writing FORESTS
The Earth was once covered in ancient forests. Home to around two-thirds of all plant and animal species found on land as well as millions of people who depend on them for their survival, they still form some of the most diverse ecosystems known to science and are vitally important to the health of our planet, especially when it comes to regulating the climate.
But these ancient forests are under threat. A staggering 80 per cent have already been either destroyed or degraded, and half of that has been in the last 30 years. Illegal and destructive logging, industrial-scale farming and, increasingly, climate change all threaten the remaining tracts of forest that have stood for thousands of years.
Countless species face extinction and entire communities are being displaced. If current rates of deforestation continue, some of the last areas of ancient forest could be lost within our lifetimes, but we believe this destruction can be stopped.
We are working to protect these forests and the plants, animals and peoples that depend on them. But we can only do so with your help.
The problems
We are destroying ancient forests at an unprecedented rate. As demand for anything made from wood increases - whether it's books, furniture, construction materials or even toilet paper - we risk stripping away the last remaining ancient forest areas.
Extinction threatens many species, particularly larger animals such as tigers, grizzly bears and gorillas that need large intact forest areas to survive. In addition, the rights of traditional landowners are being abused as they are evicted from the lands they have occupied for generations, often as a result of violence and intimidation. Sixty million indigenous people depend on forests for their survival, while a further 1.6 billion make their livelihoods from forest products.
Destructive logging
More and more areas of pristine forest are being cut down to feed timber and paper mills around the world - an area the size of a football pitch disappears every two seconds. Much of this logging is destructive and can also be illegal, particularly in poorer countries where corruption, weak governance, and a lack of money make it difficult for the authorities to police and enforce the law.
Agriculture
Deforestation is also being driven by another human factor - agriculture. Ancient rainforests are being cleared to open up new land for crops such as Soya and palm oil, which are grown on an industrial scale to supply the growing demand from food companies across the world, including the
Climate change From storing carbon to recycling water into the atmosphere, it's increasingly clear that ancient forests play a critical role in the regulation of the global climate while their struction is a major contributor to climate change. Deforestation accounts for 18 per cent of all emissions, more than the entire global transport sector, so protecting our ancient forests from further devastation is absolutely essential if we're serious about tackling climate change.
Failure of government and markets
If these threats are so apparent, why have governments not done more to combat them? Simply put, there is a distinct lack of political will on all sides to take action. In the developing world, a lack of funding for management and policing protected areas is aggravated by widespread corruption, while in industrialized nations products made from illegally logged timber are cheaper than those produced in an environmentally and socially responsible way.
Even our own government can't abide by its own guidelines for buying timber- despite Tony Blair's verbal commitments towards forest protection, it's still absurdly easy to find products made from illegal and unsustainably logged timber on sale in this country.
The solutions
Ancient forests around the world are at risk from a range of man-made threats including destructive and illegal logging, agriculture and climate change. Unchecked, these will destroy the last remaining forests, possibly within our lifetimes. But there are ways we can avert the crisis and preserve what remains of these fragile landscapes.
Protected areas
With only 8 per cent of the world's ancient forests currently under strict protection, huge areas are still at risk from destructive logging. So a global network of protected areas needs to be established to preserve the remaining intact ancient forest areas and the biodiversity they support. This won't happen overnight, so in the interim we need moratoria on all new industrial logging in these areas for either timber or agriculture while conservation plans are developed. But creating protected areas won't happen without money in place to fund them. We need to make sure that when reserves are established, mechanisms for financing forest management and policing are in place which will prevent the logging companies from carrying on with business as usual.
Government action
Only governments can provide the legislation needed to establish protected areas, so we have to convince them that they need to take action. They also have the power to eliminate the trade in illegal and destructively-logged timber entering the
Changing industry
Companies and industry also have a significant role to play in forest protection and management. By using only timber and paper that comes from environmentally responsible and socially just forest management, they can have a huge impact on the rate of deforestation. We've worked with a wide rage of businesses to make this happen, and a range of companies - from timber merchants to building contractors, book publishers to and paper manufacturers - are now taking action to ensure their businesses aren't contributing to the destruction of ancient forests. Unfortunately, many other companies continue to conduct business as usual. This isn't just limited to businesses dealing directly in timber products. With agriculture being a major cause of deforestation, food manufacturers and retailers also need to make sure their Soya or palm oil is not being grown in newly deforested areas.
Certification schemes
Where logging does take place it needs to be environmentally responsible and socially just so that biodiversity is maintained and the forest is allowed to regenerate. Whilst there are many certification schemes on the market which claim to manage forests responsibly, in our opinion it's only the Forest Stewardship Council which can guarantee that timber products come from well-managed sources. This means trees are harvested in compliance with local laws, the forests are managed to a high standard, and that the rights of the local communities are respected.Of course, we aim to practice what we preach so in the UK office we have policies to reduce our consumption of wood and paper as much as possible, and ensure what is used is either recycled or FSC-certified.