Read all about it in the Alliance Bulletin , a bi-monthly news bulletin produced by WWF and the World Bank that recaps happenings and posts upcoming events related to the Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use . We've lost over half of our forests, much of them in the last 30 years, and there is no sign that this is abating. It's clear the world's forests are losing the battle for survival. One of the main reasons for this extraordinarily high rate of deforestation is destructive logging, which opens up access to the forest and sets the stage for clearing and other activities that bring about forest degradation. Forests not only have a significant influence on the well-being of the people who live in or near them, they also influence problems of worldwide significance, including conservation of rare and varied species some of yet to be quantified ecological or medicinal value.
Forests also protect the atmosphere.
As the earth's lungs, forests cleanse the air of the carbon that causes global warming. An intact acre of Amazon rain forest sequesters about 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. By combining their efforts, the two organizations can more than double their impact. WWF's broad conservation expertise is helping to strengthen the Bank's biodiversity-related programs. For its part, the World Bank's access to policy dialogue, project financing, convening power, and economic analysis is enhancing WWF project objectives.