Biodiversity is the foundation of every natural system we depend on. Forests, wetlands, and grasslands regulate climate, maintain water cycles, support agriculture, and provide habitat for millions of species - including the ones that sustain human life.
But globally, biodiversity is declining faster than at any point in modern history. The primary driver is simple: habitat loss.
As forests are cleared or fragmented, ecosystems weaken. Species disappear. Carbon stored in vegetation and soil is released into the atmosphere. And the natural systems that regulate our climate and environment become less stable.
Protecting biodiversity starts with protecting habitat.
Why biodiversity matters beyond conservation
Healthy ecosystems perform work that no technology can replicate at scale.
Forests regulate rainfall patterns and protect watersheds that supply drinking water to millions of people. They support pollinators essential to food production. They stabilize soils, reduce flooding, and store vast amounts of carbon.
When biodiversity declines, ecosystems lose resilience. They become more vulnerable to drought, extreme weather, and long-term degradation. Over time, this affects agriculture, water security, and climate stability.
In short, biodiversity protection is not just about preserving wildlife, but it is also about maintaining the environmental systems that human societies rely on.
Where biodiversity is under the most pressure
Some of the most important ecosystems on Earth are also the most threatened.
Tropical forests in Latin America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia contain the highest concentration of biodiversity anywhere on the planet. Many species in these regions exist nowhere else.
For example, Colombia alone has more than 1,950 bird species, more than the combined totals of the United States and Canada. This extraordinary richness is driven by tropical climates, year-round productivity, complex forest structure, vast ecosystems like the Amazon, and mountain ranges such as the Andes that promote speciation.
Once these habitats are lost, they cannot simply be recreated. Protecting intact forests before they are degraded is the most effective approach.
The Amazon Basin, Congo Basin, and forests of Indonesia and Malaysia are also being cleared or fragmented for agriculture, timber, mining, and infrastructure. These areas contain an extraordinary share of the world’s species, many of which exist nowhere else. When intact forests are converted, entire ecosystems are disrupted - not just individual species.
How Carbon Balanced Paper supports biodiversity protection
Carbon Balanced Paper helps address this challenge by supporting the protection of forests in regions where biodiversity is both rich and under immediate threat. Through its partnership with World Land Trust (WLT) and local conservation organizations, the program contributes to the permanent protection of critical habitats, including tropical forests in Latin America and Africa. These protected areas provide refuge for endangered and endemic species, preserve ecological corridors, and prevent further fragmentation of already vulnerable ecosystems. Conservation is secured through legally protected reserves and long-term stewardship, ensuring that these habitats remain intact for decades to come.
To date, World Land Trust and its partners have helped protect more than 2.4 million acres (nearly 1 million hectares) of biologically important habitat across the globe.
Projects supported through the Carbon Balanced Paper program include conservation work in regions such as:
Uganda’s Albertine Rift, protecting habitat for great apes and other endangered wildlife
Forest ecosystems in Sierra de Xilitla, Mexico and the Conservation Coast in Guatemala, preserving high-biodiversity tropical habitats
Critical conservation areas in Southeast Asia, helping prevent further forest loss
Climate protection comes with it
An important additional benefit of protecting these forests is their role in carbon sequestration. Intact forests store large amounts of carbon in their vegetation and soils, acting as long-term natural carbon sinks. When forests are protected, carbon remains safely stored rather than being released into the atmosphere through deforestation or degradation.
This makes forest conservation one of the most effective and immediate ways to address climate change while also preserving biodiversity. In this way, protecting biodiversity and stabilizing the climate are not separate efforts.
Since its launch, the Carbon Balanced Paper program globally has helped balance more than 600,000 metric tons of CO?, while funding forest conservation that keeps existing carbon safely stored.
By protecting forests, biodiversity and climate stability are preserved together.
For companies that use paper and paper-based packaging, Carbon Balanced Paper provides a direct, transparent way to support the work of World Land Trust - helping ensure that critical ecosystems remain intact for the long term.
About Carbon Balanced Paper North America
Carbon Balanced Paper North America enables organizations to balance the carbon emissions associated with paper and paper-based packaging production by funding permanent forest conservation projects through World Land Trust. Learn more at carbonbalancedpaperna.com.
