Deforestation 2Deforestation 2

2

Where we have got to:Where we have got to:

•We have looked into: Who is doing it? What are they doing it for? What are the effects of deforestation on the

ecosystem and the local environment? What are the effects on the world of

widespread deforestation?

•And you have investigated all of these ideas with respect to the Amazon rainforest.

•We are going to take a quick review of some of your findings.

What you have to say What you have to say about the Amazon about the Amazon

Rainforest and Rainforest and deforestationdeforestation

Causes and impacts

4

IntroductionIntroduction• Intro (by Shawn)• The Amazon jungle is a moist broadleaf forest that

covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, and with minor amounts in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations bear the name Amazonas after it. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world

5

Causes by RiannaCauses by Rianna• There are several factors into the huge level

of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. Most of them have come from human-activity in the rainforest. 1.5 acres of the Amazon rainforest is lost every second. a) The 5300 km Trans-Amazon Highway which was

completed in 1972 caused a huge level of deforestation.

b) The highway led to o i) more small farms, o ii) huge cattle ranches and o iii) large plantations (soyabean and sugar) o iv) It also added settlements to house

migrants from the cities. c) As Timber is a sort after product these causes,

businesses and governments cut down the rainforest for it.

6

Some other thoughtsSome other thoughts• Mining and oil extraction is an

issue in many parts of the Amazon basin.

• http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0807-peru.html

• Last June the indigenous peoples protested and this led to violent reactions from the police. World wide condemnation followed – questions were asked in the UK parliament

• (see http://lindym.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/roger-williams-asked-me-to-pay-him-a-visit/ )

• Some concessions were wrung out of the Peruvian government but much of the oil/gas speculation will still go ahead.

7

MiningMining

• In the Amazon rainforest most mining today revolves around alluvial gold deposits and includes small scale and large scale operations. Both involve heavy duty hydraulic machinery and use of highly toxic mercury in the cleaning process.

• The sediments and toxins find their way into the water and affect those living down stream.

• This is addition to the large scale deforestation that takes place

Open pits at the Rio Huaypetue mine.

Southeastern Peru;

8

More thoughtsMore thoughts

• Hydroelectric power schemes are thought by the Brazilian government to be essential to stop the lights going out in years to come.

• The Tucuri currently the 4th largest hydroelectric scheme in the world. (Just under half the size of 3 Gorges dam)

• Billions of dollars were spent on this and over 2,500km² of rainforest had to be flooded.

• Over 8,000 people lost their homes and thousands of animals died. 

• Due to this, malaria has increased as mosquitoes breed in the water of the reservoir.

9

10

Impacts of deforestationImpacts of deforestation

• Deforestation has a huge impact on not only Brazil, but other nations as well. These facts highlight the concern caused by deforestation. The Amazonian inhabitant population has fallen from

10 000 000 to less than 200 000 in the last five centuries.

Deforestation causes the loss of 137 different animal, plant and insects every 24 hours.

Biodiversity has been lost as habitants for animals, birds and medicinal plants have been destroyed.

Mining destroys large areas of vegetation and pollutes rivers.

So what can be done So what can be done about it?about it?

12

Further thoughts on impactsFurther thoughts on impacts• Loss of living space & livelihoods too for many

indigenous peoples.• In 2005, parts of the Amazon basin experienced the

worst drought in 100 years, and there were indicators that 2006 could have been a second successive year of drought.

• A survey showed that the forest could only survive in its present form with just three such years of drought.

• Scientist at the Brazilian National Institute of Amazonian Research argue in the article that this drought response, coupled with the effects of deforestation on regional climate, are pushing the rainforest towards a “tipping point” where it would irreversibly start to die.

• According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the combination of climate change and deforestation increases the drying effect of the dead trees that fuels forest fires.

13

Managing RainforestsManaging Rainforests

• There are 4 basic ways of approaching rainforest management:

• International – for example REDD which is being discussed in Copenhagen right now

• National approach – some countries are taking decisions to manage their rainforests sustainably

• International NGOs – such as the Rainforest Alliance, Forest Stewardship Council among others

• Small and local – indigenous people with the help of small enterprises attempt to create sustainable ways to live with the rainforest.

14

Now we need to see how the rainforest Now we need to see how the rainforest can be managedcan be managed

• As the whole world is concerned with greenhouse gas emissions, and over the recent past deforestation has proved to have quite an impact on this.

• This has 2 parts to it: 1. The gases that are released due to deforestation 2. The greenhouses gases that are not being

sequestered (locked up) by trees that are no longer there.

• For this reason, the whole idea of how the rich countries can encourage the poor ones to stop cutting down their trees has crawled unwilling up the international ‘to do’ list.

15

REDD - REDD - RReducing educing EEmissions from missions from DDeforestation and Forest eforestation and Forest

DDegradation in Developing Countries egradation in Developing Countries • The problem of emissions of greenhouse gases as a

result of rainforest destruction was supposed to be part of the Kyoto discussion in Japan in 1997. But it was put in the ‘too hard’ box because no-one could agree how it might work.

• Nor could they agree how it would be funded.• It was not until the Montreal round of discussion in

2005 that the Coalition of Rainforest Nations brought up the suggestion again.

• Finally firm proposals were agrees at the 2007 Bali round, and it is at Copenhagen that agreement over its working should be signed

16

REDD - REDD - RReducing educing EEmissions from missions from DDeforestation and Forest eforestation and Forest

DDegradation in Developing Countries egradation in Developing Countries • Why was the original problem?• 1. Who gets the money? The governments, the big land

owners, the indigenous people?• 2. If you are going to pay people to protect rainforests, then

they need to say that they would cut them down if you don’t. What about those people who don’t want to cut them down – does that mean they get nothing to protect them?

• 3. Where does the money come from? The rich countries wanted to ‘offset’ their wasteful ways and carry on polluting. Environmentalists say the MEDCs need to cut down andand pay up to offset their previous harm

• 4. A lot are sceptical that this will really stop deforestation – all that illegal logging and farming that happened before does not breed confidence

17

REDD - REDD - RReducing educing EEmissions from missions from DDeforestation and Forest eforestation and Forest

DDegradation in Developing Countries egradation in Developing Countries • Why is it so important to climate change?• As much as 25% of the man-made emissions arise

from rainforest clearance.• How come it is that much?• Trees absorb CO2 and give out 02.

• Much of the carbon, combined with water make the sugar, lignin and are stored up for a very long time – they are a huge carbon sink.

• Once the trees are cut down they no longer do this any more.

• But many of the cut trees are burned – thus releasing their stored carbon – it is these 2 together than cause the problems.

18

REDD - REDD - RReducing educing EEmissions from missions from DDeforestation and Forest eforestation and Forest

DDegradation in Developing Countries egradation in Developing Countries • The Basics: reforestation and afforestation were part of off-

setting from the start – but reducing deforestation had been deliberately excluded – remember the ‘too hard’ box?

• However, after 2007, this came under the remit of REDD and was included. REDD was also charged with monitoring the situation, and with addressing the social and economic issues that had led to deforestation in the first place.

• Also REDD acknowledges is the biodiversity issue – all those useful plants and special animals we may loose unless we get a move on.

• How is it doing? Well – hold your breath for Copenhagen. Meeting over the past months do not bode well.

19

National approach – some countries National approach – some countries are taking decisions to manage their are taking decisions to manage their

rainforests sustainablyrainforests sustainably• Guyana in S America, encouraged byte World Bank

and International Monetary fund in the early 90s to realize the value of its resources, as it was a very poor country, full scale logging descended upon the country. They soon realized that this was far from a good thing. So they took back control, pay countries not to log certain areas that they have permits from.

• For its part, Barama (the logging company) claims to be carrying out sustainable forestry and says that it only extracts two trees per acre, while minimizing damage to the surrounding forest. Its operations are monitored by an independent research centre that carries out studies to assess growth rates and logging impacts. With such a plan, the forest could regenerate in 25 years.

20

But, according to REDD, …But, according to REDD, …

• Unless the consumer countries look to their supply chain and refuse to import illegally logged wood, beef from rainforest clearance and palm oil and soya from unsustainable sources, then governments in LEDCs will have difficulty in controlling activity that they cannot easily police.

• If the demand is there, producers will find a way.

• In that Guyana is fortunate. Most of its land is sufficiently inaccessible and deforested land so poor that illegal activity is really difficult there!

21

NGOsNGOs

•The FSC ( Forestry Stewardship Council)•They certify providers of sustainable

wood•They then certify the produced of

goods that use certified wood•So that customers in MEDCs can buy

wood products that come from wood from certified supplies.

•This encourages sustainable logging that does not lead to deforestation.

•http://www.fsc.org

22

NGOsNGOs

•The rainforest alliance also certify goods as being from sustainable sources, but their range is far wider.

•They include food such as coffee, cocoa, chocolate, tea, nuts, fruits and also tourist venues.

•But they do far more in the field beyond registering.

•They work with Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) to ensure sustainable production.

23

An example of SAN at workAn example of SAN at work

• Cocoa that is produced as part of an ecosystem with a mix of trees around is much less damaging to the environment.

• In Ecuador, farmers have learned to properly sort, dry and ferment the beans using a cooperative processing facility, which reduces the number of defective and rotten beans, and also happens to preserve the chocolate's anti-oxidant properties as well as its potassium content.

• Drying their cocoa using solar rather than gas powered dryers and selling their product through a cooperative, these farmers have increased their production and lowered their costs, resulting in better living conditions for their families.

24

Small scale developmentsSmall scale developments• Harvesting products from the native forest rather

than cutting them down:• It has been estimated that the products from some

areas of rainforest, if regularly harvested give an income of ½ the value of the wood EVERY YEAR.

Forests products

Fruit market in Madagascar by R.

Butler

25

AgroforestryAgroforestry

• Agroforestry is a form of agriculture that seeks to copy nature more carefully than large-scale commercial monoculture (i.e. growing one crop) or cattle ranching.

• Rather than clearing the rainforest completely (clear felling), only the older larger trees are felled, and shrubs, other food plants (such as vanilla) and flowers are grown in the clearings.

• It is also possible to plant legumes which add nitrogen to the soil.

26

• Mr. Takamatsu

• Mahogany

• Teak

• Açaí palm

• Passion fruit

• Mr. Shibata

• Parica

• Cocoa

27

What are the benefits and What are the benefits and advantages of agroforestry?advantages of agroforestry?

•Soil protection and improvement•Maintenance and retention of soil

moisture •Biodiversity balance •Low impact to the environment•Pleasant environment to work •Harvest and income staggered •Reducing the use of defensive chemicals •Production of healthy foods•Environmental services

28

An example of it working in An example of it working in MadagascarMadagascar• Savoka (or permaculture) gardens are planted on

fallow plots and are planned as "a carefully selected succession of trees and plants on the fallow land that re-enriches the soil at the same time as producing a steady stream of food crops and other useful products." For example, the use of wild ginger adds phosphorus to soils while leguminous plants can fix nitrogen that is lost with traditional rice cultivation. The addition of perennials—crops which continue to produce for a number of years like citrus, manioc, vanilla, banana, mango, pepper, cacao, coffee, and rubber—can help restore nutrients to degraded soils and remain productive for decades while generating a diversified income and/or diet. A bonus of such agroforestry techniques is that they maintain forest systems, soils, and biological diversity at a far higher level than do conventional agricultural techniques. As long as such fields are adjacent to secondary and old-growth forest, many species will continue to thrive.

29

EcotourismEcotourism

• Rainforest ecotourism involves both environmental conservation and sustainable development, which is a good way to protect the rainforest, and is like a perfect development strategy for undeveloped areas of the world.

• Tourism itself brings added dollars to an area's economy, but ecotourism has the added bonus of travellers who want to take care of the area they're visiting, through a combination of careful living methods that do less damage to the environment, and through bringing money which encourage the inhabitants to take care the forest is kept pristine.

30

Costa Rica: Pacuare Reserve Costa Rica: Pacuare Reserve LodgeLodge• The beautiful and well constructed Lodge

overlooks the beach and a freshwater lagoon which opens on to the main Tortuguero canal. There is no electricity — this is the jungle after all!! Light comes form candles and storm lamps but there is gas for cooking and refrigeration.

31

Costa Rica: Pacuare Reserve Costa Rica: Pacuare Reserve LodgeLodge• The Pacuare Nature Reserve

was established by the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 1989 and protects 800 hectares of lowland tropical rainforest and six kms. of deserted beach on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast.

• It is located about 25 kms. north of Limón and lies between the sea and the Tortuguero canal.

• The special mission of the reserve has been to protect the Leatherback Turtles, which nest along its beach - one of the most important nesting sites in Central America for this critically endangered species.

• The Reserve is rich in wildlife, and is home to about 20 species of mammal and many reptiles. Monkeys are plentiful and Howler monkeys regularly provide a dawn chorus