Forests are crucial in preventing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and adapting to climate change.
- Forests represent the largest store of terrestrial carbon in the world: 77% of carbon stored in vegetation exists within forests, and 39% of carbon stored in soil occurs underneath the forest cover.
- Between 10% and 15% of global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are released through deforestation and forest degradation.
- Over time, Indigenous forest communities have developed strategies to adapt to climate change in rural and remote areas. Traditional knowledge, social networks, and Indigenous skills provide communities with unique capacities to cope with hazards and threats. The transfer of this knowledge to people living in similar circumstances throughout the world could play a crucial role in helping vulnerable groups cope with climate change in the future.
