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Preparation of cloves in Madagascar. (Photo by R. Butler)
SUSTAINABLE USE OF LARGE-SCALE FOREST PRODUCTS
About 40 percent of rainforest deforestation is caused by commercial interests: the logging, cattle, agricultural development,
mining, hydroelectric, and other industries. Today these industries are mostly dependent on the one-time exploitation
of forest areas and moving on to new patches after those immediate resources have been depleted. These industries
are often encouraged by impoverished governments in search of quick and easy revenue. These governments look to the forest
as a means of bringing in foreign currency to pay off their debts and to improve their economy in the short term—overlooking the depletion of these important natural capital assets. In doing so, these governments may be retarding
future growth and further impoverishing future generations.
In promoting (through subsidies and market incentives) such false economies as those which enable tropical countries to
export cheap particle board and raw timber, governments are ignoring the best path for future economic growth.
For long-term growth, developing countries must begin to build up their technological base by encouraging industries
that promote technological progress and sustainable use. Wealth collected from extractive industries—essentially
rent earned not from hard work or ingenuity, but from the particular qualities of the land—does not build a solid
foundation for an economy. The problem lies in the rural development model based on mining of resources rather
than development. Natural resources are mined without consideration of future harvests.
Brazil cracks down on illegal soy, cattle production in the Amazon December 24, 2007
The Brazilian government launched a new initiative to slow deforestation in the Amazon, setting the stage for the country to potentially earn billions from carbon trading schemes set in motion two weeks ago at the U.N. climate meeting in Bali.
Eco-friendly palm oil could help alleviate poverty in Indonesia April 4, 2007
Since demand for palm oil isn't going to go away, Europe's best approach is to convince Indonesian oil-palm producers to cultivate their crop in a manner that's less damaging to the environment, as exemplified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Palm oil doesn't have to be bad for the environment April 4, 2007
As traditionally practiced in Southeast Asia, oil-palm cultivation is responsible for widespread deforestation that reduces biodiversity, degrades important ecological services, worsens climate change, and traps workers in inequitable conditions sometimes analogous to slavery. This doesn't have to be the case.
To save the rainforests we must find a way for these companies to remain profitable without devastating the environment.
In the future, if we value the forests, these industries must provide jobs that will save the environment and not
destroy it. We cannot reasonably expect local people to shun employment with these companies if they are the only
form of work available to feed, house, and clothe their families. Sustainable industry can provide long-term employment
for the rural poor since it, unlike logging or large-scale agriculture, will not diminish the forest's capacity
to provide for future generations if carried out properly.
There are many challenges facing industries that exploit forest resources, and difficult decisions and compromises
will have to be made. These challenges stem from the differing opinions of the value of forest products and the
services that forests provide. Developers must find a means to satisfy the growing demand for forest products and
resources, while protecting forests and the environmental services they provide.
Review questions:
Why is it important to promote sustainable use of forest resources?
Why are extractive industries like logging generally not the best for long-term economic growth?
Brazil will forge its own path for developing the Amazon
(5/15/2008) The Brazilian government will use cheap loans, payments, and other benefits to encourage Amazon farmers to reduce their impact on the Amazon rainforest, under a plan unveiled last week
Africa's lions are disappearing
(3/25/2008) The lion is Africa's best known carnivore. Once widely abundant across the continent, recent surveys show that lion populations have plunged from over 100,000 individuals to around 23,000 over the past century. The reason? Lions are poisoned, shot, and speared by locals who see them as a threat to livestock. While lion populations in protected areas remain relatively healthy, conservationists say that without urgent measures, lions may disappear completely from unprotected areas. The Kilimanjaro Lion Conservation Project is working to avoid this fate by developing practical measures to encourage coexistence between people, livestock and predators. Key to the effort is reducing livestock losses to lions. Leela Hazzah, a field researcher with the project, says the "Lion Guardians" program at Mbirikani Ranch in Kenya has proved remarkably successful: not a single lion has been killed since its inception in November 2006. The program employs Maasai warriors to monitor lions and help local communities prevent attacks on livestock.
Half the Amazon rainforest will be lost within 20 years
(2/27/2008) More than half the Amazon rainforest will be damaged or destroyed within 20 years if deforestation, forest fires, and climate trends continue apace, warns a study published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. Reviewing recent trends in economic, ecological and climatic processes in Amazonia, Daniel Nepstad and colleagues forecast that 55 percent of Amazon forests will be "cleared, logged, damaged by drought, or burned" in the next 20 years. The damage will release 15-26 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere, adding to a feedback cycle that will worsen both warming and forest degradation in the region. While the projections are bleak, the authors are hopeful that emerging trends could reduce the likelihood of a near-term die-back. These include the growing concern in commodity markets on the environmental performance of ranchers and farmers; greater investment in fire control mechanisms among owners of fire-sensitive investments; emergence of a carbon market for forest-based offsets; and the establishment of protected areas in regions where development is fast-expanding.
