Forest destruction
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Forest destruction
© AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano
ats - 31 marzo 2021 , 07:28
The area of virgin rainforest destroyed in 2020 is equivalent to the size of the Netherlands, up 12% from the previous year despite the global economic crisis, according to a report released Wednesday.
4.2 million hectares of this essential ecosystem for the planet have disappeared, gone up in smoke or destroyed by humans, according to data from Global Forest Watch based on satellite surveys, which show that Brazil is the first for tropical deforestation. .
https://www.cdt.ch/mondo/distruzione-fo ... d=6k6TRHb8
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
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Re: Distruzione foresta tropicale: +12% nel 2020
Lungs of the Earth
Central Africa - Democratic Republic of Congo
by Jacopo Ottaviani e Isacco Chiaf
In the green heart of Africa, within the provinces of Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and just a few kilometres away from Rwanda and Uganda lies Virunga National Park. Within its 8 thousand square kilometres there are virgin forests, volcanoes, lakes, and savannah, all in a completely unique combination of natural habitats. The park contains many species of plants and animals, and is located in the only region in the world where mountain gorillas can be observed in nature. Having been founded in 1925 when Congo was under the colonial domination of Belgium, it is recognised as the oldest national park in Africa. The park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is part of the Congo Basin which, like the Amazon and Borneo, hosts one of the largest rainforests in the world.
Virunga National Park
To continue click on the title!
Central Africa - Democratic Republic of Congo
by Jacopo Ottaviani e Isacco Chiaf
In the green heart of Africa, within the provinces of Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and just a few kilometres away from Rwanda and Uganda lies Virunga National Park. Within its 8 thousand square kilometres there are virgin forests, volcanoes, lakes, and savannah, all in a completely unique combination of natural habitats. The park contains many species of plants and animals, and is located in the only region in the world where mountain gorillas can be observed in nature. Having been founded in 1925 when Congo was under the colonial domination of Belgium, it is recognised as the oldest national park in Africa. The park is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and is part of the Congo Basin which, like the Amazon and Borneo, hosts one of the largest rainforests in the world.
Virunga National Park
To continue click on the title!
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
Planned Brazil-Peru highway threatens one of Earth’s most biodiverse places
by Fabiano Maisonnave on 22 July 2021
- Serra do Divisor National Park on Brazil’s border with Peru is home to numerous endemic animals and more than a thousand plant species, but faces a double threat from a planned highway and a bid to downgrade its protected status.
- The downgrade from national park to “environmental protection area” would paradoxically open up this Andean-Amazon transition region to deforestation, cattle ranching, and mining — activities that are currently prohibited in the park.
- The highway project, meant to give Acre another land route to the Pacific via Peru, has been embraced by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, which has already taken the first steps toward its construction.
- Indigenous and river community leaders say they have not been consulted about the highway, as required by law, and have not been told about the proposed downgrade of the park, both of which they warn will have negative socioenvironmental impacts.
Click on the title to read the whole article
by Fabiano Maisonnave on 22 July 2021
- Serra do Divisor National Park on Brazil’s border with Peru is home to numerous endemic animals and more than a thousand plant species, but faces a double threat from a planned highway and a bid to downgrade its protected status.
- The downgrade from national park to “environmental protection area” would paradoxically open up this Andean-Amazon transition region to deforestation, cattle ranching, and mining — activities that are currently prohibited in the park.
- The highway project, meant to give Acre another land route to the Pacific via Peru, has been embraced by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, which has already taken the first steps toward its construction.
- Indigenous and river community leaders say they have not been consulted about the highway, as required by law, and have not been told about the proposed downgrade of the park, both of which they warn will have negative socioenvironmental impacts.
Click on the title to read the whole article
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
Kenya’s valuable sandalwoods are being uprooted and stripped to near extinction
By Willis Okumu for ISS Today• 30 August 2021
Although the trade is banned in Kenya, traffickers are profiting from gaps in the laws of neighbouring countries.
Willis Okumu, Senior Researcher — East and Horn of Africa, Enact project, ISS Nairobi.
First published by ISS Today
East Africa’s endangered sandalwood tree is being illegally harvested at a rate that could see it becoming extinct. The misuse of this valuable resource is causing a loss of biodiversity and a source of medicine for local communities.
The increased over-exploitation of this wood in Kenya goes back to 2006, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which lists the tree as threatened. It is also on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Kenya’s government banned the harvesting and trade of sandalwood in 2007. However, the trees continue to be cut for their essential oil, which is extracted to manufacture medicines and cosmetics. The whole tree is uprooted to access the sandalwood oil, most of which is found in the roots and trunk.
A burgeoning illegal trade has grown with the demand for this commodity. Trafficking networks in East Africa exploit community forests in northern Kenya to illegally profit from harvesting the endangered tree.
The high demand from Asia for sandalwood oil also drives the trade. In many Asian communities, the oil is popular in socio-cultural and religious ceremonies and in traditional medicine. On the international market, one litre of sandalwood oil sells for as much as $3,000.
According to John Partangu, a community leader in Samburu County, “Illicit traders often come to Maralal town and hire local youth who direct them to ‘technicians’ — people with local knowledge in identifying the male and female sandalwood trees. The female tree is prized due to the belief that it yields more oil, although this is unsubstantiated.
“These technicians then supervise the harvesting of sandalwood from the forests and its transportation on donkeys to local homesteads (by members of the community) where fees for security and storage are paid to locals.”
A map showing the Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta land route, which serves mainly to traffic sandalwood out of Samburu County. (Graphic: Supplied by ISS Today)
Community members with unfettered access to forests in Lodung’okwe, South Horr and Wamba in Samburu County work closely with ‘technicians’ to identify and harvest trees with high oil potential.
Local youth are paid KSh30/kg for wood and roots harvested from these trees. The sandalwood ‘owners’ — those with rights to access public forests based on their location on community land — are paid KSh300 (US$3)/kg of harvest. The wood is removed from the forests on donkeys and stored in local homesteads, where intermediaries transport it to nearby town centres.
From there, the harvest is moved via different routes to neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania. The Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta land route (see map) mainly serves to traffic sandalwood out of Samburu County. The Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta-Rumuruti-Nyahururu-Nakuru route enables smugglers to move their illegal goods towards the Kenya-Uganda border.
The town centres along the way serve as venues for repackaging the wood for onward transport. Police vehicles, ambulances, or high-end vehicles are used to move the harvest to designated borders such as the Busia and Malaba crossing with Uganda. These panya routes are illegal entry points used for smuggling goods and people.
The sandalwood is taken across the border to Tororo in Uganda. There it is semi-processed and exported through the Kenyan Port of Mombasa to markets in Asia and the Arabian Gulf, such as India, China, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. This means that Kenyan security and customs officials have twice the opportunity to apprehend traffickers in their territory.
According to a senior conservation official in Kenya, “Sandalwood trafficking in the country is mostly facilitated by political leaders who use their leverage to exploit community resources for personal gain.”
Criminal charges for trading in endangered or threatened species (section 92 of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013) have been brought against Kenya Wildlife Service officers involved in sandalwood trafficking. This shows that the very custodians of Kenya’s flora are part of these exploitative syndicates. It also highlights the governance challenges facing enforcement of environmental laws and the need for better oversight of those tasked with protecting public resources.
The lack of uniformity in regional regulations is also a key enabler of trafficking in East Africa. The sandalwood trade may be banned in Kenya, yet just over the border, a licensed Ugandan factory that semi-processes the wood is a convenient way to make the illegal harvest ‘disappear’. It is vital that environmental regulations in neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda align to the Cites designation of the East African sandalwood as a threatened species.
Tackling this over-exploitation requires a range of responses. Those involved in trafficking must be investigated and prosecuted. Just as important is a concerted effort at the community level in Kenya to preserve this valuable tree. Community-based conservation initiatives are needed to gain local support for protecting and preserving the tree and its socio-cultural value. DM
This article was first published by ENACT. ENACT is funded by the European Union (EU). The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the author and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the EU.
By Willis Okumu for ISS Today• 30 August 2021
Although the trade is banned in Kenya, traffickers are profiting from gaps in the laws of neighbouring countries.
Willis Okumu, Senior Researcher — East and Horn of Africa, Enact project, ISS Nairobi.
First published by ISS Today
East Africa’s endangered sandalwood tree is being illegally harvested at a rate that could see it becoming extinct. The misuse of this valuable resource is causing a loss of biodiversity and a source of medicine for local communities.
The increased over-exploitation of this wood in Kenya goes back to 2006, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which lists the tree as threatened. It is also on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Kenya’s government banned the harvesting and trade of sandalwood in 2007. However, the trees continue to be cut for their essential oil, which is extracted to manufacture medicines and cosmetics. The whole tree is uprooted to access the sandalwood oil, most of which is found in the roots and trunk.
A burgeoning illegal trade has grown with the demand for this commodity. Trafficking networks in East Africa exploit community forests in northern Kenya to illegally profit from harvesting the endangered tree.
The high demand from Asia for sandalwood oil also drives the trade. In many Asian communities, the oil is popular in socio-cultural and religious ceremonies and in traditional medicine. On the international market, one litre of sandalwood oil sells for as much as $3,000.
According to John Partangu, a community leader in Samburu County, “Illicit traders often come to Maralal town and hire local youth who direct them to ‘technicians’ — people with local knowledge in identifying the male and female sandalwood trees. The female tree is prized due to the belief that it yields more oil, although this is unsubstantiated.
“These technicians then supervise the harvesting of sandalwood from the forests and its transportation on donkeys to local homesteads (by members of the community) where fees for security and storage are paid to locals.”
A map showing the Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta land route, which serves mainly to traffic sandalwood out of Samburu County. (Graphic: Supplied by ISS Today)
Community members with unfettered access to forests in Lodung’okwe, South Horr and Wamba in Samburu County work closely with ‘technicians’ to identify and harvest trees with high oil potential.
Local youth are paid KSh30/kg for wood and roots harvested from these trees. The sandalwood ‘owners’ — those with rights to access public forests based on their location on community land — are paid KSh300 (US$3)/kg of harvest. The wood is removed from the forests on donkeys and stored in local homesteads, where intermediaries transport it to nearby town centres.
From there, the harvest is moved via different routes to neighbouring Uganda and Tanzania. The Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta land route (see map) mainly serves to traffic sandalwood out of Samburu County. The Wamba-Sura Adoru-Suguta-Rumuruti-Nyahururu-Nakuru route enables smugglers to move their illegal goods towards the Kenya-Uganda border.
The town centres along the way serve as venues for repackaging the wood for onward transport. Police vehicles, ambulances, or high-end vehicles are used to move the harvest to designated borders such as the Busia and Malaba crossing with Uganda. These panya routes are illegal entry points used for smuggling goods and people.
The sandalwood is taken across the border to Tororo in Uganda. There it is semi-processed and exported through the Kenyan Port of Mombasa to markets in Asia and the Arabian Gulf, such as India, China, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai. This means that Kenyan security and customs officials have twice the opportunity to apprehend traffickers in their territory.
According to a senior conservation official in Kenya, “Sandalwood trafficking in the country is mostly facilitated by political leaders who use their leverage to exploit community resources for personal gain.”
Criminal charges for trading in endangered or threatened species (section 92 of the Wildlife Conservation Management Act 2013) have been brought against Kenya Wildlife Service officers involved in sandalwood trafficking. This shows that the very custodians of Kenya’s flora are part of these exploitative syndicates. It also highlights the governance challenges facing enforcement of environmental laws and the need for better oversight of those tasked with protecting public resources.
The lack of uniformity in regional regulations is also a key enabler of trafficking in East Africa. The sandalwood trade may be banned in Kenya, yet just over the border, a licensed Ugandan factory that semi-processes the wood is a convenient way to make the illegal harvest ‘disappear’. It is vital that environmental regulations in neighbouring Tanzania and Uganda align to the Cites designation of the East African sandalwood as a threatened species.
Tackling this over-exploitation requires a range of responses. Those involved in trafficking must be investigated and prosecuted. Just as important is a concerted effort at the community level in Kenya to preserve this valuable tree. Community-based conservation initiatives are needed to gain local support for protecting and preserving the tree and its socio-cultural value. DM
This article was first published by ENACT. ENACT is funded by the European Union (EU). The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the author and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the EU.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
Fight against climate crisis being hacked off at the knees in DRC
A man walks past a pile of Afrormosia, a highly valued tropical hardwood. Afrormosia is a protected tree species whose international trade is strictly regulated. The logs are waiting to be transported via the Lomami River, a tributary of Congo River, near the village of Yafunga. About 40 million people in the DRC depend on the rainforest for their basic needs, such as medicine, food or shelter. (Photo: Greenpeace)
By Onke Ngcuka| 31 Oct 2021
The Congo Basin is considered as one the world’s lungs because of its ability to absorb large amounts of carbon, which mitigates the effects of the climate crisis in Africa — a continent highly vulnerable to the crisis. Despite this, the Congolese government wants to lift a ban on logging that protects the forest and its communities.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a department is working against efforts to limit global carbon emissions by lifting a longstanding moratorium on the Congo Basin forest — an area integral to the Central African region’s climate. This comes ahead of the UN’s climate crisis COP26 meetings, where world leaders are expected to discuss a progressive way forward to reducing carbon emissions while maintaining a 1.5ºC global temperature goal.
An aerial view of a village in Lac Paku in the peatland forest near Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vast peatland areas recently discovered by scientists in the swamps of the Congo Basin rainforest are estimated to store the equivalent of three years’ worth of total global fossil fuel. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
In July, the DRC’s Minister of the Environment and Sustainability, Ève Bazaiba announced that her department will be lifting a moratorium on industrial logging that has been in place since 2002.
Bazaiba and her staff did not respond to questions posed by the Daily Maverick, but she has previously been quoted as saying the moratorium did not stop illegal logging. She added that the ban was prohibiting potential revenue for the central state and that lifting the moratorium would bring about a new plan for the management of the forest.
Bazaiba succeeded Claude Nyamugabo as Minister of the Environment and Sustainability. Nyamugabo was taken to court by activists after questionable forest concessions that violated the moratorium and involved Belgian, Chinese and Congolese companies. DRC President Félix Tshisekedi earlier this month called for an audit of the concessions and all contracts to be suspended pending the investigations.
The concessions Nyamugabo is involved in include forest areas with carbon-rich peat soils — decayed organic material that releases high amounts of carbon when disturbed.
The Monboyo River and peatland forest of Salonga National Park south-east of Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
Serge Sabin Ngwato is a Greenpeace DRCforest campaigner, which is part of the 44 Congolese and international organisations calling for the moratorium to remain in place. He told Daily Maverick that if the moratorium was lifted, the impact would be felt most by local and indigenous communities at the forefront of protecting forests in the DRC. He said the expected 20 million hectares earmarked for logging would also have devastating effects on the environment.
“I think the role of the Congo forest is so important for the stabilising of the climate. Lifting the moratorium will increase the climate crisis, not only for the DRC but for the continent and our global planet. It will destroy biodiversity and increase the level of poverty for the indigenous people who are living and are dependent on this forest,” Ngwato said.
The government is seeking $1-billion (R15.25bn) to carry out new forest management plans from the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) ahead of COP26, which could be used to garner further climate funding at the conference. The initiative — a coalition of donors between Norway, France, Germany, The Netherlands, South Korea, the European Union and the UK — has so far given about $170-million in forest protection investment to the DRC.
A logging operation in peatland forest at Lokolama / Penzele around Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
The Congo Basin, considered to be one of the “lungs of the Earth”, is home to the world’s second-largest rainforest after the Amazon. It holds the largest extensive tropical peatlands and is also responsible for reducing 1.5-billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere, which comprises about 4% of the world’s emissions.
The basin spans across six countries; Cameroon, DRC, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, stretching across 3.7-million square kilometres. It is also home to endangered wildlife, indigenous plant species and a source of food, water and shelter for locals, who are also dependent on the forest for charcoal. Making charcoal, a cheap form of energy, is among the leading causes of deforestation in the region.
In an open letter published on Thursday to entities including CAFI, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the European Union, 27 scientists warned that the consequences of the moratorium’s lifting could be catastrophic. The scientists warn that an additional billion tons of carbon would be released into the atmosphere and wildlife species could become extinct.
Afrormosia, a highly valued and protected tropical hardwood, is logged by the Safbois concession. (Photo: Greenpeace)
The Congo Basin is an important source of moisture for the West African region and plays a key role in the region’s precipitation.
Mishandling of the forest not only has negative effects on those living in and around the Congo Basin forests, but also has negative environmental implications that ripple through the continent. As world leaders head to Glasgow, Scotland to convince developed nations that they need climate financing to adapt to the consequences of the climate crisis, lifting a near 20-year moratorium that mitigates climate impact ahead of the talks is not a convincing standpoint.
Although Bazaiba has touted the move as one for the DRC’s economic gain, in their open letter Ngwato and the scientists said the logging industry had not brought about any economic benefits to local and indigenous communities.
“Contrary to frequent claims, the logging industry has too often not brought any social or economic benefits to local people, only the loss of resources they depend on — while serving as a major vector of corruption at all levels of government. It is now widely recognised that forests under the control of indigenous peoples and other local communities can deliver far better environmental, social and economic outcomes,” the scientists wrote.
The DRC’s peatland forests from Kinshasa to Mbandaka, over the Mai-Ndombe area. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
Communities rely on the forest for resources ranging from food and water to medicinal plants. According to Ngwato, indigenous communities are already battling to lay claim to the land in and around the forest, and lifting the moratorium would only pose a further challenge for them.
In 2018, the DRC suffered the second-largest forest loss after Brazil, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI), with rates 38% higher than the previous year. Most of the loss has been attributed to slash-and-burn agriculture and the harvesting of wood for fuel. The rest of the loss has been attributed to new and medium-sized agriculture, as well as conflict-induced displacement.
Africa is among the most vulnerable regions as far as climate crisis effects are concerned. Strapped for resources it needs to adapt to the consequences of a changing climate, the continent needs every bit of help to mitigate and adapt to the crisis. A lifting of the moratorium strays from the adaptation and mitigation ideals of the Paris Agreement — goals that are key to developing nations securing climate financing and staving off extreme climate crisis consequences.
Lifting the ban on industrial logging would also go against the pledges made by Tshisekedi to limit the country’s emissions by 17% and restore forest cover to 63.5% by 2030 after meeting with US President Joe Biden earlier this year.
“In DRC, a big part of the population [is] living in the rural areas… The only way for them to improve their livelihood and their living conditions is to depend on this forest. This forest is everything to them; this forest is their capital,” Ngwato said. DM/OBP
A man walks past a pile of Afrormosia, a highly valued tropical hardwood. Afrormosia is a protected tree species whose international trade is strictly regulated. The logs are waiting to be transported via the Lomami River, a tributary of Congo River, near the village of Yafunga. About 40 million people in the DRC depend on the rainforest for their basic needs, such as medicine, food or shelter. (Photo: Greenpeace)
By Onke Ngcuka| 31 Oct 2021
The Congo Basin is considered as one the world’s lungs because of its ability to absorb large amounts of carbon, which mitigates the effects of the climate crisis in Africa — a continent highly vulnerable to the crisis. Despite this, the Congolese government wants to lift a ban on logging that protects the forest and its communities.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a department is working against efforts to limit global carbon emissions by lifting a longstanding moratorium on the Congo Basin forest — an area integral to the Central African region’s climate. This comes ahead of the UN’s climate crisis COP26 meetings, where world leaders are expected to discuss a progressive way forward to reducing carbon emissions while maintaining a 1.5ºC global temperature goal.
An aerial view of a village in Lac Paku in the peatland forest near Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vast peatland areas recently discovered by scientists in the swamps of the Congo Basin rainforest are estimated to store the equivalent of three years’ worth of total global fossil fuel. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
In July, the DRC’s Minister of the Environment and Sustainability, Ève Bazaiba announced that her department will be lifting a moratorium on industrial logging that has been in place since 2002.
Bazaiba and her staff did not respond to questions posed by the Daily Maverick, but she has previously been quoted as saying the moratorium did not stop illegal logging. She added that the ban was prohibiting potential revenue for the central state and that lifting the moratorium would bring about a new plan for the management of the forest.
Bazaiba succeeded Claude Nyamugabo as Minister of the Environment and Sustainability. Nyamugabo was taken to court by activists after questionable forest concessions that violated the moratorium and involved Belgian, Chinese and Congolese companies. DRC President Félix Tshisekedi earlier this month called for an audit of the concessions and all contracts to be suspended pending the investigations.
The concessions Nyamugabo is involved in include forest areas with carbon-rich peat soils — decayed organic material that releases high amounts of carbon when disturbed.
The Monboyo River and peatland forest of Salonga National Park south-east of Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
Serge Sabin Ngwato is a Greenpeace DRCforest campaigner, which is part of the 44 Congolese and international organisations calling for the moratorium to remain in place. He told Daily Maverick that if the moratorium was lifted, the impact would be felt most by local and indigenous communities at the forefront of protecting forests in the DRC. He said the expected 20 million hectares earmarked for logging would also have devastating effects on the environment.
“I think the role of the Congo forest is so important for the stabilising of the climate. Lifting the moratorium will increase the climate crisis, not only for the DRC but for the continent and our global planet. It will destroy biodiversity and increase the level of poverty for the indigenous people who are living and are dependent on this forest,” Ngwato said.
The government is seeking $1-billion (R15.25bn) to carry out new forest management plans from the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) ahead of COP26, which could be used to garner further climate funding at the conference. The initiative — a coalition of donors between Norway, France, Germany, The Netherlands, South Korea, the European Union and the UK — has so far given about $170-million in forest protection investment to the DRC.
A logging operation in peatland forest at Lokolama / Penzele around Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
The Congo Basin, considered to be one of the “lungs of the Earth”, is home to the world’s second-largest rainforest after the Amazon. It holds the largest extensive tropical peatlands and is also responsible for reducing 1.5-billion tons of carbon from the atmosphere, which comprises about 4% of the world’s emissions.
The basin spans across six countries; Cameroon, DRC, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, stretching across 3.7-million square kilometres. It is also home to endangered wildlife, indigenous plant species and a source of food, water and shelter for locals, who are also dependent on the forest for charcoal. Making charcoal, a cheap form of energy, is among the leading causes of deforestation in the region.
In an open letter published on Thursday to entities including CAFI, the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and the European Union, 27 scientists warned that the consequences of the moratorium’s lifting could be catastrophic. The scientists warn that an additional billion tons of carbon would be released into the atmosphere and wildlife species could become extinct.
Afrormosia, a highly valued and protected tropical hardwood, is logged by the Safbois concession. (Photo: Greenpeace)
The Congo Basin is an important source of moisture for the West African region and plays a key role in the region’s precipitation.
Mishandling of the forest not only has negative effects on those living in and around the Congo Basin forests, but also has negative environmental implications that ripple through the continent. As world leaders head to Glasgow, Scotland to convince developed nations that they need climate financing to adapt to the consequences of the climate crisis, lifting a near 20-year moratorium that mitigates climate impact ahead of the talks is not a convincing standpoint.
Although Bazaiba has touted the move as one for the DRC’s economic gain, in their open letter Ngwato and the scientists said the logging industry had not brought about any economic benefits to local and indigenous communities.
“Contrary to frequent claims, the logging industry has too often not brought any social or economic benefits to local people, only the loss of resources they depend on — while serving as a major vector of corruption at all levels of government. It is now widely recognised that forests under the control of indigenous peoples and other local communities can deliver far better environmental, social and economic outcomes,” the scientists wrote.
The DRC’s peatland forests from Kinshasa to Mbandaka, over the Mai-Ndombe area. (Photo: Daniel Beltrá / Greenpeace)
Communities rely on the forest for resources ranging from food and water to medicinal plants. According to Ngwato, indigenous communities are already battling to lay claim to the land in and around the forest, and lifting the moratorium would only pose a further challenge for them.
In 2018, the DRC suffered the second-largest forest loss after Brazil, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI), with rates 38% higher than the previous year. Most of the loss has been attributed to slash-and-burn agriculture and the harvesting of wood for fuel. The rest of the loss has been attributed to new and medium-sized agriculture, as well as conflict-induced displacement.
Africa is among the most vulnerable regions as far as climate crisis effects are concerned. Strapped for resources it needs to adapt to the consequences of a changing climate, the continent needs every bit of help to mitigate and adapt to the crisis. A lifting of the moratorium strays from the adaptation and mitigation ideals of the Paris Agreement — goals that are key to developing nations securing climate financing and staving off extreme climate crisis consequences.
Lifting the ban on industrial logging would also go against the pledges made by Tshisekedi to limit the country’s emissions by 17% and restore forest cover to 63.5% by 2030 after meeting with US President Joe Biden earlier this year.
“In DRC, a big part of the population [is] living in the rural areas… The only way for them to improve their livelihood and their living conditions is to depend on this forest. This forest is everything to them; this forest is their capital,” Ngwato said. DM/OBP
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
- Richprins
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
Please check Needs Attention pre-booking: https://africawild-forum.com/viewtopic.php?f=322&t=596
- Lisbeth
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
https://youtu.be/SzQuUp0gxf8
The global illegal timber trade generates up to $152 billion a year. This accounts for up to 90% of deforestation in tropical countries, and attracts the world’s biggest organized crime groups.
Illegal logging is today responsible for 15% to 30% of global timber production.
Estimates vary because complex international supply chains make it difficult to ensure the timber has been lawfully handled at every stage. Illegal logging is devastating forests in the Greater Mekong region, which consists of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and parts of China.
Read the full story here: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/the...
#mongabay #mekong #biodiversity #environment
The global illegal timber trade generates up to $152 billion a year. This accounts for up to 90% of deforestation in tropical countries, and attracts the world’s biggest organized crime groups.
Illegal logging is today responsible for 15% to 30% of global timber production.
Estimates vary because complex international supply chains make it difficult to ensure the timber has been lawfully handled at every stage. Illegal logging is devastating forests in the Greater Mekong region, which consists of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and parts of China.
Read the full story here: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/the...
#mongabay #mekong #biodiversity #environment
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The desire for equality must never exceed the demands of knowledge
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Re: Tropical forest destruction: + 12% in 2020
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