Deforestation has been a hot international 
conservation topic for decades. We’ve all seen the images of swathes of barren land eating into lush green trees, sad stunted trunks and the smoking stacks of wood pulping industries. We’ve heard the stories of endangered species threatened with extinction as their natural habitats shrink. Yet, it’s difficult to associate such total devastation with our daily lives. It’s particularly difficult when you consider our dependence on wood.
We use it to build houses, furniture, make paper and burn it for fuel. It’s a precious natural resource but it’s also a valuable commodity.
The UN has declared 2011 to be the International Year of Forests with the intention of raising awareness of the danger of deforestation, as well as the conservation and sustainable development of the forests that we have left.
According to a BBC article, we’ve already made some in-roads into forest conservation as the rate of deforestation has slowed, particularly in Asia, where significant reforestation efforts have been made. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has released a report called State of the World’s Forests, in which they state that gains have been made in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Europe and North America but that deforestation still occurs at an alarming rate in Africa and South America. It’s in these areas where the world’s oldest forests live, and where increased focus should be given to preserving the age-old ecologies and biodiversity spheres within them.
It’s for this reason that the FAO is doing its utmost to convince governments and industry players to find ways to make their forests work for them without resorting to chainsaws. They would also like to see locals make better use of the land available, as is happening in East Asia where communities are adopting specially drafted land use plans.
It’s not enough to plant trees where old ones have been felled; man-made forests are not the answer. The old, natural forests need to be encouraged to reclaim their land and this can only happen when man willingly concedes it and ceases to infringe on natural boundaries. This is difficult in areas where agriculture is of prime importance and in rural communities where people depend on wood for fuel. However, forests play a far greater role in the continued survival of these communities than they may be aware of, which is why education programmes are needed to teach them how to proactively conserve the forests while still meeting their needs.
Seeing forests for their holistic value rather than just as sources of oxygen and carbon consumers is vital to ensure their preservation. This is one of the primary criticisms levelled at the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestations and forest Degradation (REDD) plan. According to Conservation International and a number of other forest conservation organisations, to save the forests people have to take into account their immediate benefits to wildlife and the local people.
Something which Asia seems to have got right, and which Africa and South America should try to emulate.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
