February 28, 2007
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Global Climate Change Digest
A Guide to Information on Greenhouse Gases and Ozone Depletion
Published July 1988 through June 1999
FROM VOLUME 3, NUMBER 10, OCTOBER 1990
Two recent independent estimates show that the
rate of tropical forest destruction has increased substantially through the
1980s. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates annual
destruction to be 17.1 million hectares, equal to about one percent of the
remaining rainforests and dry forests in the tropics, compared with its 1980
estimate of 11.3 million hectares. The latest figure represents initial results
from a detailed survey to be completed by the FAO in 1992, based on satellite
images, population information and outside reports. In World Resources
1990-91, the World Resources Institute estimates annual destruction of 16.4
to 20.4 million hectares, based on 1987 ground surveys and satellite data.
The Tropical Forestry Action Plan (TFAP), established in 1985 by the FAO,
the World Bank and the World Resources Institute, is intended to foster
preservation of tropical forests while accommodating sustainable exploitation by
poor, indigenous inhabitants. Coordinated by the FAO through national plans in
over 70 countries, the program has received increasing criticism lately.
A March report issued by the World Rainforest Movement, an international
nongovernmental group, claims the TFAP encourages deforestation, primarily
because the individual national plans are dominated by conventional forestry
interests. (See New Scientist, p. 25, Mar. 31, 1990.) In June, the World
Resources Institute published a review of the TFAP which concluded that
reorganization and reorientation are necessary. Finally, an independent review
panel established by the FAO itself recommended in June several substantial
reforms of the program. (See New Scientist, p. 26, June 23.) A coalition
of about 20 international nongovernmental groups headed by Friends of the Earth
(U.S.) distributed a series of recommendations in September, based in part on
these reviews, aimed at the major funders of the TFAP, such as the World Bank.
The groups hope to influence a series of meetings planned by the FAO this fall
on forest policy.
The World Resources Institute reports mentioned above were listed in Global
Climate Change Digest, REPORTS/FROM WRI, Aug. 1990; a related study
available is Indigenous Peoples and the Tropical Forestry Action Plan.
Contact WRI at 1735 New York Ave. NW, Washington DC 20006 (202-638-6300).
Contact Friends of the Earth at 218 D St. SE, Washington DC 20003
(202-544-2600). The FAO forest survey is being compiled by K.D. Singh, Forestry
Div., U.N. FAO, 00100 Rome, Italy. That survey and the WRI work are discussed in
"The Fall of the Forest: Tropical Tree Losses Go from Bad to Worse,"
R. Monastersky, Science News, pp. 40-41, July 21.
Interest appears to be growing for a world convention on tropical forest
preservation, one of the recommendations to emerge from the July economic summit
held in Houston, Texas. A subgroup of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change also made this recommendation at a workshop on tropical forestry response
options earlier this year (Intl. Environ. Rptr., p. 52, Feb. 1990). See
also "Prince of Wales Proposes Treaty to Protect Tropical Rainforests,"
ibid., p. 115, Mar.; "Columbia Calls on Rich to Fund Forest
Protection," S. Pain, New Scientist, p. 22, Apr. 21.
See commentaries by Radulovich and Sandler in PROF. PUBS./COMMENTARY, this
Global Climate Change Digest issue--Oct. 1990. Other related articles:
"Brazil's Thriving Environmental Movement," N.B. Worcman, Technology
Review, pp. 42-51, Oct. 1990. This feature article by a Brazilian journalist
discusses the political setting of environmentalism in the country that has
one-third of the world's tropical forests.
"Brazilians Launch Plan to Bring Back the Trees," F. Lesser, New
Scientist, p. 32, Sep. 8, 1990. A group of scientists and industrialists has
drafted a plan to reforest large areas of their country with 10 billion trees
covering 201,000 square kilometers. It estimates the trees could absorb up to
five percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
"Timber Organization Adopts Forest Plan Despite U.S. Reservations on
Time Frame," Intl. Environ. Rptr., p. 249, June 1990. At its May
1990 annual meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the International Tropical Timber
Organization (ITTO) adopted a sustainable forestry plan supported by
conservationists. Only the United States objected to setting a target date.
"Amazon Rainforest Problems Exaggerated by Reports, Official Says,"
ibid., p. 173, April 1990. This view was expressed by the president of
an Amazon development group to the Globe '90 environmental conference in
Vancouver, British Columbia.
"Replanted Forest Could 'Offset' Dutch Coal-Fired Power Stations,"
P. Spinks, New Scientist, p. 22, Apr. 21, 1990. The Netherlands
Electricity Generating Board and the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture
are proposing to off-set the annual emission of six million tons of carbon
dioxide from two planned power stations. Over a period of 25 years, 250,000
hectares of tropical rainforest would be replanted in Bolivia, Peru, Columbia,
Ecuador and Costa Rica.
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