Forest Protection & Restoration

Protection: Primary forests contain 30-70% more carbon than degraded forests. They are more resilient in the face of disturbance. Most important, primary forest conservation helps ensure the rights and sustainable livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. 

The Paris Agreement Preamble notes the importance of ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems; CLARA members argue that primary forest protection should be considered under all relevant articles of the Paris Agreement, while fully respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. 

Restoration: Forest restoration—whether through natural regrowth or assisted regeneration—is the best option for enhancing carbon sequestration and contributing to climate change mitigation.  Restoration can have very high ‘co-benefits’: improved livelihoods, improved water quality, improved resilience. CLARA members have articulated Guiding Principles for Forest Landscape Restoration to guide actions that are socially just and promote ecological integrity, while rejecting development of monoculture tree plantations as ‘restoration’.

CLARA member links: 

• Ambiente y Sociedad

• Australian Rainforest Conservation Society

• FERN

• Forests of the World

• Global Forest Coalition (GFC)

• Greenpeace