Humankind can celebrate impressive progress in the last generation:
People live longer, fewer children die, more people learn to write
and read, and the percentage of people in extreme poverty has
decreased substantially.
There are, however, two major areas where we have no reason to
applaud: The escalating degradation of ecosystems, including
loss of irreplaceable animal and plant species, and the escalating
emissions of greenhouse gases.
The tropical rainforest is a thermometer of the state of the planet.
More than half of the terrestrial plant and animal species live
there. It is “the main biological library of the earth”. Most of the
information in this library is not even known to science. The forests
also contain and store enormous amounts of carbon. The yearly
destruction of the tropical forests results in emissions of CO
2
equal
to the emissions from all cars in the world. The library burns.
This is why the state of the rainforest concerns the whole world.
Norwegians and people in other non-tropical countries may
choose to live as if this did not concern them – but only for a while.
As expressed by King Harald of Norway “If the rainforests disappear,
they will not come back. Then the world will be an altered place
to live”.
Dag Hareide
Executive Director
Rainforest Foundation Norway
Peter T. Harris
Managing Director
GRID-Arendal
For the peoples who have lived in and of the rainforests for hundreds
or thousands of years the destruction of the rainforest is already
a matter of life or death. This publication is dedicated to them.
Rainforest peoples speak close to half of all the languages in the
world. They have knowledge both of the mysteries and the everyday
necessities in the forests – a knowledge that is lost at an alarming
rate. And they are the true guardians of the rainforests. Empirical
studies show that where the indigenous peoples have control of
their land, the forest will be better protected and sustainably used.
This is the third time that the Rainforest Foundation Norway has
published a “The State of the Rainforest” report. This year’s edition
has been a joint undertaking between Rainforest Foundation Norway
and GRID-Arendal. The report has only been possible through
contributions from local communities and civil society organizations
in rainforest countries. The stories of how communities actively
protect their forests underscore that solutions for the global problem
of tropical deforestation must build on local experiences.
The report aims to give an overview of existing knowledge, presented
in an accessible way – and to ensure that we see the whole forest,
not only the trees. We hope the report will be useful for all people
engaged in the protection of rainforest, whether you are scientist,
journalist, activist, decision maker or a concerned citizen.
Preface
