40th Session Issues
Deforestation
DEFINITION
Through the efforts of the United Nations Environment Program and other agencies, the attempts to solve the problems of deforestation have been extensive. Deforestation has been one of the major issues in the UNEP. Though it has not been directly addressed as a solitary issue, it has been confronted through the issues of development and endangered species.
Deforestation literally means a removal of all trees, but to scientists of all fields it harbors a meaning that is far more threatening because of the consequences of deforestation.
ORIGIN OF THE ISSUE
Attention was brought to the issue of deforestation in 1978 when a report to the UNEP stated that the tropical rain forests were in danger of becoming extinct. The Tropical Forestry Action Plan was devised in response to this. (see UNEP)
Scientists worldwide are alarmed at how fast the tropical rain forests around the earth's green belt are being destroyed. The green belt is the area encircling the earth 30 degrees North and 20 degrees South of the equator.1 This area is usually characterized by hot days and high precipitation year round. Where these conditions exist, tropical rain forests thrive.
What Makes the Rain Forests So Unique?
Though the rain forests cover only seven percent of the earth's surface, the forests are home to approximately fifty percent of the species on earth. The rain forests are treasuries of genetic biodiversity that have taken millions of years to evolve. Although connected by geographic boundaries, sections of each forest are independent ecosystems. This means that the flora and fauna found in one part of the forests maybe unique only to that section and the destruction of a small area may result "in the extinction of uncounted species." It has been estimated that nearly 100 species a day become extinct and the majority of that percentage occurs in the rain forests. Only 1.6 million of the species have been categorized of the estimated 4 to 30 million that remain undiscovered. Because of the biodiversity that exists in the rain forests, questions in reference to evolution may be answered.
The rain forests may also provide man with an unlimited source of medicines and foods. Eighty percent of the people in developing nations use traditional medicines and eighty-five percent are derived from plants of the rain forests. Many prescription drugs have bases that are extracted from tropical plants. Drugs such as vincristine is found in the rain forest of Madagascar and it is prescribed to treat some human cancers. Only a fragment of the eastern rain forest now exists in Madagascar. Other drugs containing tropical plant extracts have successfully treated hypertension, Hodgkin's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other illnesses and diseases. The forests have also provided new sources of food and " new seed stocks for crops." For example, a strain of disease-resistant maize was found in a Mexican rain forest and when crossed with domestic corn, the maize produced hardy hybrids that could be worth billions of dollars to farmers.
DEFORESTATION AND DEVELOPING NATIONS
Deforestation has been rampant in developing nations. These nations are often plagued by debt, weak economies and booming populations and clearing the forests offers quick foreign exchange and new areas for settlers. These aggressive endeavors have proved to be economically and environmentally unsound.
Why are the Rain Forests Being Destroyed?
The primary reason for the destruction of the rain forests is agricultural expansion. Eighty percent of tropical deforestation is attributed to farming and grazing. The fertility of tropical soil exhausts quickly and farmers must clear additional acreage in one to two years. This is often done by a slash-and-burn method or by chopping down trees. When the forests are burned, carbon is released adding to atmospheric carbon dioxide buildup. The chemical balance of the atmosphere is disrupted when trees are burned or cut down. (see Greenhouse Effect) On 9 September 1987, 7,603 fires were detected by satellite in the Brazilian states of Rondonia and Mato Grosso. Agricultural expansion in the Amazonian basin is due to the influx of impoverished migrants to Rondonia and Mato Grosso who are in search of unclaimed land. Scientists estimated that in 1987, 77,000 square miles of Brazil's rain forest was burned down and 30,000 of those was virgin forest.9 The natural progression of development, such as the building of highways and the influx of population, has increased the demands on the ecosystem to support these factors.
It must be realized that deforestation is not unique to the tropical rain forest in South America. Most of the available research on deforestation is based on Brazil's Amazonian basin because the problem is well documented and the amount of information is vast. Central America, Africa, Australia, Southeast Asia and many of the islands in the green belt have lost considerable portions of their rain forests.
Fast-food restaurants in the United States have relied on cattle ranchers in Central and South America to supply them with hamburger meat. The forest is often cut down for grazing cattle. Pressure from environmentalists have made U.S. beef importers less dependent on these regions. The African nation of Nigeria was once a major exporter of tropical logs but now they are net importers because of overcutting of their tropical forests. Less developed nations often cut down their forests for firewood that is needed to cook and heat their homes. The lack of protective trees and vegetation has increased rainfall runoff and has created serious damage due to flooding in regions downstream. The recent floods in Bangladesh and India have been attributed to deforestation in Nepal and Tibet.