Mountain-ash eucalyptus tree (Eucalyptus regnans), in the morning light, Australia. / ©: Martin Harvey / WWF-Canon

Forests

WWF-Australia is dedicated to ensuring that Australia plays a positive role in protecting the forests of the Asia-Pacific region well into the future. We can make a huge difference by working towards finding solutions to the major threats facing these amazing forests and by addressing our own Australian forest footprint.

How do we reduce Australia’s pressure on the forests of Asia-Pacific?

We believe that Australia can help the forests of our region, reduce our forest footprint and sustainably manage forest resources in four major ways; by stopping illegal logging, promoting responsible forestry and trade and forest certification, focusing our energies on stopping forest conversion and ensuring no new land is cleared for palm oil plantations.

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How to Love Your Forests

Threats

Illegal logging, Tesso Nilo, Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia. / ©: Volker Kess / WWF-Canon
© Volker Kess / WWF-Canon
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvesting, transporting, processing, buying or selling of timber in violation of national laws. Illegal logging exists because of increasing demand for timber, paper and derivative products (including packaging). Illegal logging can also happen when forests are cleared for plantations such as oil palm.

Love Your Forests

Love Your Forests logo / ©: WWF
The Love Your Forests campaign aims to raise awareness amongst consumers of Forests Stewrdship Council (FSC) certified products and the importance of responsible forest management.

How to Love Your Forests

 

Illegal logging for paper industry and forest clearing for palm oil plantation. TESSO NILO ... / ©: Alain Compost / WWF-Canon
© Alain Compost / WWF-Canon
Forest conversion
Forest conversion is literally the conversion of forests to other land uses, such as agriculture and pulp and paper plantations. Forest conversion poses a major threat to the climate, high conservation value forests, freshwater ecosystems, the livelihoods of local people, and the habitats of endangered species.



External links

Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) fruits being loaded on truck.,Tesso Nilo, Riau Province, Sumatra, ... / ©: Volker Kess / WWF-Canon
© Volker Kess / WWF-Canon
Palm oil plantations
Forests do not need to be cleared to be replaced by palm oil plantations. About 300–700 million hectares of abandoned land globally could potentially be used for oil palm plantations, 20 million hectares of it in Indonesia alone.



Solutions

Controlled directional felling in FSC-certified tropical rainforest producing Meranti timber for ... / ©: Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
Responsible forestry and trade
Much of the world’s forests are outside of protected areas, making it is vitally important that they are managed for their biodiversity, and not only for their commercial value. Forestry, if conducted inappropriately, can be very environmentally damaging and, in the worst cases, absolutely destructive.
FSC logo on keyholders and kitchen items Made out from timber from a certified forest United ... / ©: Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
© Edward Parker / WWF-Canon
Forest certification
Forest certification is a system of inspecting and tracking timber, paper pulp and other forest products to make sure they’ve been harvested according to a strict set of guidelines. Forest certification is also about the well-being of workers and local communities.

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