change and restoring ecosystems, but by creating jobs and wealth around the world. 1.3 billion people depend on forests for employment, financial benefits and the wood products they produce, and forested watersheds and wetlands supply a whopping 75% of the world’s accessible freshwater while acting as natural air filters. These two infographics from the World Bank sum up these and other benefits to sustainable, responsible forest management, explaining why it’s so crucial.
For example, did you know that carbon emissions from land clearing outweigh those of the entire global transport sector? Sustainable forestry gives landowners a strong financial incentive to continuously replant their land and practice other techniques that maintain vital tracts of wooded land that might otherwise be sold and cleared for development.
Standing forests absorb greenhouse gases and also build more resilient landscapes by regulating water flow, improving soil, protecting coastal communities from extreme weather events and providing migratory corridors for plant and animal species. GreenBiz.com has a rundown on how sustainable forestry can be a crucial part of a billion-dollar carbon removal industry.
Top photo: Wikimedia Commons
