The protection of tropical forests and the people who depend upon is the subject of a new video developed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Titled Using tropical forests sustainably: simply explained, the video outlines the global importance of tropical forests for biodiversity, water cycles and products such as timber.
It explains how non-governmental organizations together with social and indigenous groups have developed standards for the protection and management of tropical forests. When these are met, certification is given.
Running for just five minutes, the animated video urges consumers to only buy timber products that carry labels of approved certification. This provides incentive for sustainable forest management and helps ensure such management is more profitable in the long-term than forest destruction or conversion to other uses.
The video available in four languages:
