Why Save Frontier Forests?
The WRI report cites six critical reasons: • Frontier forests are home to many of the world’s last indigenous cultures; about 50 million traditional people depend on tropical forests alone for their livelihood. • They are refuges for global biodiversity. For example, between 65-75 percent of all plant species found within high-biodiversity countries like Brazil, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are estimated to be found within the frontier forests of those countries. • They maintain complex biological communities and ecosystem processes and provide both unique habitats and baseline information on how natural forests work. • They store tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide — at least 433 billion metric tons — that might otherwise become greenhouse gases; they help maintain regional water cycles, the global climate, and soil integrity. • They have the potential to contribute to long-term economic growth through careful stewardship. • They provide opportunities for recreation and ecotouris
