Latin American and Caribbean Forests in the 2020s: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

Forests are among Latin America and the Caribbean’s (LAC’s) crown jewels. The region boasts roughly a third of the world’s forests, half of its tropical forests, and a quarter of its mangroves (Blackman et al. 2014). This rich natural capital provides vital ecosystem services. At the global level, LAC forests remove vast quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (1.2 ± 0.4 Pg C per year), store almost half of the aboveground carbon in the tropics, circulate moisture at a continental scale, provide habitat for roughly half of the world’s terrestrial species, and host seven of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots (UNEP 2010; Gibbs et al. 2007; Werth and Avissar 2003; Meyers et al. 2000). At the local level, LAC forests regulate surface and groundwater quality, moderate temperature, and provide valuable economic and cultural goods and services, including 8 percent of the world’s industrial wood products (Baker and Spracklen 2019; Anderson-Teixeira et al. 2012).