Episode 40: How do we restore the world's forests?

The Think Wildlife Podcast

Deforestation is one of the leading threats to biodiversity globally. The world is losing over 10 billion trees annually. Over half the three trillion trees on our planet have been lost. But why should you care? Because YOU are a victim of deforestation.

Over 1.6 billion people directly rely on forests for subsistence, in the form of food, fuel, medicine, bushmeat, and fodder for livestock grazing. Moreover, even urban populations rely on forests for crucial ecosystem services, such as reliable clean water, climate regulation, air purification and productive soils. Unfortunately, deforestation and land degradation cost the world $6.3 trillion every year.

Moreover, forests are critical for biodiversity and tackling climate change. Globally, 68% of mammal species and 75% of bird species are found in forests. Additionally, forests play a critical role in carbon regulation in the atmosphere, hence stabilizing climatic patterns globally.

In this episode, I interview April Bagwill, the program officer of Trillion Trees, a collaboration between three leading wildlife NGOs, BirdLife International, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the World Wildlife Fund. The initiative aims to restore 20 million hectares of forests while protecting 105 million hectares of forests under improved management systems. In this episode, we discuss the principles, challenges and process of restoration while also dwelling on the organizations’ projects

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