Forest Protection & Climate Change: Why Is It Important?

Throughout COVID-19, nearly every country in Europe saw a rise in visits to national parks and forests. This led many people to wonder why there is not more protection to stop the destruction of forests.¹

Forests cover nearly 40 per cent of Europe’s total land surface, which is higher than in other parts of the world. But, many European forest areas are privately owned (60 per cent) rather than publicly owned (40 per cent). Moreover, the European Union still does not have a common forestry policy, leaving forest protection in the hands of individual countries. That has led to a huge disparity in forest cover, and just six countries – Sweden, Finland, Spain, France, Germany and Poland – account for two-thirds of the EU’s forested areas.²

‌Forest protection is important so that people can enjoy visiting forests and connect with nature, but also for the health of our planet. This makes their regeneration a vital task and essential in our fight against climate change.

What is meant by a protected forest?

A protected forest is usually a large tree area that retains its natural character and is without permanent or significant human habitation, activity or infrastructure.³

Since 2000, a growing number of countries have given official protected status to an increasing portion of their ecological sites. The definition of a protected area is set out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values”.⁴

The IUCN sets out six different types of protected area:

This provides ecological sites with some protection against logging or over-exploitation.⁵‌

Between 1990 and 2010, forest cover across Europe increased by approximately 11 million hectares due to natural growth and afforestation. While the EU acknowledges limited success in growing forested areas, it states that climate change is already a serious problem for Europe’s forests.⁶‌

Although the rate of deforestation has slowed down in recent years, it is still far too high. An estimated 420 million hectares of forest land has been lost since 1990 alone.⁷ The main reasons for deforestation are agriculture – i.e. growing food to feed animals and humans – cattle ranching and mining.⁸

Why is it important to protect forests?

Forest protection is vital to human societies, animal habitat and plant species. Trees keep our air clean, protect us from flooding, regulate the local climate and provide shelter. Furthermore, they protect biodiversity by providing a habitat for numerous species. In short, their benefits far outweigh their land usage. Yet, we face worrying levels of deforestation every year.⁹

Forests cover just over 30 per cent of the Earth’s total land area.¹⁰ They protect our environment and air by recycling carbon dioxide back into oxygen. Plants and trees do this through photosynthesis to build leaves, stems and trunks.¹¹‌ By storing carbon after removing it from the air, plants and trees are important in regulating CO2 levels in the air. Without them, the atmosphere would rapidly heat up – as it is now – and destabilise climate patterns.¹²‌

Forest protection for the conservation of flora and fauna

Forests are also important for environmental reasons. They protect the soil against erosion, prevent flooding, bring rainfall to local regions, and protect biodiversity by providing a habitat for animal and plant species. Across Europe, they are also a vital source of fuel, timber and tourism. They provide jobs to 2.6 million people.¹³

How can we go about protecting forests?

To enable forest protection, we must make changes on a local, national and international level. Deforestation is one of society’s biggest problems, and we have to challenge it where possible. As individuals, we can buy products that are grown sustainably and do not destroy forest areas. We can also choose to buy wood products from sustainable forests that are carefully managed. Sustainable wood is a vastly better option than plastic or metal products.¹⁴‌ We can also participate or create tree planting initiatives with the help of groups like the Woodland Trust.¹⁵‌

On a national level, we can call on elected representatives to put aside more land for protected forests and regenerate degraded areas. We can also call on them to oppose projects that destroy forests, such as mining projects or infrastructure.¹⁶‌

‌Internationally, we can call on our governments to take part in conservation pledges and build international consensus for more forest protection and reforestation.¹⁷‌

1. McClanahan, P. (2020). The Newest Challenge for Europe’s Parks: A Surge of New Nature Lovers. The New York Times. [online] 10 Dec. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/travel/european-parks-pandemic.html.
2. www.europarl.europa.eu. (n.d.). The European Union and forests | Fact Sheets on the European Union. [online] European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/105/the-european-union-and-forests.
3. IUCN. (2016). Category Ib: Wilderness Area. [online] Available at: https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-area-categories/category-ib-wilderness-area [Accessed 20 Apr. 2021].
4. About (2018). About. [online] IUCN. Available at: https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about.
5. Protected Area Categories (2016). Protected Area Categories. [online] IUCN. Available at: https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-area-categories.
6. www.europarl.europa.eu. (n.d.). The European Union and forests | Fact Sheets on the European Union. [online] European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/105/the-european-union-and-forests.
7. fao.org (2018). SOFO 2018 – The State of the World’s Forests 2018. [online] www.fao.org. Available at: http://www.fao.org/state-of-forests/en/.
8. Przyborski, P. (2007). Tropical Deforestation. [online] Nasa.gov. Available at: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Deforestation/deforestation_update3.php.
9. www.europarl.europa.eu. (n.d.). The European Union and forests | Fact Sheets on the European Union | European Parliament. [online] Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/105/the-european-union-and-forests.
10. Worldbank.org. (2018). Forest area (% of land area) | Data. [online] Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.FRST.ZS.
11. Bassham, J.A. and Lambers, H. (2019). photosynthesis | Importance, Process, & Reactions. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis.
12. ‌IUCN. (2018). Forests and climate change. [online] Available at: https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/forests-and-climate-change.
13. www.europarl.europa.eu. (n.d.). The European Union and forests | Fact Sheets on the European Union. [online] European Parliament. Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/105/the-european-union-and-forests.
14. ‌TREE Foundation. (n.d.). Rainforest-friendly purchasing guide. [online] Available at: https://treefoundation.org/education/rainforest-friendly-purchasing-guide/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2021].
15. ‌Trust, W. (n.d.). We Plant Woods and Trees – Woodland Trust. [online] Woodland Trust. Available at: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/we-plant-trees/ [Accessed 20 Apr. 2021].
16. ‌Repetto, R. (1988). Forest For The Trees? Government Policies and the Misuse of Forest Resources. [online] www.wri.org. Available at: https://www.wri.org/research/forest-trees-government-policies-and-misuse-forest-resources [Accessed 20 Apr. 2021].
17. ‌www.fao.org. (n.d.). The international dialogue and initiatives with relevance to forests. [online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/w4345e/w4345e0a.htm [Accessed 20 Apr. 2021].