Nature-based Solutions in Forests
Forest ecosystems are rich in biodiversity and value, as a habitat to 80% of all terrestrial species. They help sequester carbon, regulate our climate, act as flood barriers, recharge groundwater, filter air, and protect biodiversity. Forests offer significant financial, economic, and social benefits worldwide. Approximately 1.6 billion people depend directly on forests for food, water, wood, and employment, and forests have an estimated economic value of USD 150 trillion. They also contribute directly to the livelihoods of 90% of over one billion people that live in extreme poverty. They play a central role in the world’s economic health, as the forestry industry generates over USD 186 billion in global trade in primary wood products to supply the growing population of consumers around the world. Forests are also fundamental for regulating the Earth’s climate, exchanging more carbon, water and energy with the atmosphere than any other terrestrial ecosystem. For example, between 2001 and 2019 forests absorbed 18% of all humancaused carbon emissions per year.
This primer is a part of the ‘Investing with Nature: Exploring Investment Opportunities Across Ecosystems’ series, born with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It is preceded by the primer introducing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Oceans & Coastal Ecosystems, which can be found here. These primers accompany a webinar series, and the webinar for Forest Ecosystems can be found here.
