Planting Trees is Good. Saving Existing Forests is Better. Protecting People and Nature is Best.

WWF International provides a framework for corporate forest and climate goal-setting, advocating for a mitigation hierarchy that prioritizes avoiding and reducing footprints before pursuing compensation. The guide argues that protecting existing forests is significantly more effective for climate mitigation than tree planting, noting that preventing the loss of one hectare of mature forest avoids approximately 100 tons of carbon, whereas tropical reforestation sequesters only about 3 tons per hectare annually. It further recommends that companies align carbon credit purchases with specific quality criteria and national commitments (NDCs) and pursue transformational change through improved land tenure and multi-stakeholder initiatives.

• Companies should apply a mitigation hierarchy—Avoid/Protect, Reduce, Restore, Compensate—to prioritize sustainability actions, ensuring they reduce their footprint before using compensation mechanisms to avoid "greenwash".
• Protecting existing forests is prioritized over restoration activities like tree planting because it is more cost-effective and provides higher climate mitigation outcomes. Preventing the loss of one hectare of mature forest avoids about 100 tons of carbon, while tropical reforestation sequesters approximately 3 metric tons per hectare per year, meaning reforestation requires up to 30 times more land for the same outcome.
• Corporate investments in forest carbon credits should align with specific quality criteria (being real, measurable, additional, permanent, avoiding leakage, and monitored) and be consistent with the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted to the UNFCCC.
• Lasting impact requires "transformational change" beyond quantifiable CO2 equivalents, including improving land tenure for Indigenous people and local communities in Peru, supporting jurisdictional zero deforestation in Malaysia, and improving farming practices in Colombia.

APA

Walker, M. S. A. L. K. (2020). Planting Trees is Good. Saving Existing Forests is Better. Protecting People and Nature is Best. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/planting-trees-is-good-saving-existing-forests-is-better-protecting-people-and-nature-is-best/

Chicago

Walker, Martha Stevenson and Linda K. Planting Trees is Good. Saving Existing Forests is Better. Protecting People and Nature is Best. WWF International, 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/planting-trees-is-good-saving-existing-forests-is-better-protecting-people-and-nature-is-best/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walker |first1=Martha Stevenson and Linda K. |title=Planting Trees is Good. Saving Existing Forests is Better. Protecting People and Nature is Best. |publisher=WWF International |date=28 April 2020 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/planting-trees-is-good-saving-existing-forests-is-better-protecting-people-and-nature-is-best/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walker2020planting, author = {Walker, Martha Stevenson and Linda K.}, title = {{Planting Trees is Good. Saving Existing Forests is Better. Protecting People and Nature is Best.}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/news/perspectives/sustainability-works-hub/sustainability-works-index/planting-trees-is-good-saving-existing-forests-is-better-protecting-people-and-nature-is-best/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }