Why it is crucial to protect them from industrial exploitation
Greenpeace released a new report compiling the latest science about the critical importance of intact forests and the devastating effect of pushing roads through them or logging them. The report goes further to show how to protect the intact forests through participatory land-use planning and different land use options.
Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) are a very special category of forests – the very large blocks hundreds of kilometers wide of unroaded forest untouched commercial logging or farming – only one quarter the world’s remaining forests. They are essential to prevent worsening climate change; to protect the vast array of plants and animals they contain and for local communities who rely on them. Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs) are irreplaceable. Much of their value, however, is being lost. Infrastructure such as roads – necessary to support the expansion of industrial logging and other large-scale activities – is fragmenting IFLs into smaller forest pieces