Devastating Deforestation

In a previous post I mentioned the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, the context of the post was the attention that this issue receives. The loss of the Amazon rainforest is well publicised and so there are high-profile efforts to protect the forest for environmental, conservation and ecological reasons. 

While this is a very worthwhile cause, the removal of tropical forest is not isolated to Brazil and a recent study published by Nature Climate Change has revealed that as of 2012 Indonesia leads the world in the destruction of primary forest. Between 2000-2012 6.02 million ha (over 60,000 sq km) of Indonesian primary forest was lost.

The study defines primary forest as:

"mature natural forests of 5 ha or more in extent that retain their natural composition and structure, and have not been completely cleared and re-planted in recent history"

These tropical forests are a global resource since they sequester and store carbon dioxide. The destruction of these forests releases the significant stores of terrestrial carbon and contributes to Indonesia's carbon dioxide emissions. But deforestation is not just about carbon dioxide; the habitat loss associated with deforestation decreases biodiversity and endangers plants and animal species. This is especially relevant in Indonesia which has incredible biodiversity.

"Indonesia's forests contain high floral and faunal biodiversity including 10% of the world's plants, 12% of the world's mammals, 16% of the world's reptile-amphibians, and 17% of the world's bird species"  

In May 2011 Indonesia implemented a moratorium on deforestation, however it seems clear that this has not been successful, and it begs the question of the role that the rest of world should play in preserving these forests. It is too easy to condemn Indonesia's destruction of forest, but does this mean that the rest of the world has a responsibility to incentivise the maintenance of tropical forest? 

The land cleared by deforestation is used for agricultural and industrial uses, similarly to the way in which subsistence farmland is sold for commercial farming, to the detriment of the local community (as discussed in the previous post on land grabbing). Such commercial land use is more profitable in the short term but in the long term it is unsustainable and damaging to the environment, biodiversity and conservation. The growth of the industries that call for deforestation show no signs of slowing, but the earth's resources will not and cannot expand in the same way. So while some people will ask "how much forest cover will be lost before the limits of deforestation are reached?" for others the question is "how much money can be made before the limits of deforestation are reached?". The answers remain to be seen, but we can influence and determine the answers, if we so choose.