Support Healthy Forests

Without forests, life on earth would cease to exist. Forests regulate our climate, clean the air we breathe, and are the source of much of our drinking water. Around the world, they support 1.6 billion people and provide habitat for 70 percent of terrestrial wildlife and plants. Forests also offer a renewable supply of resources that are essential to our quality of life.

Unfortunately, 30 million acres of forest are lost each year—36 football fields every minute—and the Southeastern United States alone is projected to lose 31 million acres by 2040, according to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Deforestation is responsible for nearly 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emission, more than the entire transportation sector, and has caused the decline of countless wildlife species, including species we care for at the zoo, like western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, DeBrazza’s monkeys, black-and-white colobuses, and Allen’s swamp monkeys.

Forest-friendly Products

Fortunately, the FSC was created in 1993 to halt deforestation and safeguard forest ecosystems using the power of the marketplace. The FSC sets voluntary standards by which forests are independently certified to help customers identify and purchase products from responsibly managed forests. Over the past 20 years, demand for FSC-certified products has grown dramatically. Today, more than 400 million acres of forest are certified, approximately 10 percent of the world’s working forests.

Take Action With Us

Look for the Logo

The FSC certifies goods produced through responsible forest management, which protects primates, birds, and other wildlife. The FSC logo signals a good purchase for the planet. Look for it on everything from office paper to paper towels to furniture.

Reduce Your Use

Go digital, use both sides of paper, select paper products made with recycled content, build with reclaimed wood, and request minimal packaging and shipping materials.

Spread the Word

Tell friends and family, both in conversation and on social media, how purchasing FSC-certified products benefits the world’s rainforests and wildlife. Follow the zoo’s social media channels to see relevant updates on how you can Take Action With Us, and share those updates on your channels.

Our Work

Goualougo Triangle Ape Project

The Goualougo (goo-a-LO-go) Triangle, a region in the Republic of the Congo, is home to primates like DeBrazza’s monkeys, chimpanzees, and western lowland gorillas. Through the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project, Lincoln Park Zoo scientists study wild gorillas and chimpanzees while collaborating with logging companies to identify and advocate for sustainable logging practices. Their research shows how primates are impacted by logging—and how responsible forest management and FSC logging can protect wildlife. In fact, zoo scientists even wrote the “Best Practice Guidelines for Reducing the Impact of Commercial Logging on Great Apes in Western Equatorial Africa.”

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