Forests are one of the most effective natural tools against climate change, and do far more than store carbon:
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Carbon: a mature tree absorbs roughly 10 kg (22 lb) of CO2 a year; at ~1,000 trees per hectare that's ~10 tonnes per hectare annually (One Tree Planted). Forests and land ecosystems absorb about a third of fossil-fuel CO2 each year (IUCN).
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Biodiversity: home to about 80% of the world's land-based species.
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Livelihoods: over 1.6 billion people depend on forests (United Nations).
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Water and soil: they stabilise rivers, filter sediment and reduce erosion.
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Wildfire resilience: sustainable forestry lowers wildfire severity.