25/01/2011 - The world's
forest biodiversity is threatened by a high
global rate of deforestation and forest
degradation as well as a decline in primary
forest area. In many countries, however,
there is a continued positive trend towards
the conservation of forest biological diversity
via dedicated conservation areas.
These are some of the
key findings of the final report of FAO's
Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010
(FRA 2010), the most comprehensive assessment
of the state of the world's forests ever
undertaken. The final report of FRA 2010
was published on October 4 at the start
of the biennial meeting of the FAO' Committee
on Forestry and World Forest Week, in Rome.
Globally, around 13
million hectares (ha) of forests were converted
to other uses (including agriculture) or
were lost through natural causes each year
between 2000 and 2010. That is down from
around 16 million ha per year during the
11000s, the report said.
More than one-third
of all forests are classified as primary
- showing no visible signs of human intervention.
Primary forests, in particular tropical
moist forests, include some of the world's
most species-rich and diverse ecosystems.
Primary forests account for 36 percent (1.4
billion ha) of the world's forest area but
their area has decreased by more than 40
million ha - at a rate of 0.4 percent annually
- over the last ten years.
This does not necessarily
mean that these forests have disappeared;
rather, in many cases they have been reclassified
because selective logging or other human
interventions were carried out during the
reporting period, FAO said. The UN agency
emphasized that forests where humans have
intervened can still hold important biodiversity
values, contribute significantly to environmental
protection, and sustain livelihoods, provided
they are well managed.
South America accounted
for the largest proportion of the loss in
primary forests, followed by Africa and
Asia.
Other threats to forest
biodiversity include unsustainable forest
management, climate change, forest fires,
insect pests and diseases, natural disasters
and invasive species - all of which are
causing severe damage in some countries.
Better conservation
and management
At the same time, the
forest area designated for the conservation
of biological diversity has increased by
more than 95 million ha since 11000, according
to FAO's report. The largest portion (46
percent) was designated between 2000 and
2005. Today 12 percent of the world's forests
(more than 460 million ha) are designated
primarily to conserve biological diversity.
Legally established
protected areas, such as national parks,
game reserves and wilderness areas now cover
more than 10 percent of the total forest
area in most countries and regions. The
primary function of these forests may be
the conservation of biological diversity,
the protection of soil and water resources
or the conservation of cultural heritage.
"The world's forests
represent a vital source of forest biological
diversity. This biodiversity is an important
treasure, especially as forests will not
just have to adapt to climate change but
are also expected to help mitigate it",
said FAO Assistant Director-General Eduardo
Rojas. "Greater investments in sustainable
forest management are urgently required
to better conserve and manage forest biodiversity."
FAO noted that there
is an accelerating trend among countries
to integrate biodiversity conservation into
forest management planning and practices.
However, there is a clear need for action
to improve the effective conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity in production
forests, particularly in forest concessions.
"Over-exploitation
and unsustainable use of wildlife in many
tropical regions, often from protected areas
and most pronounced in Central African forests,
is a major concern", Rojas said.
Wildlife at risk of
extinction
FRA 2010 also warned
that commercial hunting driven by consumer
demand in cities will probably drive many
wildlife species to extinction in the near
future unless effective measures are implemented
soon, including law enforcement, community
participation, provision of alternative
protein and the establishment of simple
and practical wildlife monitoring systems.
The report contains
data from 233 countries. More than 900 experts
from 178 countries contributed to the report,
which is the result of a four-year effort.
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations
+ More
Forum discusses importance
of forests for sustainability of the planet
28/01/2011 - To discuss
the protection of the planet's forests,
United Nations representatives are participating,
since Monday (January 24), in the Ninth
Session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF),
in New York (USA). The main objective of
the event is to set a common international
agenda on the theme.
For two weeks, member
countries will discuss the importance of
forests for human welfare and how to ensure
the sustainability of human populations
that live in these areas, as well as the
economic activities carried out by them
in the forests areas.
According to João
de Deus, director of the Forest Department
at the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment
(MMA), the motto of the UN campaign aims
to remind everyone that forest conservation
is not an obstacle to development. "Communities
can develop their economies in a process
that is associated with the preservation
of natural resources", he says.
Other issues such as
biodiversity conservation (especially in
tropical forests), reducing its loss, and
preservation of forests as a strategy for
mitigating the effects of climate change
will also be debated by the Forum.
The Brazilian delegation
sent to the event is composed of members
from the Forest Department of the MMA, from
the Brazilian Forest Service and other institutions,
such as Embrapa and the Ministry of External
Relations.
The Ninth Session of
the UN Forum on Forests will be held until
February 4th.
Further information on the UNFF 9th Session
is available here.
