ADVERTISEMENTS:
This article provides information about the significance of ancient forest and its protection:
The world’s ancient forests are truly diverse. They include boreal, temperate and tropical forests, coniferous and broadleaf forests, rainforests and mangroves. Together they maintain environmental systems that are essential for life on Earth. They influence weather by controlling rainfall and evaporation of water from soil. They help stabilise the world’s climate by storing large amounts of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate change.
Image Courtesy : 4.bp.blogspot.com/3212.jpg
ADVERTISEMENTS:
These ancient forests are home to millions of forest people who depend on them for their survival – both physically and spiritually. These forests also house around two-thirds of the world’s land-based species of plants and animals. That’s hundreds of thousands of different plants and animals, and literally millions of insects – their futures also, depend on the ancient forests.
These magnificent ancient forests are under threat. More than 87 human cultures have been lost in Brazil alone; in the next 10 to 20 years, the world looks set to lose thousands of species of plants and animals. Illegal and destructive logging operations encroach deeper and deeper into biggest forests of the world such as Amazon rain forests, Africa’s Cameroon rain forests etc. One of the driving factors behind this forest destruction is the demand for cheap timber from the international market place. Green peace protested and alerted the concerned national governments as we!’ as the international community’s against this global threat. They gave some constructive suggestions to save the forest cover from depletion. They argued for:
i. Adoption of legislation to halt the import and marketing of illegally logged timber into Europe and promote environmentally and socially responsible forest management worldwide. Such a law should allow for the prosecute on of individuals and companies involved in the illegal trade of timber and timber products. Ultimately such a law should ensure European consumers that any timber products they buy are from legal and well-managed forests and that traders engaged in legitimate trade are not undermined
ADVERTISEMENTS:
ii. Developing strong Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) between producer countries and the European Union which will tackle corruption and weaknesses in the forest governance of producer countries and that will fully parliamentarians, NGOs and indigenous people organisations within those countries, leading to responsible forest management practises, such as those specified under the principles and criteria of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
iii. ‘Greening’ their timber procurement by introducing legal and sustainable.
iv. Purchasing criteria and stop fueling illegal and destructive logging activities using public money.
v. Implementing and enforce existing national and European legislation on bribery and money laundering, which are regularly linked to the trade in illegally logged timber.
Providing sufficient funding for forest conservation and sustainable forest management in timber producing countries and ensures that EU subsidy programmes do not fund or promote forest destruction.