Todd Gartner

Putting forest health on the business and finance agenda

"Forests are part of society's infrastructure."

Forests are critical ecosystems – they filter water, store carbon, control floods and conserve coastlines. But these invaluable “ecosystem services” don’t appear on any balance sheets.

So how can we accurately measure forests’ value to ensure we have the funding to restore and protect them?

As Todd Gartner explains, the World Resources Institute is developing new approaches to tracking forestry. One of their tools, Global Forest Watch, combines technology with community verification to monitor the health of forests worldwide. Access to detailed data can help drive large-scale investment in natural capital.

Todd has worked at the World Resources Institute for almost 15 years. In his current role as Director of Cities4Forests and Natural Infrastructure Initiative, he leads global efforts to invest in forests, safeguarding the services and resources they provide.

"We need to be thinking about how to set science-based targets for corporations, financial institutions and governments to do more and to do it faster."

To learn more about the World Resources Institute’s Cities4Forests initiative, visit their website.