Tropical rainforest in Agumbe, IndiaAmazon rainforestTropical rainforest map
Building blocks for tropical rainforest conservation include ecotourism and rehabilitation. Reforestation and restoration are common practices in certain areas to try to increase tropical rainforest density. By communicating with the local people living in, and around, the rainforest, conservationists can learn more about what might allow them to best focus their efforts.[1]Rainforests are globally important to sustainability and preservation of biodiversity. Although they may vary in location and inhabited species of plants and animals, they remain important worldwide for their abundance of natural resources and for the ecosystem services. It is important to take into consideration the differing species and the biodiversity that exists across different rainforest types in order to accurately implement methods of conservation.[2]
The Bonn Challenge is a deal signed in 2011 by 58 countries who pledged to restore 150 million hectares (Mha) of forest by 2020. This was later reaffirmed to restore 350 Mha by the year 2030. The challenge recognized that, while reforestation initiatives exist, they are far outpaced by levels of deforestation. Thus, its goals include to reduce this gap in order to restore rainforests around the world and, by doing so, improving biodiversity and human lives. The pledge works in conjunction with a wide range of other international initiatives. These include the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative and Initiative 20x20, among others.[3]
Keys to Successful Restoration
One of the most impactful ways in which forest restoration can be carried out successfully is by identifying "restoration hotspots," or areas that give restoration efforts the greatest chance for success. These areas are defined as places in which restoration offers the highest socioeconomic benefits and a place in which restoration is feasible.[4] These are important to take into account because in many cases, for an individual property owner, engaging in deforestation brings him more benefit than preservation.[5] The four components that make up restoration benefits are the conservation of biodiversity, the effectiveness of reducing climate change, climate change adaptation, and improving human water security. In addition, restoration feasibility is made up of three parts: the opportunity cost of changing land from agricultural back to rainforest, how well the forest is capable of recovering, and the chance that the restored forest will persist in the future.[4] Based off of this criteria, over 863 Mha of rainforest around the globe qualifies as a "restoration hotspot." Brazil contains nearly one third of all global hotspots, while other significant contributors include Indonesia, India, Madagascar, and Colombia.[4]
In addition to identifying restoration hotspots, local organization and participation is essential for ensuring that conservation efforts are successful. The socioeconomic needs of the local population thus needs to be considered when implementing restoration plans, in order to increase civilian support and long-term regrowth.[6]
Conservation Methods
Tropical rainforest conservation currently holds many different forms around the world. In Asian countries, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and China, the governments play a major role in restoration efforts. Governments may implement and provide funds for projects, which usually include planting fast-growing trees. This had led to some success, however the extent of success is not clear.[7] This contrasts with efforts predominately executed by South American countries such as Peru and Brazil. In these, the government takes a less direct role. Instead, it provides incentives to farmers to reduce deforestation, which may take the form of tax credits. In addition to this, many local, small scale projects are embraced rather than large, government-ran ones.[7]
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is conducting tours of a specific area in efforts to teach the public about often threatened environments. It is a practice that represents one imperative solution to saving endangered habitat. Tourists and tour guides alike often make generous donations to conservation efforts in the regions they visit, greatly helping the preservation of the Amazon rainforest.[8] Experts are continuously and commonly discussing with conservationists, policy-makers, and local politicians and leaders about ecotourism and its impacts on surrounding ecosystems.[9] Ecotourism can contribute to the conservation and sustainability of biodiversity in rainforests. Many of the tropical field stations are visited by tourists and the general public, by students and volunteers and of 142 field stations surveyed received a total of ~11,055–18,950 visitors per year[10] Ecotourism has also shown to give way towards accessing an environmental economic growth. Studies have shown that ecotourism has given way towards conservation of ecological biodiversity.[11]
Amazon rainforest
One of the world's largest and most dense rainforests is the Amazon rainforest in South America. Rainforests are disappearing across the world, and at an alarming rate in Brazil. Since the 1980s, more than 153,000 square miles of Amazonian rainforest has fallen victim to deforestation.[12] Brazil has helped feed the growing global demand for food supply of soybeans and beef with the newly cleared land.[12] The Amazon easily makes up one of the world's biggest and most biodiverse ecological reserves, once lush, think, highly diverse basin, that has now been cleared in many areas for soy fields and cattle ranches. Recently,[when?] Brazil has worked to immensely slow the destruction of its rainforests, reducing the rate of deforestation by over 80%.
Deforestation has to some degree been slowed down by implementing stricter land use regulations and creating protected areas.[12]Greenhouse gas emissions, which are largely due to the alarming rates of rainforest destruction, are one of the largest contributors to climate change in the Amazon region. The national government of Brazil aids better social and economic planning of specific areas with significant similarities with national policies.[13] In 2009 alone, Brazil acknowledged an issue and accepted the challenge presented to reduce its carbon emissions by 36–38 percent by 2020 in efforts to in turn reduce the amounts of gases being emitted into the air.[13]
Carbon credits
Another way conservation has become the most economically beneficial option is through carbon credits. Under the Kyoto Protocol, countries must reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide by 5% below the 1990 levels before 2012. Countries can meet their mandatory cuts in emissions by offsetting some of those emissions some other way. Through conservation or reforestation of the rainforest, countries can receive credits.
Some worldwide companies have stated publicly that they refuse to purchase products that originate from recently cleared areas of the rainforest. Beef commonly comes from farms that are located on land previously inhabited by rainforests.[14]
It is important to conserve the rainforest because many resources for things we use everyday come from the rainforest, including rubber for tires and spices such as cinnamon and many other common items.[15] It is imperative to life on earth that the rainforest be conserved, as the trees take in carbon dioxide to provide oxygen. About a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation and destruction of rainforests.[16]
↑ Eissing, Stefanie; Amend, Thora (2008). La protección de la naturaleza es divertida: manejo de áreas protegidas y comunicación ambiental: ideas procedentes de Panamá. Eschborn: GTZ. ISBN978-3-925064-52-4.
↑ Shapcott, Alison; Liu, Yining; Howard, Marion; Forster, Paul I.; Kress, W. John; Erickson, David L.; Faith, Daniel P.; Shimizu, Yoko; McDonald, William J. F. (2017). "Comparing Floristic Diversity and Conservation Priorities across South East Queensland Regional Rain Forest Ecosystems Using Phylodiversity Indexes". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 178 (3). University of Chicago Press: 211–229. Bibcode:2017IJPlS.178..211S. doi:10.1086/690022. ISSN1058-5893. S2CID89852455.
↑ Dave, Radhika; Saint-Laurent, Carole; Murray, Lara; Antunes Daldegan, Gabriel; Brouwer, Rens; de Mattos Scaramuzza, Carlos Alberto; Raes, Leander; Simonit, Silvio; Catapan, Marisete; García Contreras, Gerardo; Ndol, Alain; Karangwa, Charles; Perera, Naalin; Hingorani, Swati; Pearson, Tim (2019). "Second Bonn Challenge Progress Report"(PDF). International Union for Conservation of Nature.
↑ Francis, F. J. (2022). Using a contingent valuation method to evaluate an ecotourism site in Borneo, Malaysia: a case of the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Malaysia. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 17(1), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2022.2150770
1 2 3 Tollefson, J. (2013). A Light in the Forest. Foreign Affairs, 92(2), 141-151.
1 2 Ferreira, H. S., Serraglio, D. A., & Maganhati Mendes, R. L. (2016). National Policy on Climate Change and the Protection of the Amazon Forest. Environmental Policy & Law, 419-424.
Streck, Charlotte; Scholz, Sebastian M. (2006). "The Role of Forests in Global Climate Change: Whence We Come and Where We Go". International Affairs. 82 (5): 861–879. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2346.2006.00575.x.
Coomes, Oliver; Barham, Bradford; Takasaki, Yoshito (2004). "Targeting Conservation- Development Initiatives in Tropical Forests: Insights from Analyses of Rainforest Use and Economic Reliance among Amazonian Peasants". Ecological Economics. 51 (1–2): 47–64. Bibcode:2004EcoEc..51...47C. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.04.004.
Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf; Kessler, Michael; Barkmann, Jan; Bos, Merijn; Buchori, Damayanti; Erasmi, Stefan; Faust, Heiko; Gerold, Gerhard; Glenk, Klaus; Gradstein, Robbert; Guhardja, Edi; Harteveld, Marieke; Hertel, Dietrick; Hohn, Patrick; Kappas, Martin; Köhler, Stefan; Leuschner, Christoph; Maertens, Miet; Marggraf, Rainer; Migge-Kleian, Sonja; Mogea, Johanis; Pitopang, Ramadhaniel; Schaefer, Matthias; Schwarze, Stefan; Sporn, Simone G.; Steingrebe, Andrea; Tjitrosoedirdjo, Sri S.; Tjitrosoemito, Soekisman; Twele, André; Weber, Robert; Woltmann, Lars; Zeller, Manfred; Tscharntke, Teja (2007). "Tradeoffs Between Income, Biodiversity, and Ecosystem Functioning During Tropical Rainforest Conversion and Agroforestry Intensification". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 104 (12): 4973–4978. doi:10.1073/pnas.0608409104. PMC1829249. PMID17360392.
Francis, F. J. (2022). Using a contingent valuation method to evaluate an ecotourism site in Borneo, Malaysia: a case of the Rainforest Discovery Centre, Malaysia. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events, 17(1), 36–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/19407963.2022.2150770
Further reading
Ravenel, Ramsay M.; Granoff, Ilmi M E (2004). Illegal logging in the tropics: strategies for cutting crime. New York: Haworth Press, Food Products Press. ISBN978-1-56022-116-6.
Friends of the Earth (1985). Tropical hardwood product list: campaign to save tropical rainforests. London: Friends of the Earth.
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