Solutions journalism is news about how communities and organizations are responding to social and environmental problems. This collection contains solutions stories about a number of forest management solutions. In Oregon, prescribed burns are returning the forest to a natural and healthy state. Across the West, natural burn patterns are being encouraged as a cost-saving measure. A startup is connecting people of African descent around the world to forests in Africa, and planting trees in their honor to combat deforestation. In Australia, a partnership between Indigenous ranger groups and a nonprofit are conserving rainforests through fire management and revegetation. And in Indonesia, researchers are using acoustic monitoring to track illegal logging in forests.
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Sustaining aboriginal forests has become a critical cog in the effort to fight climate change. These old growth forests are the great repositories of biodiversity for the planet, as well as forming the largest carbon sinks in the world. Human beings cut down more than 15 billion trees each year, equaling 10 to 15 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions. There are, however, a number of promising strategies to combat deforestation including enforcement of existing anti-logging laws, eco-certification, and remuneration from rich to poor countries for maintaining the forest canopy. Project Drawdown lists forest protection as one of the best solutions to combat climate change, and will result in more biodiversity, promote pollination, enhance ecotourism, and provide additional ecosystem services.
Join the Earth Month Ecochallenge to learn more and take action on this climate solution.