What can we do?
Current deforestation trends point toward catastrophic and irreversible losses of biodiversity and runaway climate change. With better governance and smarter land use, it would be possible to meet global demand for food and forest products without any further loss of forests between now and 2030, but urgent action is needed. Actions to tackle deforestation will require new policies and laws, better implementation of existing laws, tough crackdowns on corruption, and economic opportunities for local communities, whether they be the 300 million people living in forests and the more than 1 billion directly dependent on forests.