Til gengæld drives skovdriften mere skånsomt i mange lande, hedder det
A study of the world’s forests has found, that about 90 percent of the globe’s tropical forests remain without protection.
Pressure to clear forests persists with the expansion of the world’s population, growing use of raw materials such as wood, and increasing demand for land on which to settle and grow food, the Japan-based International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) said – se også http://www.itto.int
Slowing deforestation and greater awareness of the value of standing trees may come too late to save the world’s biggest rainforests, according to ITTOs global assessment of tropical forests published Tuesday.
Awareness was growing in tropical countries of consumer demands, especially in western countries, for wood harvested sustainably, but perhaps not fast enough to counter growing world demand for food, said Duncan Poore, co-author of the report and former head of the World Conservation Union (IUCN).
– There has been an extraordinary change of attitude and culture. They may not be practicing it, or able to because of a lack of funds, but they know it’s there, said Poore.
But he was not optimistic for the fate of the biggest areas of rainforest in Brazil, Indonesia and central Africa.
– The fundamental point is that conserving forests is not as lucrative as converting to other uses. When you consider the increase in consumption in China, India it is a very alarming prospect, he said, referring to demand to convert forests to farms for food and biofuels.
However, the report said that there is a 50 percent rise in sustainably managed tropical woodlands since 2005, helped by rising demand in developed countries for certified (miljømærket) wood and UN programs to reduce carbon emissions (udledning af CO2).
ITTO has evaluated forest management in 33 countries, comprising 90 percent of the tropical forest cover, for their “Status of Tropical Forest Management 2011 report”.
Countries that have made major increases in protection include Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Peru and Venezuela.
On the other hand, satellite observations recently revealed an alarming escalation in deforestation in Brazil, indicating that loss of forest in some areas of a country can continue even as protection increases in other areas.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
