In this episode of Nature Breaking, host Seth Larson sits down with Linda Walker, WWF’s senior director of corporate engagement for forests, to explore the urgent threats to global forests and the role of business in helping reverse current trends.
Last month, alarming new data were released showing record-breaking tropical forest loss in 2024—an 80% increase over the previous year. Forests are critical to our planet and to us as humans, so we need to double down on efforts to stop the loss of forests where possible and more responsibly manage forests that are earmarked for production. Businesses have a big role to play because 54% of the world’s forests are managed either wholly or partly for the production of things like timber, pulp and paper, and furniture. This interview dives into how some companies are already making a difference, including by participating in Forests Forward—WWF’s flagship program for corporate leadership on forests launched in 2021. Linda and Seth also discuss what a new report, the Forests Forward Impact Report, reveals about the program’s progress and the challenges ahead.
🎧 Tune in to hear inspiring stories from the field, insights into responsible forest management, and how everyday actions—by companies and consumers—can help keep forests thriving.
Links for More Info:
BLOG: Global Forest Watch data shows alarming rate of forest loss
BLOG: To Secure our Forests, We Need Corporate Leadership Now More Than Ever
Chapters:
0:00 Preview
0:25 Intro
2:09 Linda’s favorite forest memories
5:54 Global deforestation and the role of companies in managing forests
10:56 WWF’s Forests Forward program
21:11 Impacts of the program
24:09 HP example
27:16 Interholco example
30:39 Reasons for hope
33:57 How all of us can help protect forests
36:57 Outro
