We've seen many companies and institutions promise to plant trees to combat climate change.
But how effective is this really?
In the climate emergency we face today, our global forests are critical as part of the solution,
but we are losing forests at an alarming rate.
In 2019, the tropics lost almost 12 million hectares of tree cover.
A football pitch of primary rainforest is lost every 6 seconds
yet trees in our forests are critical
for people, nature, and our climate
and they're intrinsically linked to our health
and our well-being and the well-being of our planet
as we know it. Our trees and forests provide jobs, clean water,
They soak up carbon dioxide, and they support food security.
They stabilize soils and reduce soil erosion.
They support incredible biodiversity and also the resilience in the fight against climate change.
We need to reimagine our future
and fundamentally reduce our carbon emissions, for our trees and forests as part of the solution,
we need the right trees in the right places.
But what does that mean?
Well it has five key elements really
first and foremost, we need to protect our trees and forests.
We need to keep our existing forest standing.
They are already in the right places, our rainforests, mangroves, the vast boreal forests,
and our local forests. All need to be protected and safe from loss.
Secondly, we need a massive forest landscape restoration program.
to put forest back into the landscape
and in doing so we need to ensure we follow the right principles
really following the principles of forest landscape restoration.
Thirdly, is the critical role of people and communities.
They're at the heart of it all and working together and supporting agricultural activities.
We can protect and restore the planets forest
for the benefit of all.
the local context is key and it's more than just about the trees.
The fourth, is species, native species with a broad diversity should be prioritized
wherever possible, and natural regeneration allowed to flourish.
However, tree planting is also needed, and even non-native species may be
appropriate where there’s a clear social, economic, ecological
or climatic reason.
But we must always ensure the risks of pests and diseases are minimized.
Finally, there are the types of new forests
and the area's, new bio diverse forests a better than plantations,
and they should not replace other ecosystems of high biodiverse value
or carbon value, such as wetlands or peatlands.
The key is always to consider the right trees in the right places.
It is imperative we protect and restore our forests around the globe.
Trillion Trees with our three partners of BirdLife International,
WCS and WWF,
we are working globally to support our forests for people, nature, and our climate.
But we can all do our part to ensure we support the right trees in the right places.
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