More Geography notes for LORMs!(:
- debb
CONSERVATION EFFORTSGuiding principle: Sustainable development – development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
On an International Level: working with NGOs to save forest and stop illegal logging. Discussions and agreements between countries on how to save the environment including the rainforest (Kyoto Protocol & Earth Summits), World Wildlife Fund proposed scheme to make it compulsory for at least 50% of the original rainforest to be preserved in any new areas of development. Efforts from NGOs like Friends of the Earth to highlight threat to forests and the need for conservation. Forest Stewardship Council: a group of timber users, traders and representative of environmental and human-rights organizations identified the need for honest and credible system of identifying well-managed forests as acceptable sources of forest products, which includes a global consensus on what is meant by good forest management, independent audits of management and forest produce that meet these criteria will carry FSC label so that potential green consumers can identify and support efforts of these companies. Oaxaco Forest Stewardship in Mexico.
Difficult to get countries to organise, different aims, difficult with Congo area (lack of manpower, funds)
On a National Level: Responsible stewardship through policies and strict enforcement of laws that forbid indiscriminate cutting, strict issue of logging licenses. Setting aside conservation areas such as Taman Negara National Park in Peninsular Malaysia. Governments can introduce rules to achieve sustainable yields and enforce them. Malaysian Government: loggers to extract no more than 10-20% of timber from any timber concession area. When operations have finished, the logged area must be left to recover for 20-40 years. However, rules not enforced. In developed countries, rules on reforestation enforced effectively.
Conservation through specific management strategies such as setting aside nature reserves, reforestation (replanting a tree for every one cut down, fertilize soil or burn ethane to stimulate growth, research on faster rate of growth of trees. Successfully carried out in developed countries, in Malaysia where teak trees & softwood trees have been planted. Staedler’s forest conservation project in P. Malaysia), selective logging (instead of cutting down all the trees in one area, only logging of selected trees in terms of area, age of trees, economic value of trees to be carried out – limit to logging of each species. Time consuming and costly, difficult to enforce in remote forested regions)
Encouraging alternative ways to generate income such as harvest & sale of forest products (rubber tapping), ecotourism – limited number of people allowed in & frequency, good guides) to provide income for people and promote conservation. Rather than clearing large areas of forested land for cattle ranching, farmers can farm smaller areas of crops producing perfume oils or harvest natural products from the forests as it exists (e.g. Brazil nuts, wild fruits – may be feasible in the future)
On an Individual Level demand reduction through public education so that people will not cut down trees for fuel, make better use of trees that have fallen, finding substitutes for forest-derived materials, reduce level of pollution and acid rain.
Requires effort on every level for successful conservation.
Labels: Geography
