From Forest to Field: How Fire is Transforming the Amazon : Feature Articles They pored over satellite images from the Landsat satellite captured between 1993 and 1995 to see what happened to all the area that was “deforested” in 1992. They decided that cleared areas with nice, straight lines that had sprung up next to pre-existing forest edges were probably intentional clearings for pasture or farmland. But Cochrane and his colleagues also discovered that much of the area labeled as deforested in 1992 was far from forest edges, was irregular in shape, and was already beginning to regrow. These areas, it seemed clear, were probably not the result of intentional deforestation. This distinction between accidental and intentional is important, explains Nepstad, because “it suggests that much of the impoverishment of the Amazon may have nothing to do with people’s plans for the land.” The impacts of fires during the 1997-98 El Niño were dramatic and easily visible in satellite imagery, leading to an overestimate of deforestation for that time period.
Forest Bump - By Charles Kenny Fewer jobs, dwindling savings, piles of public debt -- there's not much reason to be thankful for the global recession. But one small silver lining is that it has slowed the rate at which we're turning the atmosphere into an over-amped electric blanket. There are two things at work here: First, less growth slows the demand for energy. The second reason environmentalists can feel good about a recession is that lower demand for everything -- including wood and agricultural products -- reduces the incentive to chop down trees. Tropical forests are home to about half of all species on Earth. A tool developed by my colleague David Wheeler at the Center for Global Development called FORMA (or Forest Monitoring for Action) allows close tracking and analysis of global deforestation trends. That change was largely thanks to a considerably slowed rate of clearing in Indonesia and Brazil, which between them account for over three quarters of tropical deforestation. Lunae Parracho/AFP/Getty Images
Amazon Destruction Amazon Destruction Since 1978 over 750,000 square kilometers (289,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana. Why is Earth's largest rainforest being destroyed? For most of human history, deforestation in the Amazon was primarily the product of subsistence farmers who cut down trees to produce crops for their families and local consumption. The result of this shift is forests in the Amazon were cleared faster than ever before in the late 1970s through the mid 2000s. But that trend began to reverse in Brazil in 2004. Forest loss trends in the Amazon. Forest loss trends in the non-Amazon. Forest loss trends in the Amazon. Accumulated forest loss in the Amazon. Deforestation trends in Amazon countries Forest loss trends between Amazon countries are highly variable. Brazil Annual forests loss in Brazil and the Brazilian Amazon State deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Peru Colombia Bolivia
International Deforestation and Climate Change: Statement for the record by US Assistant Administrator for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade Foreign Relations Committee United States Senate Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to submit a statement for the record on this important topic. Tropical forests are critical to the survival and well-being of people around the world. Unfortunately, tropical forests face a number of threats, including conversion to agriculture, illegal logging, unsustainable extraction of timber and other forest resources, climate change, pollution, and policies that subsidize forest conversion to other uses. To address these concerns and to ensure that forests and biodiversity continue to play an important role in sustainable development, USAID supports programs around the globe that aim to improve the conservation and sustainable management of forests and biodiversity. I would like to highlight for the Committee some of the key U.S. efforts in this area. Activities I would like to highlight include: Mr. Activities in the forest sector address forests and climate change strategically.
How to Fight Deforestation With Your Fork Can going meatless once a week change the course of our rainforests? Let’s look at what, why and how. Today, the raising of livestock uses 30 percent of the Earth’s total land surface. We simply can’t afford to lose our rainforests. Simple truth: As the world population explodes and the demand for meat grows, more and more rainforest will be destroyed. Why? Peggy Neu, president of the Monday campaigns, reminds us that Meatless Monday has its roots in World War I and II, when Americans were asked to help conserve key staples to aid the war effort. Join with all of us on Meatless Monday and watch our food choices change the future. Activists Scale NYC Landmark, Drop Banner: Pepsi Cola, Cut Conflict Palm Oil Can Superfoods Help Boost the Planet’s Health, Too? The Role of the Worm in Recycling Wastewater Watch Racing Extinction: It Will Change the Way You View the World
Deforestation – World Socialist Movement You can't assume that because something is forbidden, it isn't going to happen.(1) These were the words of President Candoso of Brasil after the announcement of record high levels of deforestation in the Amazon, up 34% since 1991. The history of international attempts to prevent the destruction of forests supports these words. Deforestation rates The world's forests are important for many reasons—from regulating climate to providing a habitat for the majority of species on earth. There are two types of forest—temperate and tropical. Yet the global rate of tropical forest destruction is increasing. Only a very small proportion of the world's tropical forests are managed sustainably, so as to ensure that trees are not felled at a rate exceeding the capacity of the forest to grow back. Causes It is clear from the very fact that deforestation has taken place on such a huge scale that ecological sustainability has not been given priority. Attempted Solutions: International Agreements However,
Cheetos in crosshairs of deforestation controversy - Mar. 30, 2016 SumOfUs, an online consumer advocacy group, launched a campaign against Cheetos saying that its palm oil policy doesn't go far enough to ensure that it is deforestation-free. Palm oil has been a problematic ingredient, because it is often obtained by clearing rainforests, according to the World Wildlife Federation. That has threatened the habitats of many endangered species, including elephants, orangutans, rhinoceroses and tigers. Cheetos maker Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo (PEP), has committed to using sustainable palm oil that is grown on plantations -- not in rainforests. But that pledge doesn't take full effect until 2020. Yet SumOfUs has called PepsiCo's commitment "weak," criticizing Pepsi for its lack of enforcement. "PepsiCo's palm oil policy is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't really do enough to prevent deforestation," said Katherine Tu, campaign leader at SumOfUS. A spokeswoman for Pepsi denied that IndoFood was excluded from its palm oil pledge.
Saving the Amazon: Winning the war on deforestation 2 January 2012Last updated at 00:55 By Justin Rowlatt BBC News, Amazonia For years, the story told about the Amazon has been one of destruction - the world's largest rainforest, a region of amazing biodiversity, key to the fight against climate change, being remorselessly felled. But that is no longer the whole truth. The Environment Agency special ops team gathered in a sultry town right on the southern edge of the Amazon. These aren't bureaucrats with crumpled suits and clipboards. These officers are, as I was to discover, soldiers on the front line in what Brazil regards as a war - a war to protect the Amazon rainforest. I'd been invited along on one of the agency's routine raids in the jungle. On a map pinned to the wall, three commanders were working out strategies and logistics, just like a military operation. "Are the loggers likely to be armed?" "Don't worry about guns," said the lead officer, Evandro Selva. Nothing serious? River turtles hatch and then head off to 'nursery' Hope
Deforestation: Where is the world losing the most trees? Deforestation Facts for Kids - The World Counts TheWorldCounts, 22 July, 2014 When you see paper and wood, what do you think of? Do you think of the tree that was felled to make the product? Before we started to build cities many centuries ago, they say that 60% of the Earth was covered in Forests. Deforestation is when forests are converted for other purposes by cutting down the trees to clear the land for other use. What you need to know about Deforestation Can you imagine Earth without forests? 13 million hectares of forest have been cleared for other uses or by natural disaster. More facts: Rainforests cover only 6% of the world’s surface… yet they are home to more than 50% of the plant and animal species on Earth.A patch of rainforest measuring 4 square miles can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 400 species of birds, 750 species of trees and 150 species of butterflies. Why are Rainforests Important? Rainforests help regulate the Earth’s temperature and weather patterns. They are home to plants and animals. Reduce.