Tropical Forests
Tropical forests are home to well over half of all animal, plant and fungal species. Many species have not yet been scientifically described or even discovered. The conservation of tropical forests is indispensable for the protection of biodiversity. Moreover, many indigenous peoples live in the tropical forests. The World Bank estimates that around 700-800 million people depend directly on tropical forests.
Tropical forests are essential for the earth’s climate stability: They absorb as much carbon as the global transport sector emits. However, deforestation destroys this capacity to a considerable extent. Tropical forests also make a globally decisive contribution to the earth’s water balance.
Until the 19th century, tropical humid forests covered more than 10% of the total land area of the earth. Since the Second World War, more than a quarter of this area has been destroyed. A further quarter has been degraded, i.e. it no longer has the original biodiversity and has only limited ecological capacity. Only just under half of the tropical forests are still largely intact today. This is more than the land area of Australia! This area must be preserved and expanded in the interest of all life through protection and, above all, through sustainable management and enhancement.
However, the area of tropical humid forests continues to decrease.
Despite international efforts, we are losing about 0.5 % of the remaining tropical wet forest area every year. This means that more than the area of Switzerland falls victim every year, primarily to commercial agriculture (such as oil palm, soya, sugar cane, cocoa plantations and cattle pasture) and subsistence farming by small farmers. The mining sector also claims its toll, while unsustainable (and often illegal) forestry leads to further expansion of degraded forests. Last but not least, the tropical forest itself is threatened by climate change: droughts and forest fires are increasing.
Tropical Forest Protection
There are two complementary approaches to the conservation of tropical forests: the creation of protected areas on the one hand, and sustainable forest use according to strict guidelines on the other. Both the natural, reliably protected tropical forest and the sustainably managed tropical forest serve to preserve tropical forests. Protected and used forests create ecological and social services. Although these “public goods” are increasingly appreciated, they receive no or only selective economic valuation and compensation.
Protected status: In 2003, about one third of intact tropical forests (about 2.45 million km2 ) were legally protected as national parks, nature reserves and reserves for the protection of indigenous peoples. Due to a lack of funds, however, the management structures – and thus effective protection – are inadequate in many of these areas.
Sustainable use: The area sustainably used for forestry and timber production is much smaller than that of protected areas. So there is still a lot of potential here. Through responsible use, the long-term value of the forest is clearly demonstrated and made visible. In addition, sustainable use guarantees, in particular through reliable management structures, a tangible and effective preservation of these forest areas.
Learning from traditional utilization methods
Discover our film about the millennia-old influence of pre-Columbian peoples on the forests of Amazonia. From this film important insights for sustainable solutions for the future can be gained.
Pre-Columbian peoples left behind more than just archaeological traces. We are only just beginning to understand how much their resource management has shaped the forests. This influence is still visible today in the distribution of tree species. The pre-Columbian peoples cleared areas for the cultivation of manioc and other crops. However, these clearings were much smaller than today’s large-scale deforestation for soya cultivation or cattle grazing. The historical fields became forests again after a few years after they were enriched with trees that were important for the nutrition of the Amazonian peoples. These include, for example, Brazil nut trees, cocoa, and various palm species.
The peoples of the Amazon have had a great influence on nature over thousands of years. Today we are dealing with ecosystems that have been subtly and persistently influenced by humans. Understanding the history of Amazonian colonization and traditional uses is key to developing sustainable solutions for the future.
