The Disappearing Canopy Recent Changes

Forest Change

TRF – the importance?

Incredibly rich ecosystems – playing a fundamental role in the basic functioning of the planet Home to probably 50% of the world’s species – an extensive library of biological and genetic resources (the genetic bank) Helps maintain the climate – regulating atmospheric gases & stabilizing rainfall Protection again desertification Provision of numerous ecological functions

TRF – the importance? At least ha – disappear every day from Earth At least another ha – under forest degradation Several hundred species – lost to extinction (the vast majority: never been documented by science) Threat of global warming / climate change – more carbon is added to the atmosphere More topsoil is lost to erosion

TRF – the importance? According to FAO estimation: million ha of TRF were permanently destroyed each year from 2000 to For primary forests, annual deforestation rose from 5.41 million ha to 6.26 million ha in the same period -Primary forests are being replaced by less biodiverse plantation and secondary forests. -The significant increase in plantation forests, forest cover has generally been expanding in N. America, Europe and China while diminishing in the tropics. -The major causes of global deforestation: industrial logging, conversion for agriculture (commercial & subsistence), forest fires (often purposefully set)

Causes of Deforestation Clear-cutting for logging and pulpwood Forest conversion for permanent agriculture (palm oil plantations, soybean fields)Forest conversion for permanent agriculture (palm oil plantations, soybean fields) Large-scale shifting cultivation (i.e. slash-and-burn) where forest is not permitted to regenerate due to subsequent clearingLarge-scale shifting cultivation (i.e. slash-and-burn) where forest is not permitted to regenerate due to subsequent clearing Forest conversion for permanent pasture Open pit mining and large-scale mining operations Clear-cutting for charcoal production Large roads and infrastructure projects Wildfires that destroy the forest canopy Dam construction Volcanic eruptions Chemical defoliants Urban expansion

Causes of Degradation Most forms of logging for timber harvesting, especially "selective logging"Most forms of logging for timber harvesting Small-scale shifting cultivation (i.e. slash-and-burn) Over-grazing Small scale mining and associated pollution Over-harvesting for fuel wood Fragmentation from small roads Wildfires that burn leaf litter and small plants but leave canopy trees intact Over-harvesting of non-wood forest products (medicinal plants, foods, fibers) Over-hunting Invasive species Oil pollution Storm damage Extreme drought Air pollution and acid rain

Recent deforestation News Madagascar bans rainforest timber exports following global outcryMadagascar bans rainforest timber exports following global outcry (03/25/2010) Under mounting pressure over illegal logging of its national parks, Madagascar's transitional government on Wednesday reinstated a ban on rosewood logging and exports.

Recent deforestation News Half of Indonesia's mangroves gone in less than thirty years (03/23/2010) The Jakarta Post reports that, according to the local NGO People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara), Indonesia's has lost 2.2 million hectares of mangroves in less than thirty years, going from covering 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to just 2 million hectares today.Half of Indonesia's mangroves gone in less than thirty years

Recent deforestation News Half of Indonesia's mangroves gone in less than thirty years (03/23/2010) The Jakarta Post reports that, according to the local NGO People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara), Indonesia's has lost 2.2 million hectares of mangroves in less than thirty years, going from covering 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to just 2 million hectares today.Half of Indonesia's mangroves gone in less than thirty years

Recent deforestation News Nestle fiasco continues: Indonesian oil palm planters threaten boycott too (03/23/2010) Candy and food giant Nestle is finding itself between a rock and a hard place. The online campaign against Nestle continues: today protesters once again posted thousands of negative messages on the company's Facebook page, most demanding that Nestle cut out palm oil linked to deforestation from its products. At the same time, a new problem has cropped up for Nestle: Indonesian oil palm planters are threatening to boycott Nestle products. Proving that the issues surrounding oil palm and deforestation are nothing if not complex: Facebook protestors say they will boycott Nestle if it doesn't cut out all links to Sinar Mas, a company that Greenpeace has linked to deforestation, whereas the Indonesia Palm Oil Growers Association are preparing a boycott if Nestle stops buying from Sinar Mas, according to the Jakarta Post.Nestle fiasco continues: Indonesian oil palm planters threaten boycott too

Recent deforestation News A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications (03/20/2010) The online protest over Nestle's use of palm oil linked to deforestation in Indonesia continues unabated over the weekend. One only needed to check-in on the Nestle's Facebook fan page to see that anger and frustration over the company's palm oil sourcing policies, as well as its attempts to censor a Greenpeace video (and comments online), has sparked a social media protest that is noteworthy for its vehemence, its length, and its bringing to light the issue of palm oil and deforestation to a broader public.A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications

Recent deforestation News A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications (03/20/2010) The online protest over Nestle's use of palm oil linked to deforestation in Indonesia continues unabated over the weekend. One only needed to check-in on the Nestle's Facebook fan page to see that anger and frustration over the company's palm oil sourcing policies, as well as its attempts to censor a Greenpeace video (and comments online), has sparked a social media protest that is noteworthy for its vehemence, its length, and its bringing to light the issue of palm oil and deforestation to a broader public.A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications

Recent deforestation News A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications (03/20/2010) The online protest over Nestle's use of palm oil linked to deforestation in Indonesia continues unabated over the weekend. One only needed to check-in on the Nestle's Facebook fan page to see that anger and frustration over the company's palm oil sourcing policies, as well as its attempts to censor a Greenpeace video (and comments online), has sparked a social media protest that is noteworthy for its vehemence, its length, and its bringing to light the issue of palm oil and deforestation to a broader public.A new world?: Social media protest against Nestle may have longstanding ramifications

Recent deforestation News Scientists: new study does not disprove climate change threat to Amazon (03/19/2010) Recently, Boston University issued a press release on a scientific study regarding the Amazon's resilience to drought. The press release claimed that the study had debunked the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) theory that climate change could turn approximately 40 percent of the Amazon into savanna due to declining rainfall. The story was picked up both by mass media, environmental news sites (including mongabay.com), and climate deniers' blogs. However, nineteen of the world's top Amazonian experts have issued a written response stating that the press release from Boston University was "misleading and inaccurate".Scientists: new study does not disprove climate change threat to Amazon

Recent deforestation News Indonesia opens protected rainforests to mining and other developments (03/16/2010) Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued new regulations, which will allow underground mining in protected areas, according to the Jakarta Post. The new rules will also allow power plants, renewable energy, and transportation such as toll roads in protected forests.Indonesia opens protected rainforests to mining and other developments

Useful Websites Global Forest Resources Assessment A WORLD Imperiled: FORCES BEHIND FOREST LOSS Forest countries seek carbon credits Rainforest Information How to save tropical rainforests