Forests provide many benefits. Rural populations in many countries depend on forest resources for part of their livelihoods, and poorer people among them do so in particular. There are also national and international demands for forest goods and services such as watershed protection, timber and non-timber products, biological diversity and carbon storage. Forests thus have multiple values, many of which cannot be provided by any other land use. Yet these values are being undermined.
Forests everywhere are in trouble.
Millions of additional hectares were degraded by inappropriate logging practices and fuelwood collection. Temperate forests are seriously degraded by pollution and over-harvesting. Whilst these immediate effects are on trees, the problems caused are for people. Environmental degradation of forest areas. These threaten the soil and water base for agriculture.