Forum:
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Issue:
Preservation and Sustainability of Forest homes of 300
million People
Student Officer:
Janith Kulatunge
Position:
Deputy Chair
Introduction
Forests cover approximately 30% of the planet. Of the estimated 6.8 billion humans
inhabiting the planet, 1.6 billion are reliant on forests for their livelihood, either for
shelter or resources (such as food, medicines, and timber). Because of their positive
effects of forests on climate, water supply, and agriculture, forests are essential to our
world's societies.
Of these 1.6 billion people reliant on forests for their livelihoods, approximately 300
million make homes in, or in close proximity, to forests, and are thus directly affected
by any change to the forest environment. The majority of these people live in
conjunction with forests in the tropics, as they are the most plentiful in resources and
have the most ideal climates in which to live. Less people rely on, and exist in, more
harsh biomes such as tundra, and taiga. Due to this fact, it can be concluded that the
issues of the preservation, and sustainability of forests mostly refer to tropical forests.
Taiga forests comprise the largest forest biome in terms of land area, however they do
not house as many people as do tropical rainforests. They spread across the northern
regions of the Earth, mainly Canada and Russia (countries with very sparse
populations). They are not to be confused with tundra, the harsh arctic biomes, in
which floral, fauna and human activity is less common.
Demographic and geographical studies show that less developed nations (LEDCs)
have relatively more forest cover that has not been exploited for urbanization or
industry than do MEDCs. Many of these nations are located close to the equator,
whereby tropical forests are situated, meaning that the threat for exploitation is
strongest for tropical forests. As nations develop, the rate of population increase rises
dramatically. Deforestation will take place in the process of urbanization, which is
necessary to support the growing population (i.e. more room is needed to cultivate
food, and to live in). As a result of this, forest ecosystems will be heavily impacted,
negatively affecting the lives of the 1.6 billion people who rely on them.
Key Terms Defined
Agriculture- A significant cause of deforestation in the forests of developing nations.
Trees are cut down to create planes on which crops can be grown. It has been
scientifically proven that the soil on which rainforests exist is inappropriate for
agriculture, as it does not possess enough nutrients to be reused over and over for new
crops when not in forests condition (i.e. without dead matter constantly adding new
nutrients to it).
Deforestation- The cutting down/ permanent destruction of forests by humans. This
is usually carried out to create flat land for agriculture, industrialization, or
urbanization (usually depending on how developed the nation is/ what sector of
production they concentrate on). It is a cause of many environmental issues such as
the extinction of species, deterioration of air quality, and global warming.
Indigenous people- Indigenous people are the original ethnic groups of a region,
before the arrival of foreign inhabitants. They often follow traditional, or primitive,
methods of living. Their practices vary from region to region, as do their living
conditions. A large portion of indigenous people live in forests, as did their ancestors,
and they make up a large proportion of the total amount of people who live in
conjunction with forests.
United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)- The designated authority of the
United Nations for environmental issues at the global and regional level. It’s mission
is to “provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by
inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life
without compromising that of future generations.”
General Overview of the Topic
Large portions of forests are destroyed on a daily basis to create more space for
industry, agriculture, and urbanization. Since all three of these are necessary for the
development and progress of a nation,
a compromise between them and the
preservation of forests (for the good of ecosystems, and those who rely on forests)
must be attained. This could be more challenging for developing nations, as they may
have trouble attaining the technology, expertise and funds required to provide special
attention to their forests.
In many tropical countries, the majority of deforestation results from the actions of
low income cultivators. The soil of most forest biomes lack nutrients, as the fauna
immediately absorbs all nutrients present in the ground. Those nutrients are only
returned to the soil through the decay of dead matter (leaves, trees etc) on the forest
floor. The farmland created by poor farmers, via leveling out the forest, lasts them for
only a few crops before it becomes dead land. As they cannot afford to re-fertilize it,
they just level out another section of forest, to use it for farming. This usage of land,
and subsequent abandonment of it, continues, and this can heavily impact other
populations relying on the forests.
Urbanization and the growth of industry are both qualities of a developing nation.
LEDCs often lack the space in which to carry out both of these, and thus often turn to
the exploitation of forestland. Such allows for development, at a great cost to the
environment, and to the people.
The United Nations (UN) has expressed its stance on the issue through many actions.
The forming of the significant organization, the UNEP, by the UN, shows that the UN
is ready to take action on severe environmental issues. Another UN initiative, namely
the UN-REDD (United Nations Collaborative Program on Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) has been put into
place to create an incentive for developing countries to protect, better manage and
wisely use their forest resources. Such will be done through aiming to make forests
more valuable standing than they would be cut down by creating a financial value for
the carbon stored in trees. With the collaboration of these two organizations, the UN
has the power to bring certain policies regarding this issue into place.
Major Parties Involved
Australia
Almost 20% of Australia’s total land is forested. 15% of this area belongs to a public
nature reserve. The forest and wood products industry is one of Australia’s largest and
most diverse industries. It makes a profit of approximately $22 billion annually
(USD). Timber production is permitted in 6% of the total native forest area.
Australia has a large indigenous population. This group of people is commonly
known as the Aborigines. The Australian Aborigines make up approximately 3% of
the population, and have been occupying the area for thousands of years. They are not
the only people who are reliant on the natural resources of Australia; many
Australians live in remote areas whereby they live somewhat disconnected with
modern society and, instead, ‘live off the land’.
Brazil
Home to a large part of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil has the second largest forest
cover of any nation. Its 4,714,920 km2 of forest is second only to the forest cover of
Russia. This forest covers more than half of the total Brazilian land area, making it is
the most bio-diverse country on Earth. What is more, the Brazilian Amazon alone is
home to more than 20 million people.
Unlike other tropical countries, only a third of Brazilian deforestation is attributed to
the activities of poor, subsistence cultivators. Brazilian deforestation has mainly been
caused by land clearing for pastureland by commercial and speculative interests, and
the commercial exploitation of forest resources. Deforestation in Brazil is heavily
linked with its economy; when the economy is healthy, the rate of deforestation is
high, unlike the low rates observed during periods in which the economy is
progressing slowly. During lean times, ranchers and developers do not have the funds
to rapidly expand their pasturelands and operations, while the government lacks funds
to sponsor highways and colonization programs.
Canada
Canada, the second largest country in the world, possesses the third largest forest
cover. Northern Canada is largely covered by boreal forest, also known as the taiga
biome. It is home to indigenous beings known as boreal people. With one of the
sparsest populations, and largest land and forest areas, in the world, the boreal people
of Canada have quite a lot of forest area to exist in. It is unlikely that the resources,
and land that they depend on would be dangerously exploited in the near future. 8%
of the boreal forest is protected from development by the government, and other
activities are heavily monitored, and restricted.
A tundra biome is also evident in the northernmost parts of Canada.
China
Approximately 22% of China is forested. The forestry industry is a very important
one in China, as the country acquires more than US$ 350 billion annually through
forest products. A fast developing nation, China is undergoing massive urbanization.
Even though more than half of the Chinese population still resides in rural areas
(often forested) and relies on rural industry, it is much less than the number of people
who did so in the nation’s past. Massive rural to urban migration within the nation is
seeing the growth of cities, and, inversely, a sparser rural population. Considering the
fact that people are moving away from reliance on rural/ forested conditions, and are
instead migrating to cities, China may see the massive destruction of such areas as
practical to pave the way for urbanization. This could have a negative impact on the
economy, due to a fall of the forestry industry (shrinking primary sector), unless
money made by the growing secondary sector compensates for it.
Indonesia
More than half of the Indonesian archipelago is covered by tropical rainforests and
there is a large population of indigenous/tribal people who live in the Indonesian
forests. A developing nation, Indonesia heavily relies on its forest industries.
Members of the population who live in rural areas, and have little access to the sea,
heavily rely on forested areas for resources, and possibly in order to make a living.
The transmigration plan within Indonesia involves the migration of people from
densely populated areas to those that have a low population density. This has
negatively affected the original inhabitants of the sparsely populated areas. The
program has resulted in greater deforestation for fuel wood and building materials for
colonists' needs. Large-scale logging throughout Indonesia, especially in Borneo and
New Guinea, has displaced thousands of tribal peoples.
Russia
The majority of the 22% share of the world’s forests that Russia possesses is taiga,
and a tundra environment spans across the northernmost parts of the country. Many
people, as well as ecosystems, rely on the existence of these forested areas. Similarly
to Canada, which also possesses a large taiga, the density of populations in the
Russian taiga is not very great. A large amount of forestland is present, for a
comparatively small population. Large areas of Siberia’s taiga have been harvested
for lumber since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Possible Solutions
The main inhibitors of the preservation of forests, the homes of flora, fauna and
people alike, are the unsustainable practices of humans. There are two main aspects of
this issue that demand attention. They are (1) the preservation, and (2) the
sustainability of forests. Sustainable practices must be put into place in order to
preserve forests.
A strategy employed by many nations, developing and developed alike, involves the
sectioning off of main forested regions, and declaring them as protected areas. This
significantly reduces the rate of deforestation, as all commercial deforestation is
halted. The only conceivable drawback to this strategy is that people cannot be able/
permitted to live within these sections of forest. Governments have to choose between
relaxing conservation laws for these people, or completely disrupting their lives to
move them elsewhere - the latter being somewhat counterproductive, considering the
issue at hand.
Governments can reduce the economic incentives for deforestation and unsustainable
logging, and instead provide economic incentives to conserve biodiversity. This way
felling on a large, commercial scale will be halted. Populations that lie in close
conjunction would still be able to use the forest for resources, provided that they do it
in a sustainable way. This could mean through practices such as but not limited to
replanting trees that they cut down, and avoiding unnecessary infliction of damage on
the environment. Offering incentives for the protection of forests would be the
motivation to encourage all people to be more eco-friendly, and local organizations
that function in the name of preserving forests would be given more power and
significance.
An issue cannot be solved without the corporation of the people involved in it.
Working in conjunction with those who live in forests, or those whose livelihood
depends on forests, would permit for plausible solutions from all viewpoints.
Collaboration and cooperation with the UN, member states, and the people affected
by the issue (i.e. the 300 million people living in forest homes) is essential in solving
the issue at hand.
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