Deforestation and Forest Degradation Stories

  • How habitat conservation and restoration support better human health outcomes

    April 02, 2020

    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.

    Aerial landscape of Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand
  • New study indicates a 53% decrease in area occupied by monarch butterflies

    March 13, 2020

    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.

    Monarch butterflies in Mexico reserve
  • Making a home for monarchs in Mexico

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2020
    While monarchs are not endangered, their marvelous migration is at risk. Because they cluster in an area of just a few squares miles, loss of habitat to forest degradation has serious consequences.
    Monarch butterflies
  • Rhinos around the world

    November 14, 2019

    2019 has been a year of both wins and losses for rhinos. Though still facing threats like poaching and habitat loss, the global rhino population has increased by 30 percent over the past decade.

    An Asian rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) drinks by the waters edge at sunset. Kaziranga National Park, India.
  • Collaborating to conserve forests: HP and WWF project goes beyond responsible sourcing toward a healthier planet

    September 23, 2019

    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.

    Stream of water surrounded by forest at Figueira trail, Carlos Botelho State Park, São Paulo, Brazil.
  • Can forensics save forests?

    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.

    Plimob furniture factory reclaimed wood
  • What’s the difference between climate change mitigation and adaptation?

    Climate change adaptation and mitigation are both equally important and time-sensitive in today's climate crisis. We must do both.

    flooded stairs WW2124571 Sean Rayford/Stringer
  • Jaguar: the amazing Amazon big cat

    Considered a protector and symbol of power, jaguars personify the mysterious beauty of the Amazon. This iconic species plays a vital role in its habitat by controlling other species’ populations and helping maintain a healthy ecosystem. 

    jaguar close WW2120938 Emmanuel Rondeau
  • What is forest degradation and why is it bad for people and wildlife?

    When a forest is degraded it still exists, but it can no longer function well. It becomes a shell of its former self; its health declines until it can no longer support people and wildlife by, for example, filtering the air we breathe and water we drink or providing animals with food and places to live.

    degraded land WW286701 Tim Cornin
  • Rooted in the Amazon

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2019
    In the Amazon and beyond, WWF’s Earth for Life vision calls for saving massive pieces of the planet we call home.
    Giant Otter peeks head out of the water while swimming in a small lake near the Rio do Coco in Parque Estadual do Cantão, Tocantins, Brazil.
  • Smart fire management protects a park in Brazil

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2019
    The flames start out small and barely audible. But within 15 minutes they're two stories high—a roaring wall. It's Jose Luis Neris da Silva's job to make sure they don't burn out of control.
    Man in front of burning ground
  • These handmade cookstoves save fuel—and help save gorillas

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2019
    In 2008, WWF began working with groups in the Goma area to make and sell fuel-efficient cookstoves. Goma Stove, started with a loan from WWF, is now financially independent—and business is booming.
    veline Kahindo with clay stove base
  • A newly expanded park marks a conservation win in the Amazon

    WWF Magazine: Winter 2018
    Almost 70% of the deforestation in Colombia happens in its Amazonian forests.
    tapir winter2018
  • Legendary undercover investigators protect forests

    August 09, 2018

    The men in question can’t be named or pictured, because they’re undercover investigators for a deforestation watchdog group called Eyes on the Forest (EoF). And they’re routinely putting their safety on the line to protect Thirty Hills, one of the last great swaths of rainforest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

    EoF1 Neil Ever Osborne WW257110
  • Drones provide an up close look at the health of forests

    June 19, 2018

    WWF is on a mission to save the world’s forest land. Saving forests means using every tool at our disposal and working with partners around the globe. And that’s where drones come in to play.

    drone heads into forest
  • Sustainable ranching to protect a forest

    WWF Magazine: Summer 2018
    The Gran Chaco is the largest South American forest you’ve never heard of.
    Cattle at Medias Leguas ranch in Castelli, Chaco region, northern Argentina
  • An illegal logger in Tanzania becomes a forest defender

    March 21, 2018

    When his three daughters were hungry, Omary Mbunda would turn to illegal timber for money. That changed when the CARE-WWF Alliance—a partnership focused on creating food systems that better nourish vulnerable communities while supporting healthy ecosystems—began promoting sustainable forestry management and conservation agriculture in Mbondo in 2015.

    Portrait of Mbunda
  • As monarch butterflies lose ground in Mexico, WWF seeks solutions in America’s heartland

    When we think of wild animals losing their habitats, we usually envision elephants, rhinos, and tigers in faraway places. But monarch butterflies are losing their homes right here in the US—and our food is playing a part.

    Monarch among goldenrod
  • Women rising

    WWF Magazine: Spring 2018
    WWF is working to empower women by teaching them sustainable farming techniques, building their leadership and entrepreneurial skills, and ensuring their representation in decision-making bodies.
    IMGL8483-web-flipped
  • Fire-tailed titi monkey and pink river dolphin among 381 new species discovered in the Amazon

    The report, New Species of Vertebrates and Plants in the Amazon 2014-2015, details 381 new species that were discovered over 24 months, including 216 plants, 93 fish, 32 amphibians, 20 mammals, 19 reptiles and one bird.

    Pink river dolphin and calf.
  • WWF helps a mountain community protect forests and adapt to climate change

    July 31, 2017

    WWF recently concluded a project that worked closely with local communities to reduce land degradation, forest loss, and climate change vulnerability in the Himalayas in Nepal. Empowered by the Global Environment Facility, WWF worked directly with the government of Nepal to design and implement the project.

    A forest in Nepal.
  • Supporting communities and forests in Laos

    June 20, 2017

    The village of Sobphouan, with help from WWF, is a leading example of successful efforts in Laos to replace traditional agriculture and farming—drivers of widespread deforestation—with sustainable rattan production. 

    Aerial view of Rattan plantations
  • Kimberly Clark joins forces with WWF to engage consumers in helping to save the world's forests

    June 12, 2017

    Kimberly Clark and WWF have collaborated to raise awareness of the FSC logo and what it represents. 

    forest in peru
  • Broom grass transforms lives and hillsides in Nepal

    May 12, 2017

    In Nepal, broom grass is transforming steep, degraded slopes above the Trishuli and Seti rivers in the Aamdanda village. 

    Juni Maya Bhujel making brooms at her house.