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Around

1.6 billion
LIFE ON LAND: people depend
WHY IT MATTERS on forests
for their
What’s the goal here? forests for their livelihood.

To sustainably manage
Almost 75 per cent of the
world’s poor are affected livelIhood,
forests, combat deserti- directly by land degrada-
fication, halt and reverse
land degradation, and
tion. Did you know that Including
70 million
forests are home to more
halt biodiversity loss. than 80 per cent of all
terrestrial species of ani-
Why?
Forests cover nearly 31
mals, plants and insects?
And of the 8,300 animal
indigenous
per cent of our planet’s
land area. From the air
breeds known, 8 per cent
are extinct and 22 per cent
people
we breathe, to the water are at risk of extinction.
we drink, to the food we
Biodiversity and the eco-
eat–forests sustain us.
system services it under-
Think about it. Around 1.6 pins can also be the
billion people depend on basis for climate change
adaptation and disaster to be worth more than Some things we can do
risk reduction strategies US$200 billion per year to help include recycling,
as they can deliver bene- to the global food econ- eating a locally-based
fits that will increase the omy. Three-quarters of diet that is sustainably
resilience of people to the the top-ranking global sourced, consuming
impacts of climate change. prescription drugs con- only what we need, and
tain components derived limiting energy usage
Forests and nature are
from plant extracts, which through efficient heating
also important for recre-
would be threatened. and cooling systems.
ation and mental well-be-
Natural disasters caused
ing. In many cultures, We must also be respect-
by ecosystems disrupted
natural landscapes are ful toward wildlife and
by human impact and
closely linked to spiritual only take part in ecotour-
climate change already
values, religious beliefs ism opportunities that are
cost the world more than
and traditional teachings. responsibly and ethically
US$300 billion per year.
run in order to prevent
What would it cost to Deforestation and for-
wildlife disturbance.
est degradation results
correct the problem? in loss of habitat for all Well-managed protected
The UN Forum on Forests species, a decrease in areas support healthy
Secretariat estimates that freshwater quality, an ecosystems, which in
achieving sustainable increase in soil erosion, turn keep people healthy.
forest management on a land degradation and It is therefore critical to
global scale would cost higher emissions of car- secure the involvement
US$70-$160 billion per bon into the atmosphere. of the local communi-
year. The Convention on In short, not taking action ties in the development
Biological Diversity esti- on forests impacts both and management of
mates that US$150-$440 the health of the planet these protected areas.
billion per year is required and our communities.
To find out more
to halt the loss of biodi-
versity at a global level by What can we do? about Goal #15 and
the other Sustainable
the middle of this century. Inevitably, we change
Development Goals, visit:
the ecosystems we are a
What would it cost if we part of through our pres- http://www.un.org/
don’t correct the problem? ence–but we can make sustainabledevelopment
choices that either affirm
Biodiversity delivers mul-
diversity or devalue it.
tiple services from local
to global levels, while
responses to biodiversity
loss range from emotional
to utilitarian. For instance,
insects and other pol-
len-carriers are estimated

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