Deforestation causes & what we can do

DEFORESTATION Deforestation is when humans remove or clear large areas of forest lands and related ecosystems for non-forest use. These include clearing for farming purposes, ranching and urban use. In these cases, trees are never re-planted. DEFORESTATION FACTS The 33 million (13 million hectares) acres of forestland that are lost annually around the globe are responsible for 20% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Forests still cover about 30% of the world's land area. The world's rain forests could completely vanish in a 100 years at the current rate of deforestation. Russia, Brazil, Canada, United States, and Indonesia The world lost 2.3 million sq km (230 million hectares) of tree cover from 2000 to 2012. are the countries that have lost the most tree cover. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest are lost each year. A portion of West Africa. which boasted of lush green tropical forests in the 19th century, has been stripped of 90 percent of its forest cover over the last century. Causes Agriculture Hydroelectric dams Logging operations Farmers cut forests to provide more room for planting crops or grazing livestock. Flood upstream forests, leading to widespread forest loss, habitat degradation and displacement of forest communities and wildlife. Which provide the world's wood and paper products, also cut countless trees each year. Road Building Mining Fragments the landscape, endangers wildlife habitat and provides access points for illegal loggers that encroach into the forest. For metals such as gold, copper, or aluminum clears large tracts of natural forests and contaminate forest eco-systems with their runoff. DEFORESTATION WORLDWIDE The rate of deforestation in Brazil has decreased by an average of 1,318 square kilometers per year over the past decade due to improved policies and law enforcement. The islands that make up the Philippines used to be all forested. Today only 35% remain. Deforestation rates over the past twenty or so years of 26%. The Gran Chaco region-which spans across sections of Paraguay, Argentina, and southern Brazil-have some of the highest rates of tree cover loss in the world. Historically Honduras was almost entirely covered by trees. Today about half of that remains (52%). Between 1990-2005, Honduras saw a decline of 37% in its forest About half the land in Nigeria used to be covered in trees. Today all but about 10% of those are gone. Nigeria has removed 36% of its trees in the past two decades. cover. At one point about two-thirds of Ghana was covered with forest; now, less than 10% remains. Rate of decline since 1990 of 28%. WHAT CAN BE DONE? Corporations & Markets Sustainable Politics Awareness consumer options Introduce Buy recycled or certified wood products and only support brands with zero deforestation policies. Look for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification on wood and wood products. Global Forest Watch (GFW) uses satellites, open data and crowdsourcing to give companles buying commodities and zero-deforestation Ambitious and science-based policies that require suppliers to produce commodities in a way domestic and international forest policies are required from governments to that has a minimal impact on natural resources a better idea about whether they are unwittingly contributing to deforestation. forests and the climate. alleviate deforestation. Have paper procurement policies to maximize use of post consumer recycled wood, pulp, paper and fiber in their products. JARRIMB ER www.jarrimber.com.au REFERENCES http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/ http://eschooltoday.com/forests/what-is-deforestation.html http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/forests/solutions-to-deforestation/ http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/blogs/5-ways-to-stop-deforestation http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-deforestation.php http://www.worldpreservationfoundation.org/blog/news/deforestation-statistics/#.U84-MPIdVO0 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2566842/Google-powered-map-tracks-worlds-trees-near-real-time-root-deforestation.html http://www.wri.org/blog/2014/02/9-maps-explain-worlds-forests http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/10-countries-with-the-highest-deforestation-rates-in-the-world.html