Estimated percentage of degraded and primary forest for selected Asian tropical nations, based on a recent analysis. Degraded forests include logged and secondary forests and plantations. Courtesy of Current Science.Rainforest destruction continues in tropical Asia
December 9, 2007
Rhett A. Butler
mongabay.com
Tropical forests in Asia have been rapidly and extensively destroyed over the past generation, with significant implications for the region's biodiversity and global climate.
A new study, published in the December volume of Current Science, finds that Asian forest loss has occurred mostly in poor, corrupt countries that have high population density and robust population growth rates.
Analyzing forest cover data and economic and demographic figures, Dr. William Laurance of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, shows that half of tropical Asian nations have already lost more than 70 percent of their forest cover, while the pace of deforestation across the region (0.8-0.9 percent per year) has been about twice as high as rates in Latin America and Africa (0.4-0.5 percent per year). Worryingly, Laurance says that clearing in forest-rich countries like Indonesia and Malaysia appears to be increasingly driven by large-scale commercial activities like industrial agriculture and logging rather than subsistence farming by small-holders, suggesting that the link between population density and forest exploitation may be diminishing in significance. The trend, fueled by economic globalization including surging Chinese demand for natural resources, is important because it indicates that urbanization — which some analysts believe will reduce pressure on forest areas, thereby allowing regeneration of forests on abandoned agricultural lands — may not be may not be a panacea for forest recovery.
"It is important to emphasize... that industrial drivers have clearly increased in importance in recent decades as a proximate cause of tropical forest conversion," writes Laurance. "In tropical Asia, among the most important of such industrial drivers are selective logging, largescale plantations of oil-palm and rubber trees and mineral exploitation. Such activities not only directly destroy or degrade forests, but they also provide a key economic impetus for road-building in forested areas. Such roads greatly increase physical accessibility to forests for colonists, hunters and swidden farmers."
"As industrialization and globalization further increase in tropical Asia, the strong relationship between local population density and forest cover may begin to weaken, because even sparsely populated countries can be intensively exploited in a globalized world," he continues.
Protected areas in tropical Asia
While protected areas could help slow the impact of industrial conversion of natural forests, Laurance says that conservation efforts in some tropical Asian countries have shown "mixed" results due to corruption and resource availability outside protected areas.
"Many protected areas are being isolated and degraded by illegal logging, hunting and other forms of encroachment," he writes. "Some reserves have already collapsed ecologically. Protected areas in Peninsular Malaysia and Java are relatively stable, but many in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesian Borneo are seriously imperiled."
Laurance argues that improved law enforcement and programs to expand protected areas — like the "Heart of Borneo" initiative to conserve a large swathe of forest in central Borneo — could help limit biodiversity and forest loss in the region, but warns that action must come soon in order to be effective.
"Having spent years working in the Amazon and Central Africa, it's striking to see how serious the situation is in tropical Asia," Laurance told mongabay.com. "The fundamental drivers of forest destruction are remarkably intense, and the region contains the greatest concentration of biodiversity hotspots on earth. It's a tragedy in the making."
CITATION: William F. Laurance (2007). Forest destruction in tropical Asia. CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 93, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2007
A new study, published in the December volume of Current Science, finds that Asian forest loss has occurred mostly in poor, corrupt countries that have high population density and robust population growth rates.
Analyzing forest cover data and economic and demographic figures, Dr. William Laurance of Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, shows that half of tropical Asian nations have already lost more than 70 percent of their forest cover, while the pace of deforestation across the region (0.8-0.9 percent per year) has been about twice as high as rates in Latin America and Africa (0.4-0.5 percent per year). Worryingly, Laurance says that clearing in forest-rich countries like Indonesia and Malaysia appears to be increasingly driven by large-scale commercial activities like industrial agriculture and logging rather than subsistence farming by small-holders, suggesting that the link between population density and forest exploitation may be diminishing in significance. The trend, fueled by economic globalization including surging Chinese demand for natural resources, is important because it indicates that urbanization — which some analysts believe will reduce pressure on forest areas, thereby allowing regeneration of forests on abandoned agricultural lands — may not be may not be a panacea for forest recovery.
"It is important to emphasize... that industrial drivers have clearly increased in importance in recent decades as a proximate cause of tropical forest conversion," writes Laurance. "In tropical Asia, among the most important of such industrial drivers are selective logging, largescale plantations of oil-palm and rubber trees and mineral exploitation. Such activities not only directly destroy or degrade forests, but they also provide a key economic impetus for road-building in forested areas. Such roads greatly increase physical accessibility to forests for colonists, hunters and swidden farmers."
"As industrialization and globalization further increase in tropical Asia, the strong relationship between local population density and forest cover may begin to weaken, because even sparsely populated countries can be intensively exploited in a globalized world," he continues.
Protected areas in tropical Asia
While protected areas could help slow the impact of industrial conversion of natural forests, Laurance says that conservation efforts in some tropical Asian countries have shown "mixed" results due to corruption and resource availability outside protected areas.
"Many protected areas are being isolated and degraded by illegal logging, hunting and other forms of encroachment," he writes. "Some reserves have already collapsed ecologically. Protected areas in Peninsular Malaysia and Java are relatively stable, but many in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Indonesian Borneo are seriously imperiled."
Laurance argues that improved law enforcement and programs to expand protected areas — like the "Heart of Borneo" initiative to conserve a large swathe of forest in central Borneo — could help limit biodiversity and forest loss in the region, but warns that action must come soon in order to be effective.
"Having spent years working in the Amazon and Central Africa, it's striking to see how serious the situation is in tropical Asia," Laurance told mongabay.com. "The fundamental drivers of forest destruction are remarkably intense, and the region contains the greatest concentration of biodiversity hotspots on earth. It's a tragedy in the making."
CITATION: William F. Laurance (2007). Forest destruction in tropical Asia. CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 93, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2007
9 comments:
Soon we will be the desert of Asia. Cambodia is no need to depleting their rain forest. We don't have the population Vietname or Burma have. Why are we always pick the worst one to be a role model.
Wrong, Cambodia still got too much trees yet, and we must to clear up some more trees in order to continue to develop the country. We are not going to stay in poverty just because a bunch of idiots think a little dot on the planet could caused global warming and other shits.
We don't need to cut to develop the country. Just look at other country that much richer than Cambodia and they keep their forest. In term of land, Cambodia has plenty of land to do farming but we don't utilize it. A lot of land are empty yet they cut more trees in name of development. I think it is enough excuse, even the dumb knows it is wrong to cut the trees. If we save the trees, we save the wild animals, save the environment, less drought, less flooding, less pollution; thus it is much more good in the long term. Why can't they understand that? They are spending the Cambodia future...
3:47, the good old days are gone, dude. Time has changed a lot. We have a lot more people to look out for, these days.
Yes, there are country who is richer than us and still have trees, but that is because they are manufacturing expensive goods like Rolex watches, computer chips, cars, ..., and we can't do that right now or anytime soon. Thus, to be decent (not rich,) we'll have to used most of our land.
3:47AM, I am with you brother. I have the same thoughts and comments many months ago regarding the ecological disaster. But, some illogical/mismanagement/capital venture, and the inadequate education is very detrimental for Khmer forestry.
No matter how minutes it is. The world is interconnected. Oil spills DOES NOT stagnated -- it ripples. ALL I WISH THAT KHMERS WOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO GO TO SCHOOL. How long would the Jolie-Maddox-Pitt Project survive?
Stop dreaming, 6:21, there is no ecological disaster here, only in the US. Every year, the US wild fires and pollutant emissions continue to choke our planet's environment and causing suffering all around the world.
And yes, do yourself a favor by going to school to learn more about it and don't worry so much about a little dot on the planet.
I say let this imbecile Viet troller bitch that pretends to be Khmer speaking for Khmer @1:17 AM, @4:56 AM, and 7:38 AM runs out of air and drops dead miserably because no Khmer in the right mind would never ever derogatorily calls Khmer names "Ah Khmer-Yuon" throughout KI-Media and no Khmer in the right mind would never ever be swayed or influenced by this Viet troller bitch
nonsensical, trash talking and writing.
[khmer unicode]មីសំផឹង យួនឯងនឹង ពូជអាយួន ឈ្លានពាន នឹងត្រូវខ្មែរ ស្នេហាជាតិ សំឡាប់អោយផុតពូជមិនខាន៕
7:38AM, you should be thankful to breathe the clean air in America. Have you not stopped pretending your rightousnes in defending the CPP over the blood of the innocent Khmer people? You, yourself knew at sometimes that HunSen failed policies is not in the best interest of the the Country & her citizens.
"there is no ecological disaster here, only in the US. Every year, the US wild fires and pollutant emissions continue to choke our planet's environment and causing suffering all around the world." SINCE YOU ARE EDUCATED IN THE US, isn't wild fire a natural disaster, and how it possible for you to blame on America.
One suggestion 7:38AM, the emissions you're talking about is a car if my conjecture is correct! Give Up your automobile and start helping the society by taking a public transportation.
America got clean air? hahaha, LOL, hahaha. You people are a great comedian, I tell you, hahaha, LOL, hahaha.
And yeah, car (better yet large SUV) is one of the many things that continue to destroyed our planet. And since you've bragged about you stupid hitech to everyone, why don't you used your stupid solar panel for your transportation and spare the world the high price of fuel.
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