***********************************************
WORLDWIDE
FOREST/BIODIVERSITY CAMPAIGN NEWS
The
Timber Trade and Global Forest Loss
***********************************************
Forest
Networking a Project of Ecological Enterprises
5/5/96
OVERVIEW
& SOURCE by EE
The
World Wide Fund For Nature reports on research which has
concluded
that "the primary cause of forest degradation" is the
international
timber trade. It is nice to have the
WWF join the
grassroots
forest movement in this realization.
This piece
provides
good overview of timber industry impacts on forest
ecology,
and concludes with a country by country profile of
current
forest status. The following article
comes from WWF's
very
impressive new web server at:
<
http://www.panda.org/home.htm >.
g.b.
*******************************
RELAYED
TEXT STARTS HERE:
The
Timber Trade and Global Forest Loss
Copyright
1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature
http://www.panda.org/tda/forest/forest2.htm
Research
carried out for WWF suggests that the international
timber
trade is now the primary cause of forest degradation and
loss in
those forests that contain the highest levels of
biodiversity.
This conclusion is based on a number of important
findings.
*
correlating logging sites with species-rich forests
*
looking at forest quality as well as quantity
*
extending the assessment to all forests, rather than just
rainforests
*
including an assessment of illegal logging
_Background_
For
many years, the timber trade has claimed that it plays a
negligible
role in forest loss, and that most deforestation is
caused
by agricultural clearance or fuelwood collection.
Population
growth, rather than industrial exploitation, has been
blamed
as the underlying problem. Research by WWF leads to the
opposite
conclusion. Taking the survival of biodiversity as a
major
criterion, WWF concludes that the timber trade is currently
the
most important cause of loss and forest degradation around
the
world. This judgment is based on several factors as examined
below.
_The
timber trade and forests rich in wildlife_
Following
centuries of degradation, most forest ecosystems are
severely
threatened. Surviving areas of natural or semi-natural
habitat
are of primary importance in maintaining biodiversity.
The
Earth currently contains large areas of recently cleared
forest,
young regenerating forest and middle-age forest. Far less
common,
particularly in the North but increasingly also in the
South,
are old-growth forests. These generally have a specialised
flora
and fauna that can only survive in forests that have been
relatively
undisturbed for hundreds of years. In many of these
areas,
the timber trade remains, or has become, the primary agent
of
change. Some examples are given in Table 1.
There
is no accident in the overlap between biologically-rich
forests
and forests with large timber operations. Areas of high
biodiversity
tend to contain the oldest, and thus in many cases
the
most commercially valuable, trees. Natural forests are often
virtually
unclaimed, under the stewardship of politically weak
indigenous
groups, or nominally under state control. Forests with
high
biodiversity are, by their very nature, likely to draw the
attention
of the global timber trade.
_Quality
and quantity_
The
timber trade is also responsible for a major reduction in the
quality
of many forests. From the perspective of biodiversity,
there
is often little to choose between replacing a natural
forest
with a tree plantation or losing it altogether. In either
case,
the vast majority of the original native wildlife species
do not
survive. Even if total number of species remains constant,
the
rarer natural species are often replaced by exotics and weed
species.
Loss of forest quality has already occurred over most of
Europe,
North America and Australasia. It is becoming significant
in
several Southern countries as well. Analysis of the timber
trade's
impact should consider more than just the loss of area
under
trees. It also should consider the biological quality of
the
forest that remains.
_Including
all forests in assessments_
Previous
emphasis on problems in tropical rainforests has
obscured
issues in other forests. The WWF study looked at all
forests.
The role of the timber trade immediately grows in
significance.
Unlike tropical moist forest, where there have been
endless
arguments about cause and effect in forest loss, in
almost
all temperate and boreal countries still possessing
substantial
old-growth forests, the timber trade is now
undoubtedly
the primary cause of natural forest loss.
_Illegal
logging operations_
Assessments
from the industry tend to draw on official studies of
the
legal timber trade. In fact, in some countries undergoing
severe
deforestation, the timber recorded by the Ministry of
Forests
is only a small proportion of the actual fellings and/or
exports.
Much illegal timber enters the international trade, with
or
without the knowledge of importers. Often, illegality is
tacitly
accepted by the buyer. Countries where illegal logging is
having
an important, and largely unquantified, impact on natural
forests
include (not an exhaustive list): Kenya, Zaire, Thailand,
the
Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil,
Bolivia,
Ecuador and the Russian Federation. Until recently, 80
per
cent of the mahogany leaving Brazil was exported illegally.
_Changing
global forest conditions_
Time
has also increased the relative impact of the timber trade.
Primary
forest has now been reduced to fragments in many
countries.
As the amount of high quality, natural forest
declines,
and is increasingly confined to areas which are
inhospitable
to human settlement, the proportion of this remnant
that is
damaged by the timber trade continues to grow. The
actions
of the national and international timber trade are now
critical
to the survival of most of the world's biologically
richest
forest ecosystems and therefore to the majority of
species.
_The
way forward_
The
next two or three decades will decide whether or not we enter
the
future with a full range of rich and diverse forest
ecosystems.
The future actions of the timber trade will play a
vital
role in this implicit decision. Although the situation is
serious,
there are some optimistic signs. A substantial, and
growing,
section of the timber trade is prepared to take
environmental
issues seriously, and is making real efforts to
change
its practices. Developments such as the establishment of
the
Forest Stewardship Council, and efforts to promote
certification
in countries such as Belgium, Sweden and the UK,
provide
a framework for changes in forest management that will
have
important benefits to wildlife.
On the
other hand, some sections of the trade are responding to
the
perceived "threat" of environmentalism by resisting change
and
fighting back; pressuring governments and aid agencies,
funding
front groups to discredit the environmental lobby,
cutting
fast to beat planned controls, moving into areas where
environmental
controls are lax, and delaying reforms. These
timber
traders will come under increasing pressure in the future.
WWF
supports the use of wood from well-managed, environmentally
and
socially sustainable forests. The needs of the timber trade
and the
environmental movement are not as far apart as people
often
assume. Clearcutting an area and moving on might benefit a
handful
of people at the top of a timber company, but it
certainly
doesn't benefit the workers on the ground any more than
it does
wildlife, the environment and local people. Recent
abandonment
of worked out concessions in countries as far apart
as
C"te d'Ivoire, the USA and Indonesia all bear witness to the
human
costs of bad forestry.
WWF has
responded to the problems posed by forest degradation by
setting
the world two important and challenging targets:
*
Establishing an ecologically representative network of protected
areas
covering at least 10 per cent of the world's forests by the
year
2000, demonstrating a range of socially and environmentally
appropriate
models.
*
Ensuring the independent certification of 10 million hectares of
sustainably
managed forest by 1998.
Getting
forest management right - for people and the environment
- is in
the interests of everyone. We call on the timber trade to
respond
positively to the challenge of forest sustainability, and
to work
with the environmental movement in realising the vision
of a
world full of high quality forests.
Country Status and
details
Europe *
Finland Only 1-2% old-growth forest remains;
this is till being
logged in places.
Logging has increased
700% in the last
Latvia few years, mainly for the export
market, threatening
many important wet
forests.
Logging of remaining
old-growth forest
Norway has increased since plans for
additional
conservation legislation
were suggested.
Logging has
intensified since 1989, and
Poland is taking place on the edge of the
internationally important Bia_owieza
forest Biosphere
reserve.
Logging of old growth
forest continues
Sweden in the boreal region, despite being
reduced to 1-2% of
the original.
UK Illegal felling of broadleaved trees to
sell as firewood is
on the increase.
Logging is occurring
in many
biologically rich areas
of Siberia and
Russian Federation European Karelia. In the latter case
there is currently a
growing
cross-border trade in
birch with
Scandinavia
North America
Boreal forest logging
is taking place
on a large scale in
many areas,
Canada including particularly Alberta. In
Ontario, two thirds
of the remaining 1%
of old-growth forest is slated for
commercial felling.
Logging of old-growth
forests in the
Pacific Northwest
looks likely to
USA increase again in response to
Republican aims to
deregulate the
industry and overturn
environmental
legislation.
South America
Temperate forests are
rapidly being
Argentina logged by foreign companies, including
many from North
America.
Bolivia Forest loss has now reached critical
levels in some areas.
Illegal logging of mahogany is having a
major impact on the
ecology, and the
Brazil survival, of forests in many areas, and
until recently 80% of
mahogany exports
were of illegal felled trees.
Large areas of beech
(Nothofagus) have
been logged to make
way for pine
Chile plantations in the last decade, often
by foreign companies, and Araucaria
forest is also
threatened.
Increased logging by
foreign companies
Guyana is now threatening one of the largest
remaining areas of
pristine rainforest
in the region.
Malaysian, Indonesian
and Chinese
Suriname companies are preparing to log in
pristine rainforest.
Africa
Numerous
transnational companies are
operating in the
country, including
companies from
Belgium France, Germany,
Cameroon and Italy. A survey in 1993 identified
100 forest
operations, 60 of which were
foreign-owned.
Logging has increased
100% in the last few
years.
90% of the forests
have been allocated
Central African Rep to 10 companies, including 4 from
France, 2 from
Romania and 1 from
former Yugoslavia.
At least 15 of 36
active timber
companies are
foreign-owned,
Congo controlling about half the cut and
based in Germany, the
Netherlands and
France.
Less than 14% of the
original forest
C"te d'Ivoire remains. Companies from Denmark,
France, Germany,
Italy and Holland
remain active.
Most timber
production is under
European control, predominantly
from
Gabon France but also from Germany, Italy and
Switzerland. Latest
estimates for
deforestation are
0.6%/year.
More than 90% of
forests have been
logged since the
1940s. Danish and
Dutch companies
operate, and in the
Ghana late 1980s a state-owned timber company
was rehabilitated by
a UK company; this
was abandoned after
allegations of
corruption.
Much of Nigeria's
small area of
Nigeria remaining forest is threatened by legal
and illegal timber
operations.
Around ten timber
companies are
operating in Zaire,
and most logging is
Zaire carried out by foreign-based firms from
Belgium, Canada,
Denmark, France,
Germany and Italy.
Logging is
increasing rapidly.
Asia
Illegal timber
felling has increased
Cambodia enormously over the past few years and
is rapidly depleting
the country's
forests.
The government
intends to replace 2
million hectares of
forest with
Indonesia plantations by 2000. Commercial
forestry is a major
cause of forest
loss in Kalimantan,
Irian Jaya and
outer islands such as
Siberut.
Illegal logging has
increased rapidly
Laos as a result of a ready market created
in Thailand due to
the latter's logging
ban.
Logging is the major
cause of forest
Malaysia loss in Sabah and Sarawak, and is still
important in some
areas of Peninsula
Malaysia.
Logging has already
caused major
deforestation in the
country. Illegal
Philippines logging is now more important than
legal operations and
is still a major
source of exports.
Illegal logging
continues despite a
Thailand logging ban, particularly in the north
east and on the
Burmese border.
Large areas of the
country are being
Vietnam cleared of natural bamboo to feed pulp
mills.
Pacific
Logging is the major
cause of forest
Australia degradation and loss, particularly in
the south west and
Tasmania
Logging, including
illegal logging, is
Papua New Guinea the major cause of forest loss in PNG,
mainly involving
expatriate firms from
south east Asia.
Solomon Islands Legal and illegal logging is the major
cause of forest loss.
Logging is increasing
rapidly, mainly
Vanuatu controlled by expatriate Malaysian
companies.
The
preceding information sheet draws on the text of Bad Harvest,
by
Nigel Dudley with Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud and Francis Sullivan,
Earthscan,
London in association with WWF.
1996,
The World Wide Fund For Nature
###RELAYED
TEXT ENDS###
This
document is a PHOTOCOPY and all recipients should seek
permission
from the source for reprinting. You are
encouraged to
utilize
this information for personal campaign use; including
writing
letters, organizing campaigns and forwarding.
All efforts
are
made to provide accurate, timely pieces; though ultimate
responsibility
for verifying all information rests with the
reader. Check out our Gaia Forest Conservation
Archives at URL=
http://forests.lic.wisc.edu/forests/gaia.html
Networked
by:
Ecological
Enterprises
Email
(best way to contact)-> gbarry@forests.org
Phone->(608)
233-2194 || Fax->(608) 231-2312