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Research article2018Peer reviewedOpen access

The exceptional value of intact forest ecosystems

Watson, James E. M.; Evans, Tom; Venter, Oscar; Williams, Brooke; Tulloch, Ayesha; Stewart, Claire; Thompson, Ian; Ray, Justina C.; Murray, Kris; Salazar, Alvaro; McAlpine, Clive; Potapov, Peter; Walston, Joe; Robinson, John G.; Painter, Michael; Wilkie, David; Filardi, Christopher; Laurance, William F.; Houghton, Richard A.; Maxwell, Sean;
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Abstract

As the terrestrial human footprint continues to expand, the amount of native forest that is free from significant damaging human activities is in precipitous decline. There is emerging evidence that the remaining intact forest supports an exceptional confluence of globally significant environmental values relative to degraded forests, including imperilled biodiversity, carbon sequestration and storage, water provision, indigenous culture and the maintenance of human health. Here we argue that maintaining and, where possible, restoring the integrity of dwindling intact forests is an urgent priority for current global efforts to halt the ongoing biodiversity crisis, slow rapid climate change and achieve sustainability goals. Retaining the integrity of intact forest ecosystems should be a central component of proactive global and national environmental strategies, alongside current efforts aimed at halting deforestation and promoting reforestation.

Published in

Nature ecology & evolution
2018, Volume: 2, number: 4, pages: 599-610
Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP

    Sustainable Development Goals

    Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Ecology

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0490-x

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/95869