Analysis: As fog clears on benefits of forest protection, excuses for failure wear thin

An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil in 2019. — Reuters

GLOBAL efforts to stop the destruction of tropical forests have faltered so far largely because poor understanding of the value of preserving them has led to weak political will – a barrier that may be overcome with stronger evidence of their benefits.

In 2019, tropical rainforests disappeared at a rate of one football pitch every six seconds, according to data recently published by Global Forest Watch, despite growing awareness of the role of carbon-storing forests in slowing climate change.