Forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change, protecting biodiversity, and supporting the lives and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and forest-dependent communities. The ability of forest ecosystems to fulfill these critical functions is increasingly threatened by deforestation and forest degradation driven by land clearing for agriculture, illegal and unsustainable logging, and large-scale infrastructure projects. In order to address drivers of deforestation and protect forest ecosystems and people, there is an urgent need to ensure that national and international safeguards and laws are strong and well-enforced. The ultimate aim of CIEL’s work on forests is to strengthen implementation and enforcement of laws and safeguards to protect communities and the forests they live in.
