Save the World's Forests
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3. Deforestationand Illegal Logging
What Caused Deforestation?
Conversion to Plantation-Style Agriculture land
Partly influenced by the growing demand for bio-fuel, more forests have been cleared to serve large-scale agriculture like plantation of palm oil, rubber tree, corn and soybeans.
Non-Traditional Slash-and-Burn Farming
Slash-and-burn farming is a traditional agricultural practice. One part of a forest is burnt to be used for short-term farming, and then after the harvest, is left to recover naturally. Recently, due to population growth, the same pieces of land are re-used before their complete recovery, ignoring tradition and causing soil degradation.
Over-harvesting of fuel wood
Almost half of the world total demand for wood is for fuel use. Especially in the developing countries, trees are cut down in order to get fuel for daily use. Demand created by population growth prevents local forests from recovering, which leads to deforestation.
Forest fires
Fires spread accidentally from slash-and-burn farming, open-burning after wood clearance, or thunderbolts, and as a result, large areas of forest are lost. Another problem has been ocurred that carbon stored in the soil could escape after peat bogs and permafrost are exposed by losing their forest cover.
Issue of the Illegal Logging
Sustainable forest management is vital for forest conservation. One of the obstacles identified is illegal logging. Most illegally-harvested wood are exported abroad in the form of logs and wood products.
What is illegal logging? : The logging in violation of the national laws of respective timber-producing countries.
e.g.)
- Not permitted the amounts, species/diameters, or logging manners specified in the forest management program.
- Without ownership or logging rights of the forest: stealing
- Not following regulations that identify protected areas
Other issues include violaton of traditional rights of indigenous people, working condition of loggers and taxation system.
Ratio of Illegal Logging
- A joint research project by the UK and Indonesia (1999) reports that 50% of logging in Indonesia is illegal.
- A survey by an environmental NGO (2000) reveals that 20% of logging in Russia is illegal.
Impacts of Illegal Logging
- It hinders sustainable forest management and causes deforestation and forest degradation in the timber-producing countries directly
- By making cheap wood and wood products available in the international market because of not paying proper environmental costs, it hinders sustainable forest management in the timber-importing countries.
(The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA, 2004) reports that illegal timber and timber products cause a price reduction of 7-16% in world market.)
From Illegal Logging to Deforestation
Infrastructure development and commercial logging give local residents and others access to forests that were previously not accessible. This provides tempting opportunities for illegal logging, which degrades forests and reduces their ecological wellbeing and commercial value. Conversion into agricultural land, or rises of fire, increases the threat of further de forestation.
Note) Alternatively, sustainable forest management will greatly reduce risk of deforestation, because it is implemented by those with legal logging permits who will be responsible to forest recovery (renewal).
Column: Impacts of Deforestation on Local Environment (Forests' public functions for local environment)
1.Preventing soil erosion and degradation of forest watershed function(forest conservation in the water catchment area)
Under the forest floor, tree roots hold the soil tightly so that they can support the trees above the ground.
The soil embraced by the roots contains deposits of organic matter like fallen leaves and twigs, which are biodegraded by insects and microorganisms. Forest soil has numerous gap(pore), like a sponge, as a result of these insects' activities.
There is no doubt that the role of forests, through the effects of root and soil in preventing mudslide, flood and drought, will be degraded, if forest areas are reduced.
2.Destruction of local culture and inhabitants' lifestyle
Forests provide local people with fuel, nuts, sap, vines, medicinal herbs, mushrooms, animals, etc., and also play an important role to protect their water sources and soil. For many people in the world, especially indigenous people, forests are food storerooms as well as the essential place to visit daily. Moreover, forests have fostered local culture and religions. These customary rights to traditional forest use held by inhabitants are often neglected. It should not be forgotten that deforestation, or else large-scale afforestation project, could destroy local residents' life or force them to change their lifestyle.