Forests

Forests are ecosystems shaped by trees, soils, water and wildlife, and by the people who depend on them. This archive covers forest ecology, use, management and pressures.

19 stories

Conservation Practice

Peru pilot links unconditional income with reported rainforest stewardship

A two-year programme in three Indigenous communities was associated with improved household wellbeing and greater participation in conservation practices, but its evaluation did not measure changes in forest condition.

Policy & Governance

Gabon moves to tighten controls on iboga exports

A draft export ban adopted by the Council of Ministers follows new rules on access to iboga and its traditional knowledge. The plant’s conservation status remains uncertain, with an older global assessment and newer reports of local overharvesting.

Forest soils in south-west Germany show rising methane uptake

Measurements from 13 sites found an average increase over records spanning up to 24 years, but other studies report declining uptake in the United States.

Amazon analysis finds more candidate fire detections than official counts

NASA reports that VIIRS analysis around Santarém identified about 40% more candidate fire detections than appear in FIRMS active-fire counts. The additional signals have not been confirmed as distinct fires or quantified as extra forest damage.

Conservation decisions are moving ahead while their consequences remain unsettled

Across rivers, forests and protected landscapes, legal challenges and policy changes are shaping what happens next. But court decisions, management plans and evidence of ecological effects are still pending in many of these stories.

Conservation Practice

Two damselfly species recorded at restored woodland

Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust says Beautiful Demoiselle and Willow Emerald damselflies were recorded at Astonbury Wood for the first time after a three-year project across seven reserves.

Policy & Governance

Investigation alleges lobbying effort over EU deforestation law

A report by Mighty Earth says US-linked organisations sought changes to the regulation. EU institutions cite implementation concerns in explaining revisions and delays.

Policy & Governance

Court pauses further tree-felling at Washington golf course

A temporary order at East Potomac Golf Course runs until 26 October as a legal challenge to the Park Service’s environmental review continues.

Conservation Practice

Georgia plans to reopen Pine Log wildlife area in 2027

An agreement aims to restore public access to 14,640 acres in Bartow and Cherokee counties, but the acquisition is still pending and management details are to come.

Nature’s targets meet the test of delivery

From the global biodiversity framework to local habitat work, commitments are outpacing implementation, and incomplete evidence and uncertain funding make it harder to judge what progress is being made.

Indonesia fires fuel haze as firefighting continues

Fires in six Indonesian provinces are prompting active firefighting, while haze affects communities at home and across the region. The reported area under firefighting is not a measure of the total area burned.

Policy & Governance

Brazil runoff puts Amazon policy in focus as candidates set different deforestation targets

Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro offer distinct pledges for the forest. Their implementation, and the role of Congress, remain uncertain.

Federal forest-recovery requests exceed available funding

After Michigan’s March 2025 ice storm, landowners seeking federal restoration support face uncertainty as nationwide applications to the programme exceed available funds.

Cottonwood felled for border-wall construction in Arizona

The tree, known to activists as the “Grandmother”, was cut down near Lochiel after a protest tree-sit lasting more than 70 days.

Investigation links Indonesian nickel mines to forest loss and battery supply chains

A report traces possible links from two Sulawesi mines to battery and car companies, while highlighting gaps in evidence about specific products.

Ethiopia’s tree-planting drive brings mixed evidence on forest recovery

The Green Legacy Initiative has a target of 50 billion seedlings, but national planting totals do not show how many survive or how much forest recovery the programme has caused.

VISTA maps forest loss and other pressures across Indigenous territories in Bolivia’s Amazon

A reporting project has launched an interactive platform covering 48 titled territories. Its estimate of forest loss outside authorised areas has not been independently audited in the sources reviewed.

People & Communities

Forest products support livelihoods in Jharkhand, but local impacts remain unclear

A Gumla woman’s account and small local studies show how non-timber forest products contribute to livelihoods. They do not establish how widespread these benefits are or whether harvesting is sustainable.

Global mangrove estimates show recent gains, but regional losses continue

Global Mangrove Watch records a small net increase since 1985, while a separate study estimates extent remained marginally below its 1980s level by 2023.