STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014
27
more. Only 22% of the world’s remaining primary forest is within
protected forest (IUCN category 1-VI), according to the review.
A recent analysis of ‘Intact Forest Landscapes’ (IFLs) by World
resources Institute and others
9
warned that pristine forests are
being degraded at an alarming rate. Over 1 million km
2
, an area three
times the size of Germany, has been degraded between 2000 and
2013, according to the study.
10
25% of the degradation was found
in the Amazon Basin and 9% in the Congo Basin. The IFL, mostly
primary forest, is assessing the remaining large forested wilderness
areas, of which 95% is found in boreal and in tropical forest.
The tropical rainforest, with its incredible biodiversity, unique
ecological services and vital importance for indigenous peoples and
local forest-based communities is the main focus of this report. In
parts of the report, the term ‘tropical forest’ is used, covering the
continuum from flooded forest and mangroves on the one side,
via rainforests and moist deciduous forest, to dry tropical forest on
the other. This is both because these other tropical forest types are
important in terms of development, livelihood issues and ecosystem
services, and because available statistics are often based on this
broader category. Tropical forest, including rainforest, represents
approximately 45% of the world’s forests (17–18,000 km
2
).
11
Secondary forests
Clearly, protecting the remaining intact primary rainforest needs special
and urgent attention. However, this does not reduce the importance
of also protecting ‘secondary’ forest – forests that to varying degrees
have been changed by human use. Given their ecological services and
biodiversity, and as a source for livelihood and local development,
these vital forests need protection and sustainable use.
The value of primary and secondary natural forests stands in sharp
contrast to large-scale monoculture tree plantations. Plantations
are based on one single species planted over a huge area, often
fast-growing – and in many cases non-native – timber species.
Plantations are in many calculations included as forest without
regard to the environmental problems they represent. Plantations
have low environmental value compared to the varied functions of
natural forests, and often cause pollution or shortage of water, as
well as forcing local communities to leave their land and give up
traditional forest management practices.
Deforestation
It is surprisingly difficult to establish how fast the world’s rainforest
and other tropical forests are being deforested. Figures vary
significantly from one source to another (see following article),
100 1 000 3 100
Russian
Federation
Democratic
Republic
of the
Congo
Republic
of the
Congo
Papua
New Guinea
Myanmar
Australia
Bolivia
Argentina
Peru
United
States
Canada
Ecuador
Venezuela Guyana
Suriname
French Guiana
Gabon
Indonesia
Colombia
Brazil
Rainforest
Other forest
Primary forest top 20 countries
Primary forest extent
Thousand square kilometres
Source: Mackey, B., et al., 2014
