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		Forests Forest conservation What's New The Role of Forests Threats to Forests What We Do   Forest trade   Forest health   Conservation finance   Forest protection   Public policy What You Can Do Where We Work Contact Us

Help Protect Forests! With your support, we can conserve and restore forests around the world for people and nature. How We Work The Forests Dialogue is a group of individuals from diverse interests and regions who are committed to the conservation and sustainable use of forests.

We work to increase the resources available for forest conservation by:

• Developing markets for the benefits and services provided by forest ecosystems
• Establishing partnerships with private capital investors, such as Conservation Forestry, LLC
• Creating financial incentives that improve forest management.

Forest Ecosystem Services

Forests provide a range of direct and indirect ecosystem services that benefit people: non-timber forest products, watershed protection, the ability of trees to absorb carbon pollution from the atmosphere and produce oxygen, and ecotourism and recreational opportunities.

Sadly, poverty compels people to deplete their forests and other natural resources to meet their basic needs for living. And forest owners often will sell land when faced with development pressure if they have little economic incentive to maintain their working forests.

The Nature Conservancy is working to develop markets that capture sources of income from things other than logging, such as ecotourism and carbon credits. We also aim to create systems to ensure that the financial benefits derived from forests accrue to local communities, thus helping improve their quality of life and lift them out of poverty.

We have advanced the concept of conservation forestry, providing income and jobs through good forest practices while protecting biodiversity. We have also pioneered working conservation easements, voluntary land protection agreements that protect conservation values while maintaining economically productive forestlands in private ownership.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Margo Burnham (forest technicians, Noel Kempff Mercado National Park); Photo © Mark Godfrey (East Kalimantan, Indonesia).