Unit 3 pp #1
- 2. BIODIVERSITY
- 6. SYSTEM REGULATORS 75% water recycled by ET 25% water lost in runoff Ground cover removal (%) Effective runoff (mm) 0 100 1000
- 7. RATES OF DEFORESTATION 1981-1990: 0.9%/year 53,000 sq. mi./year 21,000 sq. mi. in South America (Amz) = area of NC By 1988, +/- 10% of the Amazon had been cut down Due to isolation of fragments and in forest/clearing boundaries = 16% affected by deforestation
- 13. Swidden agriculture (slash-and-burn) > 60% of deforestation > Rapid decline in soil productivity (nutrient storage?) > Can be sustainable -- (15 - 20 year rotation) > Inequitable land ownership (e.g., Brazil where only 5% of farmers own land) CAUSES
- 14. Commercial logging 21% of deforestation creaming of the most valuable hardwoods 1-2 trees per hectare taken (widespread damage) clearcut versus selective CAUSES
- 15. Cattle ranching 12% of deforestation frequently aided by government subsidies 2 trees destroyed for each hamburger made from “ tropical forest beef” CAUSES
- 17. WHY DEFORESTATION? Complex Many underlying social problems giving impetus to deforestation: > over-consumption in industrialized countries > foreign debt > poverty > unequal ownership of land > overpopulation Deforestation
- 18. WHAT CAN BE DONE? 1. The need to preserve intact sections of tropical forest > The question of “edge communities”
- 19. WHAT CAN BE DONE? 2. The need to address the economic needs of the lesser developed nations in which all of the tropical forests reside > Are the ideas of commercial development and maintaining the health of the environment mutually exclusive?
- 20. WHAT CAN BE DONE? Broad-scale commercial and conservation strategies need to be developed but these must take into account the economic and environmental constraints of the particular country (i.e., detailed local knowledge!) There must be designated core and buffer conservation zones centered around areas of particular endemism (other areas can be designated for limited sustainable commercial activities (polycyclic logging, selective extraction of forest products etc.)
- 21. Total area: 39 ha; core: 2 Total area: 42 ha; core: 25 Core Buffer Multiple-use Research and training Tourist facility Human settlement
- 22. CREDITOR US$ 11 m WWF may initiate discussion between parties, acts as an intermediary, and facilitates negotiations WWF may design conservation criteria by which grants made from the fund will be evaluated and/or oversee the fund’s management Commercial Debt for Nature Swaps STEP 1 STEP 2 US$ 28 m of debt NGO (WWF) US$ 28 m of debt is cancelled DEBTOR GOVERNMENT US$ 25 m local currency equivalent STEP 3 CONSERVATION PROJECT FUND Assumes: 40% debt purchase price 90% payment in local currency