Forest Restoration
Learn why the restoration of forest ecosystems around the world could change all our lives for the better
By The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP Europe Office
Red Panda (Ailurus fulgenst), Sagarmatha, Nepal (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3055
Why restore forests?
Forests are vital for many species as they provide shelter, camouflage, shade, food, and oxygen. They constitute very rich ecosystems all over the world and are home to millions of plants and animals.
Lichens, Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina (2016) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/1446
More than trees
Forests should not be seen merely as woody lands but as an entire living ecosystem where each plant, each animal, each mushroom, and each bacteria has an important role to play.
Rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3056
Forest resources
About 20% of human population depend on forests for their livelihood, including 70 million Indigenous Peoples. Forests provide important quantities of timber, firewood, and food on which we depend.
The sun illuminating tall beech trees, Hasseltangen, Grimstad, Germany (2020) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/13653
Why are trees vital?
Trees are incredible organisms. Trees not only produce the oxygen we breathe but they also sequester the carbon (CO2) from the atmosphere.
Guides from Noukhada Adventure company, Abu Dhabi (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Rob Barnes under licence from AGEDIOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/8956
Why are forests important to fight climate change?
Forests diminish the level of CO2 in the atmosphere by storing the carbon in the trunk, leaves, and roots of trees. They help mitigate climate change by partly compensating for our carbon emissions (e.g. burning coal, oil, or gas). This is why we describe forests as carbon sinks.
The International Academy for Nature Conservation, Vilm, Germany (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3069
Carbon Sequestration
Every year, forests absorb approximately 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide, which represents 30% of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels. Restoring 350 million hectares of degraded land could increase the carbon sequestration to 50% of our carbon emissions.
Cleared forest area in Canada, 2 (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3103
Forests under threat
Human activities have a lot of negative impacts on forests all around the world:
- Deforestation caused by agriculture, mining, and timber exploitation
- Climate change and the modification of the water cycle
- Plant and animal poaching
- Multiplication of fires
Seeding the Future: International Day of Forests (2019) by © UNEPOriginal Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCmkR7cQ61s
Seeding the Future
Impala, Aepyceros melampus, female "clan" in Acacia forest, Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya (2015) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/2316
What can be done?
Forest restoration is essential to recreate the habitat of many animal species which have lost some of their territories due to deforestation. Restoring forests is more complex than planting trees, it must be done in accordance with the ecosystem’s natural balance.
Planting trees everywhere is impossible and could even be counterproductive. Restoration programs should never lead to the destruction of other ecosystems.
‘Slow is beautiful’, two-toed sloth in Ecuador (2014) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/3080
Doing the right thing
Restoration of forests must be the result of a careful selection of plant species. Restoring forests is a precious balance that can include:
- Planting trees
- Improving the quality of the soil
- Protecting wildlife corridors
- Sustainable agroforestry
Vegetation 5 years after forest fire, Mykland, Aust Agder, Norway (2013) by © GRID-Arendal/Peter ProkoshOriginal Source: https://www.grida.no/resources/4597
Forests on fire
Forest restoration can take the form of prescribed fires to enhance the growth of new plants and limit the impact of wildfires. This practice is well known in many indigenous communities. Climate change modifies fire regimes, thus threatening forests all around the world.
Additional learning resources
- UNEP Forests
- Toppr: Forest Ecosystem
- UN Decade - Forests
- UN Chronicle: Forest Restoration: A Path to Recovery and Well-Being
- IUCN: Community Organizing- Toolkit on Ecosystems Restoration
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Europe Office
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