What are the main global forest conservation trends for 2022? Though deforestation is declining, how much forest is the world still losing? Host Mike G. speaks with Mongabay founder and CEO Rhett Butler about the year in forests, forest-related storylines to watch, and Mongabay's expanding coverage of topics like these all around the world.

He also speaks with Swati Hingorani, a senior program officer at the IUCN and Global Coordinator for the Bonn Challenge, one of the world's most important reforestation programs.

Hingorani discusses reforestation trends and the Bonn Challenge's newly revamped and relaunched Restoration Barometer that tracks ecosystem restoration progress being made by countries around the world.

Related reading:

• "Rainforests in 2022: A look at the year ahead" by Rhett Butler
• "The year in rainforests 2021" by Rhett Butler
• "Global ecosystem restoration progress: How and who's tracking it?"
• "Beyond tree planting: When to let forests restore themselves"

Two related podcast episodes mentioned in this episode include episode #133 (December 9, 2021), "What do two giant land deals mean for the future of Southeast Asia's forests?" and "Natural forest regeneration's critical role in reforestation goals" from November 10, 2021 (episode #131).

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Episode artwork: Evergreen forest in California via drone, image by Rhett Butler for Mongabay.

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