Forest Trends in the News

As environmentalism becomes more mainstream and consumers grow more aware about the means of production, private sector entities have increasingly committed to zero deforestation policies. A new report released Wednesday analyzes hundreds of deforestation commitments by companies linked to palm, soy, timber and pulp, and cattle, and finds that more and more firms are being […]

In the last three years, hundreds of companies have pledged to reduce their impact on forests by changing the way they produce or procure the four commodities driving most deforestation – namely, palm, soy, cattle, and timber & pulp – but until recently, they were only disclosing progress on one-third of their commitments.

The world of investments, capital, stocks and shares can seem very far away from the natural world. The rapid movement of money from institution to institution, zipping across the world through transfers and clicks is the antithesis of slow-growing forests or reefs deep below the waves.

The impact of the global palm oil industry on human rights and deforestation has inspired many NGOs to push multinational companies to become far more transparent about their operations and supply chains.

The world of investments, capital, stocks and shares can seem very far away from the natural world. The rapid movement of money from institution to institution, zipping across the world through transfers and clicks is the antithesis of slow-growing forests or reefs deep below the waves.

Earlier this year, Peruvians were shocked when severe droughts gave way to tumultuous rains triggering landslides that killed at least 20 people, forced thousands from their homes, and — ironically — deprived many in the country’s two largest cities, Lima and Arequipa, of water when swollen rivers clogged treatment plants with rocks and debris.

In almost every aisle of the grocery store, you can find products from the palm oil, soy, wood, and cattle industries. Together, these industries are responsible for more than a third of tropical deforestation annually, according to the non-profit organization Forest Trends. While strides have been made by all four industries toward establishing deforestation-free commodity […]

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” So said US baseball legend Yogi Berra, on the importance of having a goal in sight and a map for getting there. Those of us engaged in forest philanthropy — the investment of grants with the aim of protecting and replenishing the world’s […]

From sustainable “blue economy” projects to restoration projects for wetlands, streams, and animal habitats, conservation-related projects have been drawing a significant amount of investor money in recent years. Investments that produce a financial return and a “measurable environmental result” climbed 62% from 2013-2015, a new report found, indicating that traditional divisions between conservation, philanthropy and for-profit finance may be withering.