This report synthesizes the findings of the Wyss Academy Dialogues with Purpose on the True Value of Forests — a series of participatory workshops held in the year 2024 across South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and East Africa as well as two virtual gatherings. The aim of these dialogues was to explore the multifaceted forest values and to co-develop locally grounded, inclusive strategies for forest conservation and sustainable use.

The synthesis highlights a wide spectrum of values attributed to forests — including supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural ecosystem services. It identifies cross-cutting themes throughout all the regions such as education, capacity building, inclusive governance, sustainable economic development, and the integration of cultural values. The report emphasizes the importance of bottom-up engagement and diverse stakeholder inclusion to ensure effective forest management. Recommendations address both policy and practice, calling for adaptive governance structures, empowerment of local actors, better understanding of land-use drivers, and co-designed strategies that reflect the complex social, ecological, and economic dimensions of forest landscapes.