Forests
Forests are essential to our survival. Not only do they give us the air we breathe and purify the water we drink, they are also home to millions of plants, animals and indigenous communities. The accelerated decline of many of the world's forests represents one of the biggest problems and opportunities facing the planetary community.
Like the oceans, forests are so vast that their entire area is not yet known. However, deforestation constitutes a profound and often irreversible degradation for both biodiversity and humanity's prospects. If this crisis is not contained and combated, vast sectors of the world may have much to lose.
Photo by Kamchatka
"Deforestation is due, in part, to our scientific ignorance of the contributions of forests to our well-being, both real and potentially"
- Norman Myers
In places like Indonesia, Central Africa, and the Amazon, forests are being destroyed to make way for pasture; replaced by monoculture plantations such as soy and palm oil; exploited for timber extraction; and disappearing due to the impacts of climate change.
According to Greenpeace , half of the world's forests have already disappeared and only 20% of what is left is intact. Annually, 23 million hectares of forest area are lost. The opportunity to reverse deforestation and protect forests is running out. We're running out of time.
"About 1.2 to 1.7 billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihood"
- Greenpeace
What are the causes of deforestation?
AGRICULTURE
The main cause of deforestation is agriculture.
With the world population growing daily, the increase in food consumption has led to the destruction of many forest areas for an expansion of agricultural areas.
There are several types of agriculture, some practices are more devastating than others. Burning, for example, is a practice that many farmers use to clear the land, setting it on fire, so that they can grow their crops on the soil fertilized by ash or create space for livestock crops.
Typically, the land only produces for a few years and then has to be abandoned, which means new fragments of burnt forests.
These practices are transforming some of the most biodiverse areas in the world into monocultures.
From Getty Images Pro
Photo by Kevin Wells
ILLEGAL REGISTRATION
Illegal logging is a multi-billion dollar industry that threatens forests around the world. This is because, generally, the felling of these trees is intended for the global trade of round wood, paper, furniture and other products. Some investigations even suggest that illegal activities make up more than 10% of the world timber trade, representing more than $ 150 billion a year.
The loss of the forest area is not only detrimental to biodiversity and climate but also to the governments themselves, since when trees are cut without the necessary licenses and are smuggled abroad, governments lose financially in several ways, including the lost revenue from taxes and fees and the costs of efforts to manage illegal logging.
PAPER PRODUCTION AND DISPOSABLE PACKAGING
Forest exploitation for paper production has a major impact on our forests, from promoting deforestation in tropical forests to the degradation of huge expanses of temperate forests.
While there are examples of more responsible paper production that can be found worldwide, newsprint, book paper, writing paper, fabric and paper packaging all too often come at the expense of our healthy forests worldwide.
Photo by Jason Bennée
HYDROELECTRIC DAMS
Hydroelectric dams can flood forests, causing widespread forest losses, degradation of the habitat of countless species and displacement of local communities.
PALM OIL EXTRACTION
Palm oil is the most widely used vegetable oil in the world.
The production of palm oil fuels the massive destruction of countless forests all over the world, and in order to cultivate the palm trees from which the oil is extracted, thousands of hectares of forest are destroyed.
Coming from South America and West Africa, palm oil plantations have now spread to the tropics of Papua New Guinea, parts of Asia, Kenya, and also to countries in West Africa and South America.
Even without knowing it, half of the food products (among others) that are on supermarket shelves contain palm oil. This oil is present in all types of products, such as biscuits, bread, chips, chocolate, cleaning products, hygiene products ...
Deforestation, in these cases, not only causes soil erosion and air pollution (since many forests are destroyed by fire) but also the loss of habitat for many species, such as orangutans.
According to the Orangutan Foundation , 1,000 to 5,000 orangutans are killed on palm oil farms each year. Both Bornean orangutans and sumatrans are listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN - International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Orangutan populations decreased by up to 97% in the 20th century due to hunting and loss of forest.
Photo by Andrey Gudkov
How can we reverse the situation?
“Ending deforestation is our best opportunity to conserve wildlife and defend the rights of forest communities. In addition, it is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to stop global warming. That’s why we’re campaigning for a future without deforestation. ” - Greenpeace
1. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS
If we want to stop deforestation, we need governments to do their part. The best solution for deforestation is the adoption of national and international forest conservation policies.
2. REFORESTATION AND ARBORIZATION
The forest areas destroyed for urban expansion must be replanted nearby, as a way to replace the cut trees.
What if I told you that you can plant a tree with every search you do on the web? The Ecosia is a free search engine designed to generate advertising revenue used for planting trees.
3. PASS THE WORD
Many are unaware of many of the problems that the environment faces. Educate your friends, family and community. Shares facts about deforestation, as well as its causes and effects. Your voice counts!
4. REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION
Livestock farming, as already mentioned, is one of the causes of deforestation. Try to reduce meat consumption. It can be difficult at first. However, eating less meat will not only have a positive impact on the planet but also on your health. You do not believe? Take a look at the Netflix documentary: Cowspiracy
Photo by Robert Downer
5. SAY "NO" TO PALM OIL
As already mentioned, palm oil is a common ingredient in many of the products we consume. It adopts the habit of reading the labeling of the packages you buy and see whether or not there is palm oil in the product. Thus, you will also be informing yourself better than you will actually be ingesting.
Photo by Sergey Ryzhov
6. SUPPORTS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
For tens of thousands of years, forests around the world have been home to Indigenous Peoples. Evidence shows that when Indigenous Peoples' rights to traditional lands and self-determination are respected, forests remain standing. But too often, corporations and governments intentionally ignore or trample on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Photo by Filipe Frazão
7. SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
Change begins with the choices we make on a daily basis. Avoid disposable packaging, choose healthy food, choose recycled or responsibly produced wood products. If we all do our part, we are already contributing to the protection of forests.