What you can do to protect forests

Around the world and around the clock, WWF relies on a global network of regional and national offices, thousands of staff, and the close collaboration with hundreds of partners in nearly 90 countries that together act to protect forests.

But we need your help to achieve real change.

Whether you are an individual, a business, a forest manager or even in government you can play your part in protecting forests.

Individuals

Credible certified forest products, such as this FSC-certified door, ensure environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests.

What you do and what you buy as a consumer can have some of the greatest impacts in terms of forest conservation and good management.

By choosing, or even just asking for, sustainably harvested wood you set in motion a chain of events that will have a huge impact on the conservation of existing forests and the good management of those forests where timber is already being extracted. Find out more

Business

Credible certified forest products, such as this FSC-certified wood, ensure environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of forests.

WWF believes it is possible to conserve and improve forest management by balancing commercial and non-commercial interests.

It means building cooperation with businesses to achieve realistic market-based solutions. Retailers, builders, architects, traders and manufacturers all have a crucial role to play. Find out more

Forest managers

FSC brings improvement for forest workers health and safety.

Many forest managers around the world have chosen to get third party verification to show that their forests are managed to the highest social and environmental standards.

In a context where the global timber trade increasingly requires quality assurances, certification has become an ally to forestry, able to increase industry image and to provide marketing benefits. Certification not only provides a competitive advantage for maintaining and accessing new markets, it also provides a benchmark for best practice. Find out more

Government

The use of materials from independently certified well-managed sources, such as the FSC-certified wood used to make this door, reduces the impact of buildings on the environment.<BR>

Timber bought for public purposes such as for schools, libraries and government buildings makes up 18% of the timber market in Europe.

But many governments continue to purchase timber from dubious sources, possibly illegally logged or from poorly managed forests. Governments have a responsibility to show leadership in excluding illegal and controversial timber from public works. Find out more

Look for the FSC label

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, not for profit, non-governmental organization that provides standard setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services for companies and organizations interested in responsible forestry.

Always try your best to make sure that any timber you buy, either tropical or non-tropical, carries the FSC label - it's the only sure way of knowing what you buy is "good wood".

Find out more about FSC and where you can by FSC products

Take action

Say thank you for protecting Sumatra's forests
Thank Indonesian officials for signing the first-ever island-wide commitment to protect Sumatra's stunning biodiversity.

» Take action now

Pledge to use less paper

Half of the trees cut commercially around the world end up in paper products. Yet much of this paper use is wasteful and unnecessary and it is linked to human rights abuses, forest destruction, pollution and climate change emissions.
Take action now and reduce your paper consumption