TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: Saving What Remains
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Barro Colorado Island. (Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute)

DETERMINING RESERVE PLACEMENT

After taking note of high-diversity areas and species at greatest risk of extinction, park designers must consider other factors before designating a protected area. It is always important to monitor human use of forest lands before the designation of a national park. The presence of trails, the location of current and predicted human settlement, and land and resource use are all consequential in determining whether the forest land is suitable for protection. If local people are unhappy with restricted access to parklands, chances are they will not respect park boundaries. Along these same lines, planners generally attempt to measure the economic potential of natural forest management of the area as an alternative to deforestation. Also of great importance is the spatial distribution and quality of habitat, Clearly, when given a choice between degraded and natural habitat, it is better to protect the higher-quality area. Researchers also look at species distributions when determining what areas to declare off-limits.

TYPES OF PROTECTED AREA


Studies of isolated forest reserves have shown (Lovejoy experiment, Barro Colorado Island, and others) that it will not be possible to conserve all or even some of their species diversity, genetic resources, and ecological processes. Thus, new approaches to linking protected areas to surrounding lands (buffer zones) are required. Land management must not be only planned for the reserve, but also the land surrounding it. If the land around a reserve is stripped, locals will have no choice but to seek out game, fuelwood, and more fertile soils in the reserve. Therefore it is quintessential for protected areas to accommodate the local populations. The best approach for accommodation is to design and manage a range of protected areas, known as a multipleuse reserve.

A multiple-use reserve consists of several zones with varying degree of human occupation. The outermost zones, known as buffer zones, are areas to be used sustainably by the inhabitants. Here they can practice sustainable harvesting of fuelwood, animals, and native plants and even practice a degree of small-scale agriculture. The outermost zone could be the site of commercial activities like low-impact logging. The area beyond the buffer zone could serve as the site of reforestation projects with seeds and seedlings provided from the reserve. Eventually the outer regions would again support forest and the expanded area could be used for further sustainable practices. The inner zones could be set aside for indigenous peoples, who could continue their traditional way of life, without interference from outsiders. Also in this zone could be an area for forest-friendly eco-tourism with indigenous peoples (if they so desired) serving as guides. The core area should have access restricted to all but research scientists and could serve as the base for forest study. The core area would only make up a small portion of the total protected area, but be placed so as to protect the forest "hot-spots."

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has devised eight categories of protected area, in order to protect biodiversity, yet contribute to sustainable development. These follow a structure like the one mentioned above with buffer zones around the park slated for partial development and two small, strictly protected categories (I and II) set aside for research only. Such a core area is exemplified by Manu National Park in the Manu Biosphere Reserve which serves as a reserve base for scientists and as a storehouse for information on the rich biodiversity of the Amazon Basin. In the surrounding buffer zones are areas for tourist activities and local use.

Rainforest Education & Research Centre (Manu, Peru)
Tambopata Reserve Society (Tambopata, Peru)



Review questions:
  • What is a multiple-use reserve and how does it help save rainforests while providing economic benefits to local people?

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Continued: Reserve Size





Unless otherwise specified, this article was written by Rhett A. Butler [Bibliographic citation for this page]


Other pages in this section:
Solutions Introduction
Sustainable Forest Products
Large-scale Forest Products
Medicinal Drugs
Logging
Logging (con't)
Oil
Conservation Priorities
Reserve Size & Valuation
Organization
Intergovernmental Institutions
Communication, Education
Indigenous people
- - - -
References (1)
References (2)
References (3)
References (4)
References (5)
Eco-tourism
Foods & Genetic Diversity
Medicinal Drugs & Pesticides
Logging (con't)
Cattle
Increasing Productivity
Types of Reserves
Funding
Developing nations
NGOs
International Organizations
Conclusion

- - - -
Kids version of this section
- How can we save rainforests?
- Education
- Rehabilitation
- Sustainable development
- Parks
- Eco-friendly companies
- Ecotourism
- What you can do




Recent news

Tropical deforestation is 'one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves'
(5/15/2008) Speaking at the Asia-Pacific Forestry Week in Vietnam, keystone speaker Dr. Norman Myers stated: "I'm going to give you my bottom-line message right now, up front, this is a super crisis that we are facing, it's an appalling crisis, it's one of the worst crises since we came out of our caves 10,000 years ago. I'm referring of course to elimination of tropical forests and of their millions of species."

Prince Charles calls for rainforest protection to fight climate change
(5/15/2008) Ending the destruction of tropical rainforests is the simplest step to helping address climate change, said Prince Charles in an interview with the BBC.

Papua signs REDD carbon deal to generate income from rainforest protection
(5/14/2008) The government of the Indonesian province of Papua has entered into an agreement with an Australian financial firm to establish a forestry-based carbon finance project on the island of New Guinea.

Al Gore's investment firm bets that rainforest conservation will be profitable
(5/14/2008) Al Gore's investment firm has signaled an interest in the emerging market for ecosystem services by taking an equity position in an innovative Australian financial company.

U.S. climate policy could help save rainforests
(5/14/2008) U.S. policy measures to fight global warming could help protect disappearing rainforests, says the founding partner of an "avoided deforestation" policy group. In an interview with mongabay.com, Jeff Horowitz of the Berkeley-based Avoided Deforestation Partners argues that U.S. policy initiatives could serve as a catalyst for the emergence and growth of a carbon credits market for forest conservation. REDD or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation is a proposed policy mechanism that would compensate tropical countries for safeguarding their forests. Because deforestation accounts for around a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, efforts to reduce deforestation can help fight climate change. Forest protection also offers ancillary benefits like the preservation of ecosystem services, biodiversity, and a homeland for indigenous people.


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Copyright Rhett Butler 1994-2007

"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site.
Same for "rainforests" and "rain forests". "Jungle" is generally not used.