Deforestation

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Deforestation
Cody Clark, Rosie Salas, and Janet Shektmeyster
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Overview of Topic

• Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas
  to non-forested
• Generally this removal or destruction of
  significant areas of forest cover has resulted in
  a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity
• Deforestation greatly contributes to greenhouse
  gas accumulation in the atmosphere
• If the current rate of deforestation continues,
  the worlds forests will vanish within 100 years

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Image source http//images.wri.org/sdm-gene-02-de
forestation.jpg
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Background

• Deforestation has been practiced by humans for
  thousands of years.
• Fire was first tool that allowed humans to modify
  the landscape
• Deforestation correlated with the agricultural
  revolution as space is needed for crops (8-10
  thousand years ago)

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Rationale

• Growing worldwide demand for wood
• Forest used for fire wood or in construction,
  paper and furniture
• Clearing land for commercial and industrial
  development (including road construction)
• Growth of Local Populations in rural areas
  increases demand for agricultural space and wood
  fuel

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Rationale (continued)

• Timber and logging industries are one of the main
  culprits of deforestation in the Boreal Forests
• Land clearing for grazing cattle
• Agricultural expansion for local and exportable
  crops

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Effects of Deforestation on Climate

• Deforestation alters the hydrologic cycle,
  potentially increasing or decreasing the amount
  of water in the soil and groundwater and the
  moisture in the atmosphere
• Forests act as a sink for carbon which reduces
  the greenhouse effect and global warming

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Effects of Deforestation on Climate

• Nearly half of the estimated 52 billion tons of
  carbon stored in the Earth's biomass is found in
  tropical forests1
• Deforestation contributes around 25 of global
  greenhouse emissions through the rotting and
  burning of vegetation2
• CO2 has increased in the atmosphere 30 in the
  last 250 years mostly due to deforestation and
  forest fires3

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Deforestations Contribution to Global Warming
Image source http//www.ucsusa.org/global_warming
/solutions/recognizing-forests-role-in-climate-cha
nge.html
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Effects of Deforestation on Climate

• Forest and land-use measures have the potential
  to reduce net carbon emissions by the equivalent
  of 10-20 of projected fossil fuel emissions
  through 20504
• Deforestation can lead to
• Soil erosion
• Landslides
• Flash flooding
• Alteration in forest biodiversity
• Increased temperatures (estimated to reach 130
  during the day)
• Drought

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Anti-deforestation Measures

• Increased policing of Amazon regions
• 2004 saw the start of integrated actions
  undertaken by the federal police, federal highway
  police and labor ministry. There was a further
  83 in registered infractions, 73,000 cubic
  meters of illegally-logged timber were
  confiscated, and six anti-deforestation combat
  bases (there will eventually be nineteen) were
  created.
• More frequent satellite sweeps of the region to
  pinpoint illegal activities.
• http//www.brazilsf.org/brazil_press5.htm

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Kyoto Protocol Connections

• Forests in many parts of the world act as major
  carbon absorbers providing the necessary leeway
  for different countries emissions
• Under the Kyoto Protocol countries that exceed
  their targeted cuts in GHG emissions or are
  producing less than the required limit, will be
  able to sell emission-reduction credits to those
  unable to meet their targets
• With deforestation and the loss of many forests,
  the carbon storage value dissipates
• Countries will loose substantial economic revenues

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Compensated Reduction

• Countries that elect to reduce national level
  deforestation to below a 1980-1990 level would
  receive post facto compensation
• This will create large scale incentive to commit
  to stabilization and further reduction of
  deforestation in the future
• This will also facilitate significant developing
  country participation in the Kyoto Protocol
  Framework

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Driving forces behind deforestation in Brazil

• Tax laws
• Corporations and individuals can exclude up to
  80-90 (respectively) of agricultural profits
  from their taxable income under various
  provisions of the tax code Demand for land
  becomes extremely high, as agricultural projects
  become extremely attractive to corporate and
  private investors.

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Driving forces behind deforestation in Brazil

• This system harms the small, poor farmer, since
  the low tax rate level becomes capitalized into
  the price of land, reflected in high land prices,
  making it unprofitable for the poor farmers of
  Brazil. This forces them to move further into the
  Amazon in search of cheap, unclaimed land,
  leading to the rules of land allocation that
  further encourage deforestation.

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Driving forces behind deforestation in Brazil

• After 5 years on a plot of land, the inhabitant
  gets legal title to that land. This encourages
  poor farmers to go into the forest and clear land
  for themselves as it will be granted directly to
  them after 5 years
• http//www.rcfa-cfan.org/english/issues.12-6.html

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Driving forces behind deforestation in Brazil

• Uncleared forest land is considered unused,
  resulting in higher taxes
• Three major changes needed lower the amount a
  single land owner can hold from 3000 hectares to
  100-200 hectares, land holding ceilings need to
  be implemented (or reduced) for corporations, and
  the definition of used land needs to include
  various forms of forest management schemes.
• http//www.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/defor-bra
  zil.html

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Questions For Group

• Do you have any other proposed incentives to curb
  deforestation other than changing tax laws,
  increasing policing and carbon trading?
• If deforestation is an issue in your country, are
  there any anti-deforestation programs that you
  have successfully implemented?

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Works Cited
Wikipedia National Intelligence Council Tropical
Deforestation and the Kyoto Protocol A new
proposal http//conserveonline.org/docs/2004/07/Tr
opical_Deforestation_and_Kyoto_Protocol.pdf http/
/www.physorg.com/news7491.html http//www.climnet.
org/EUenergy/forests_and_climate_change/index.htm
http//www.rcfa-cfan.org/english/issues.13.html ht
tp//www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions/recog
nizing-forests-role-in-climate-change.html