How Forests in Latin America and the Amazon Are Being destroyed As a Result of Unlawful logging
Illegal logging is an act that damages the environment through illegal logging processes. The illegal logging process itself can be highly illegal, such as using corruptly-collected information to access resources; altering records to cover up illegal activity; or buying legal rights in forests that are already in production. The illegal logging of forests destroys the environment by cutting down rainforests and causing global warming. In some cases, illegal logging causes large environmental disasters, such as the Nepal earthquake, the Alaska Tsunami, and the tsunami.
The illegal logging of wood or paper, and the forcing of pulp and paper into electronic or electrical form is a serious problem around the world. In the USA alone, more than 22 million acres of forest are dedicated to this purpose. In some countries, an even larger amount of forests are being destroyed every year. Much of this is due to illegal logging coming from places such as China, India, Vietnam, and Brazil.
The illegal logging of forests not only damages the environment, but it also directly affects the people who live in the forests. Often times, illegal logging causes damage to the local environment through soil erosion, soil pollution, and flooding of rivers and streams. It can also cause serious damage to the local communities living near the degraded forests, such as loss of livelihood and infrastructure. This is often a direct result of not receiving compensation from the timber companies for the loss of these local communities’ natural resource value.
In addition to direct environmental impacts, illegal logging can also affect global trade. Because of the large global demand for timber, and the continued need for new timber from new places, developing countries such as India struggle with maintaining their arable size and trying to meet this demand at the same time. With their economy in shambles because of illegal logging, they become dependent on other foreign businesses for raw materials. As a result, they lose their competitive advantage and suffer from trade deficit problems. The result for these lumber producing countries is a decreased revenue from the timber trade, which directly affects the amount of aid that is supplied by developed countries to help these countries to combat illegal logging and enhance their ability to provide for their own needs.
In Indonesia, the Wood Processing and Papermaking Industries Development Agency (WPPII) and the Ministry of Forest and Forests (MFD) work in tandem to implement policies to combat illegal logging. The two organizations cooperate closely and are implementing an improved fund-based appraisal system that takes into account existing and new data on the status of their forests and how the forestry industry is faring against the requirements to sustain their biological diversity. By collaborating closely, the two organizations have made great strides towards reducing risks to the sustainable use and development of forests in the long term. In addition to the policy framework and programs that they have put into place, they also conduct seminars and public awareness campaigns to promote their vision for a sustainable future for Indonesia’s forests. Through the MFD, they also conduct assessments and research aimed at improving management systems and better integrating planning, capacity development and technical capacities.
The Amazon has the largest concentration of large and smallholderholder farmers and ranchers in the world. Many of them are deeply concerned with preserving their environment and working to improve the social well being of their communities. The Amazon forests provide an exceptional example of how people can go about implementing solutions for sustainable development while reducing environmental impacts. A recent study by the World Wildlife Fund found that illegal logging is responsible for at least 18% of the Amazon’s decline. This figure is significantly higher than the estimate by an earlier study by the Center for Environmental Assessment.
Forests in Latin America, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia are increasing in volume as a result of illegal logging and clearance. While many Latin American governments have limited themselves to enforcing national laws that prohibit unauthorized harvesting of protected lands, some have gone further and adopted measures that prevent local authorities from intervening in cases of illegal logging or destruction of forests. One effective measure in Latin America has been the creation of Marine reserves. These areas encompass vast areas of ocean protected from commercial fishing and other forms of unsustainable land-based activities.
Governments and the private sectors must work together to prevent illegal logging. In the case of Latin America and Asia, for example, the legal and civil society sector must come together to pressure governments to halt illegal logging. In addition to direct actions by local individuals and groups, such as peasant farmers and tribal peoples, effective grass-roots efforts at the grass-roots level are necessary to bring about change at the community scale. Such grass-roots efforts need to include sustainable forestry policies and practices and an end to forest Clearance and Deforestation Agreements. Stopping illegal forest harvesting therefore requires comprehensive participatory involvement at the policy, program, and regional level. By collaborating in sustainable development projects at the grass-roots level, these efforts will not only benefit the Amazon but will also serve to save the world’s rainforests.
