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Buy deforested land so you can save Planet Earth from the damage and destruction constantly being afflicted by industrialization and increase in numbers of human beings. Many tropical and rainforests are being cut off to provide human need for wood and paper. However, as is well known this is making it very dangerous for some of the most unique and special animal, bird and insect species to survive which have been there on Earth for long time.

That the Earth is facing its biggest warming crisis ever, is obvious from the fact that the ice at the poles is slowly starting to melt, leading to increase in sea levels. Any further increase would result into submerging of several areas of the world. However, cause for prevention of destruction of species and forests has been taken up by several organizations around the world. These organizations do their own work, however, at times, they do require some financial help from people around the world.

Such organizations buy deforested land from the money people have donated and convert it into a lush green forest it was once. These donations are small and cheap enough. You can contribute say $10 for the cause and a 100 square meter land is adopted to be given back its natural green habitat.

With the help of general public it is soon becoming possible for people to help in the process of healing the planet. It is very well known fact that we produce ample carbon do oxide everyday with the use of vehicles and other products, however, this carbon di oxide can be converted into oxygen only by the trees, which seem to be vanishing fast from the tropical forests and the rainforests. This need for reforestation has become a necessity for today.

Our responsibility towards creating forests should be weigh heavily upon us than it normally does. This responsibility should be taken seriously, because it is only this way that we can grow back the cut forests and increase oxygen levels in atmosphere which is absolutely necessary for us.

As a first step towards recognizing this responsibility, you can buy deforested land and help organizations convert them into beautiful forests, you can also make sure that the species that were dislodged when the land was cut, are now restored back to their natural habitat, thereby protecting flora and fauna.

If you want to buy deforested land, you will find that this land does not burden your pocket at all. Pricing is really low, a contribution of $100 can buy you a really large piece of land, which you may not require to work hard to restore, rather the organization working actively for growing up forests will take care that the purpose for which it was bought is being looked after.

Buy deforested land is a good way to protect the Earth, it is simple yet very effective, all you would require to do is contribute little money for the purpose. This is so our children will be able to live healthily in cleaner and fresher air.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/buy-deforested-land-724411.html

About the Author

Buy Deforested Land, help it regenerate, and protect it from exploitation again forever. You can do something about Global Warming and deforestation right now. The Wild Again Reforestation Trust relies on public donations to purchase deforested land.

H.Antoni Carvajal /FSA Report . The rain forest averages about 0,75 people per square mile. Making it one of the most barren habitats on Earth. Despite all the incentives for destroying rainforest,animals,indigenous traditions and last traditional cultures,there are still backward areas of the world that have failed to progress and developed their forest. With your help the “CIVILIZED JUNGLE” and the progress evil might be stopped and the people from the rainforest might be put to their real purpose. TODAY THE PROGRESS IS THE RESULT OF DEFORESTATION. Afroamerindios Channel Music : Anthony Coppins -Siva Pacifica ———————————————————————————————————— La jungla de asfalto no deve cubrir mas selvas , no puede seguir imponiendo su progreso tecnologico a costo de la extinciòn de las ultimas tradiciones indigenas del mundo. PAREMOS con la avanzada inrresponsable del Dios progreso. www.sangredeamerica.org

Source: YouTube

By Frank Tate

Have you ever noticed that a herd of lembu or cows, all tend to move together in the same direction? Have you often wondered why this phenomenon occurs?

Imagine that you are taking a slow and leisurely drive along one of Malaysia’s lovely scenic country roads, away from the speeding juggernauts and cars on the North South highway. As you drive, you take in all the rolling fields of lalang, oil palm plantations stretching as far as the eye can see. Suddenly, something catches your attention. It’s a herd of lembu up ahead, in a nearby open field. Curiosity gets the better of you and you park off the road to investigate further. And there, you stand beside your car, in the middle of nowhere, watching the herd instinct in action.

For unexplained reasons, you scramble towards a low wooden fence and catch up to the lembu as the herd slowly makes its way across the field of lalang. Curious as to why they would all move in the same direction, you look towards the center of the herd and wonder aloud: “Why are all the lembu walking in this particular direction, as if on auto pilot?”

When I ask this question at all my seminars, the response I hear from delegates from all over the world is invariably the same: “They’re all moving in the same direction because everybody else is!”

People and organizations too are like this herd of lembu. They too are strongly influenced by the direction of the surrounding herd. Just take a look at the behavior of some NGO’s in the developed world.

First, we have the so-called Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Helmed by its Executive Director, the infamous Michael Jacobson, and backed by an annual budget in excess of US$16 million, CSPI has launched disinformation campaigns against Malaysian Palm Oil. In fact, so disingenuous has been Jacobson’s claims that he has earned the rare distinction of being called various things in the media – ranging from the benign “Consumer Advocate” to the less flattering “Nutrition Terrorist”, “Terrorist”, “Food Cop”, “Killjoy”, “Food Fascist”, “Food Nazi” etc. In fact, the latter labels appear with such stunning regularity in the media that few men could have been so definitively defined.

Jacobson, to put it mildly, is guilty of utter disregard for the truth and scientific facts, frequently exaggerating figures and claims to advance CSPI’s own agenda

Having failed in a campaign in the eighties to portray palm oil as unhealthy, Jacobson and CSPI have been racking their collective brains as to how to discredit what is, inherently, healthy oil. Health claims or the converse, “un-healthy” claims, of course, have to be backed by rational science. However, these are matters that CSPI, despite their grandiose and associative-scientific sounding name, would have difficulty in delivering. Throwing figures and “facts” that would fail to pass muster for a secondary school science project, CSPI recklessly and with gay abandon, continues to launch fresh attacks, this time targeting the sustainability of oil palm cultivation. They argue, most deviously, that oil palm plantations have led to the destruction of rainforests and consequently, have deprived orang utans of their natural habitat. Interesting. Perhaps, even persuasive. If not, for the facts!

The superior sustainability of the Malaysian palm oil industry is patently obvious, and it is clear that the Malaysian oil palm cultivation is superior to any large scale agriculture in the tropics or the temperate countries in terms of sustainability parameters. The plantation industry is professionally managed, with many of them such as IOI Corporation, Golden Hope, PPB Group and KL Kepong, operating as listed corporations on the Malaysian stock market where corporate governance and corporate responsibility are well practiced more than farm activities in other parts of the world. The Palm Oil Truth Foundation (www.palmoiltruthfoundation.com) has sought to remedy the misconception that palm oil contributes to deforestation and enlighten the world of the fact that the Malaysian Palm Oil industry has always adopted sustainable cultivation best practices, including conservation and replanting. The MPOC, in fact has set up a US$5 Million Conservation Fund to assist in wild-life conservation.

But Jacobson understands the lembu phenomenon and knows that the herd instinct will take over. And sure enough, the NGO’s and other organizations have taken the bait and like the proverbial lembu, have predictably, blindly followed the herd.

First, the BBC sent a film crew to film the so–called deforestation and habitat loss of the Orang Utans. Then the NGO’s added their voices to the irrational chorus of calls for consumers to avoid palm oil products as they had allegedly come from unsustainable sources. The Friends of the Earth, a UK NGO alleges that “the palm oil industry is now considered by scientists as the biggest threat to the Orang Utan”! Scientists? Which scientists? The pseudo-scientists from the verbose sounding “Center for Science in the Public Interest”? It was almost hilarious to watch documentary after documentary warning of the dangers of palm oil because of the damage caused by the humble oil to Orang Utan habitats. Hilarious because nothing could be further from the truth, at least as far as Malaysia is concerned!

Comprehensive policies and laws on environmental protection are in place in Malaysia and are strictly enforced by the Department of Environment. Endangered species, including Orang Utans, needing protection are given priority with strong conservation programs put in place. Sabah, with a growing palm oil industry and one of the largest states in Malaysia had drafted a master list of protected areas based on the guidelines of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). In fact, 21.8% of Sabah is now protected, more than double the 10% recommended by the IUCN. It is also interesting to note that the Malaysian Palm oil industry is the prime mover for the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil to encourage best practices and to minimize any adverse impact on the environment by the industry, long before the latest shenanigans initiated by CSPI started.

Almost all oil palm expansion in Malaysia is pursued through the conversion of existing rubber, cocoa and coconut plantations or from logged over forest areas which have been earmarked for agriculture. Moreover, out of the total land area of 30.2 million hectares, only 6 million hectares have been designated for agriculture under the Third Malaysia Agricultural Plan. Oil palm cultivation falls well within the area zoned for agriculture. Ironically, the area still under forest cover remains at well over 60 %, certainly much higher than that of the developed nations from which all this brouhaha over Orang Utan habitats are originating.

Recently, the European Free Alliance MEP’s together with an MEP grouping known as The Greens in the European Parliament (together, they form the 4th largest grouping in the European Parliament) lent their not inconsiderable voice to the issue. Lobbying the European Parliament’s “Industry, Technology, Research and Energy Committee”, which is tasked with proposing energy policies with an agreed EU target of 25% biomass renewables by 2020, this grouping managed to get the Energy committee to include, inter alia an amendment to “ban the use of palm oil for feeding our cars” due to the “lack of environmental standards and safeguards” leading to “an increase in tropical deforestation”, whilst “failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly”! Couching their proposal in euphemistic language, and this really takes the cake, the grouping went on to justify their proposal on the basis that the emergence of a European biofuels sector would offer opportunities for biofuel technology transfer to developing countries crippled by rising oil prices! It is this last statement that gives a clue as to the grouping’s real agenda and intentions. The proposal is designed to protect their turf, to protect the European biofuel sector! So much for all the WTO rules against protectionism.

It is about time that the world wakes up to such insidious and deceptive campaigns and that can only be achieved when the world develops the discernment to see through the veil and stop being lembus. That may be counter-intuitive but the herd instinct can only be overcome through education and clear branding and communication programs. Programs that will, ultimately, expose the lies and half-truths that appear to be the penchant and almost exclusive purview of CSPI and others of their ilk.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/palm-oil-deforestation-truth-or-fiction-132547.html

About the Author

Palm Oil Truth Foundation (TRUTH Foundation) is an international non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation, without strings to the world of commerce and power. We are a people organisation, organised for the people and founded upon the principles of integrity and responsibility as a global citizen with the sole purpose of representing TRUTH to the global community about health, environmental and economic benefits of palm oil.

It is almost unfeasible to calculate the consequences of humankind’s diminution over the forests. The conversion of forest lands by means of human desires and actions denotes one of the huge forces in global ecological revolution and one of the great leads to biodiversity extinction.

Its impact on people has been profound and remains to be intense. Forests are turned to barren lands, tarnished and shattered by log harvests, transformation to agricultural lands, road constructions, human made catastrophes, and in many other inexplicable ways. People view forests as a means of total transformation in societies, lands and even businesses. The rate at which it is growing is totally unstoppable that global deforestation came to be a big impact for the survival of lives in this planet.

If the number continually rises, more and more sources of life will be totally depleted. The world will not only suffer from the untoward effects of the environment but other outcomes as well such as ailments, social fights and poverty. Currently, if the evil doers think that development is the key to saving the population, then they might consider thinking twice. Even though how far advanced the development may be, nothing can save us from the turmoil if the earth hits back at us.

Global Deforestation Effects On The Atmosphere
It is a scientific fact that trees help minimize pollution through elimination of carbon dioxide. Forests then are condensed of enormous amounts of carbon dioxide since trees are the ones responsible for absorbing them. In cases of deforestation however, the burned trees give off the polluted gas back to the atmosphere, thus leading to an immense amount of pollution in the air.

The evil acts of global deforestation accounts for one-third of the carbon dioxide emissions from all over the earth. The remaining values are caused upon by other factors such as car air pollutants. When much of the earth is going to be removed, expect that the air that we breathe can turn out to be more than just 50% of the toxic carbon dioxide.

Global Deforestation Effects On Water Cycle
Global deforestation can result to a number of tormenting consequences, and one of these is the change in water cycle. The green environment holds much of the responsibility in preventing floods, erosions, and other land filled problems. For example, trees seep water in case of heavy rains, thus preventing flood.

Trees also help through the evaporation of excess water back into the environment; they also lessen surface-runoff which helps lessen calamities. Overall, their work for our world remains to be unpaid especially now that global deforestation continues to rise.

As a result, the amount of water on the surface area can be changed by either the absence or the presence of trees. They control water which can be found not only in soil, but the atmosphere and groundwater as well. The ecosystem therefore cannot function with lesser trees on the picture. Thus, man’s survival also depends on the capabilities that the ecosystem brings.

The forest truly provides us with much in life, from the air that we breathe, to the water that we consume, and to the food that we eat. If rampant global deforestation and killing would not be put to a stop, it will definitely result to several complex problems.

In one way or another, the denuded green areas will unstoppably backfire at us and human survival can be the next in line to extinction.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/global-destruction-due-to-global-deforestation-515761.html

About the Author

Paul Hata is active in various community and social programs.Get the latest Environment,Ecology and Gardening information here – WorldEnvironmentPages.com ,WorldEcologyPages.comand WorldGardenPages.com

Mongabay.com’s weekly review of forest conservation, nature, and environmental stories in the news. By mongabay.com founder Rhett Butler. ============= The top forest news story of the week was the deepening conflict b/w Asia Pulp & Paper, an Indonesia based forestry company, and Greenpeace, an Activist group. On Sunday APP published a report claiming to exonerate it from charges that it illegally cleared rainforest and peatlands in Sumatra. The report was published by ITS Global, a consultancy tied to World Growth International, a lobby group that advocates conversion of natural forests for industrial plantations. World Growth International opposes forest conservation initiatives, including the proposed REDD program, which could compensate developing countries for protecting their forests. Greenpeace issued a response to the report, claiming that some of the charges levied by ITS Global are inaccurate or based on incomplete information. The conflict between Greenpeace and APP emerged after Greenpeace published a report – How Sinar Mas is pulping the planet – in July. The report alleged environmental transgressions by the companies that supply APP. APP has been under pressure from environmental groups for several years now, causing it to lose a number of major clients including Wal-Mart, Office Depot, and Staples. Research Conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the Natural History Museum, London; and IUCN found that 22% of the world’s plant species are threatened <b>…</b>

Source: YouTube

We need to start thinking about our limited natural resources and change the way we live! Music- Linkin Park- In the End (Instrumental) Santogold – The Creator Videos- "Carving Up the Congo." YouTube. GreenPeace.org, 07 Jan. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. www.youtube.com Group, Steering. "The Prince’s Rainforest Project." The Prince’s Rainforests Project. 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. www.rainforestsos.org. Hymn to the Rainforest. Perf. Sarah Brightman. YouTube. 21 Nov. 2008. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. http Pictures- www.charlesyarbrough.com www.birdlife.org weblog.greenpeace.org understory.ran.org weblog.greenpeace.org messersmith.name Information: -Arrandale, Tom. "Disappearing Species." CQ Researcher 17.42 (2007): 985-1008. CQ Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. library.cqpress.com Compilation of Authors. "Amazon Rainforest." Wikipedia. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. en.wikipedia.org Various Authors."The Amazon: Tread Softly | The Economist." The Economist. 28 Aug. 2008. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. www.economist.com Andario, Paulo. "Our Role in Stopping the Illegal Brazilian Mahogany Trade | Greenpeace USA." GreenPeace.org. 15 Feb. 2005. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. www.greenpeace.org -Billitteri, Thomas J. "Reducing Your Carbon Footprint." CQ Researcher 18.42 (2008): 985-1008. CQ Researcher. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. library.cqpress.com Crittinden, Elizabeth. "Latifundios and Landless." Brazil Land Problems. Jan. 1990. Web. 02 Nov. 2010. www1.american.edu -Cooper, Mary H. "Saving the Forests." CQ Researcher 1 (1991): 681 <b>…</b>

Source: YouTube

Mankind is feeling the wrath of nature. It seems that more and more natural disasters are taking place; and this has led to consciousness about the earth’s resources. Forests are the most affected ecosystem in the planet. This is probably due to the fact that basic necessities need trees as a raw material.

What is even more appalling is man’s desire for wider land areas, so they cut off more trees in order to convert the area into a housing community or subdivision; and an agricultural land or worse, a dump site,this perhaps can be the answer to what is deforestation.

By Definition
By definition, deforestation means the cutting or removal of trees from woodlands or forests in order to convert the land into commercial or logging reasons or for whatever purpose it may serve them. Generally, deforestation denotes the extraction of trees without sufficient reforestation or effort to replant a tree elsewhere to replace the one that has been cut.

Since time immemorial, man has been making the environment adapt to the civilizations’ growing needs. First it was cutting trees down to use for kindling, next it was for shelter, and then for paper and other products. Thousands of forests have been cleared all over the world to pave way for man’s innovations and spatial requirements. It seems that forests are present to cater to man’s needs and whims.

Raising Consciousness
It is human nature to be moved into action when our sense of well being becomes endangered. This is undoubtedly the reason why most people are becoming concerned over deforestation.

The easiest way to make people care is to emphasize the benefits of forests and woodland, and to show how its depletion will radically change our lives for the worst. First off, deforestation revolves around a number of issues but none as totally important as the two key subjects that we must be aware of: the primary concern is global warming or green house effect, the secondary matter is the question of whether the trees are utilized properly and if reforestation efforts are being made.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide, helping reduce the amount of carbon released into our atmosphere. Deforestation kills the trees that help prevent greenhouse effect. Green house effect accounts for the Earth’s over all temperature rises, thus causing bizarre weather patterns. That is why the frequency of droughts, floods, tidal waves, and other natural disasters have risen.

The second concern is that the trees being cleared to pave way for metropolis are simply slashed and burned. Aside from the excessive emission of carbon dioxide brought about by burning wood, there is the apprehension that the trees would have been put to better use providing shelter for the homeless, building materials or other useful undertakings. The subsequent effects are truly devastating. Who knew that deforestation can cause so much head ache?

Yes, who knew? If only people have taken the time to inform themselves then they would have been able to make informed decisions and fight for what is right.

What Can You Do To Help?
Since you are now knowledgeable of what is deforestation, it would be of much help to lead in the initial steps to change. Are you thinking what a lowly individual can do to help? Well, small steps make a huge difference especially when everyone is working at the same goal. Armed with the knowledge of the disasters that deforestation can bring about will definitely make a person regulate his or her actions.

Start by conserving the most basic of household materials like paper towels, napkins and tissue papers. Recycling and knowing how to recycle materials will greatly help find a solution to green house emissions. Next is to be pro active and help educate other people by joining campaign groups who fight against deforestation.

Generally you don’t have to be like a crazy person shouting at the streets and joining rallies, begin by changing your attitude and outlook and then you will see that little things do make a difference.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/nature-articles/british-academics-the-destructive-effects-of-deforestation-515718.html

About the Author

Paul Hata is active in various community works and social causes. His education center provides affordable online diploma, degree and MBA from UK to all students worldwide.
View – British Academics & Certificate in English

Mongabay.com’s Rhett Butler reviews the week in forests for Nov 5. = = = = = Dutch to use only certified palm oil by 2015 The Netherlands has committed to only using palm oil certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil or RSPO by 2015, providing a boost for the certification standard which aims to improve the social and environmental performance of the world’s most productive oil crop. The pledge makes the Netherlands the first country to commit itself to using only sustainable palm oil. The Netherlands is Europe’s largest trader of palm oil, importing and exporting nearly 2.5 million metric tons in 2007. = = = = = = A new report from the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) and the Japan Tropical Forest Action Network (JATAN) claims that emissions from Asia Pulp & Paper are 500 times higher than estimated by the paper products company. The report says Asia Pulp & Paper fails to account for conversion of peatlands and forests in its calculations. Factoring land use change, the Rainforest Action Network estimates each ton of Asia Pulp & Paper product generates 16-21 tons of CO2 emissions. Asia Pulp & Paper estimates emissions at 0.03 tons of CO2 per ton of paper. Asia Pulp & Paper reacted strongly to the report, calling it a gross exaggeration. Environmental Resources Management, the company that conducted the carbon footprint analysis for Asia Pulp & Paper, expressed concern over how the paper company has represented the results. = = = = = = Nobel Prize Winner <b>…</b>

Source: YouTube

Policy Issues and Analysis of Non-Profits,

NGOs and Philanthropy

A Research Essays Format

On

Deforestation

(Research and analysis area is Khaber Pakhtoonkhwa (NWFP), Pakistan)

By

Raja Taimur Hassan

(National Defense University Islamabad, Pakistan)

What is the Role of a Specific NGO as well as Government to overcome the Highest Rate of Deforestation in Pakistan especially in Khaber Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP), Pakistan?

(A Comparative Analysis on the Working of NGO and Government)

Raja Taimur Hassan

National Defense University Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is among those nations, which have limited forest resources and are unable to fulfill the demand of wood and wood products from their own domestic resources because of increasing population, uplifting literacy rate and growing per capita GDP in the country.  In order to meet the growing demand of wood and wood products more than 12 Billion Rupees are annually spent to import wood and wood products from all over the globe. Unfortunately, Pakistan has very high rate of deforestation. According to the forestry sector master plan (FSMP), Pakistan cover an area of 79.6 million hectors and its forest cover area is 4.224 million hectors which is consist 4.8 % of the total area. In fact, it is claimed that forests should cover 20 to 25 per cent of a country in order to maintain a balanced economy. And the rate of deforestation in Pakistan is .2 % to .5 % per annum, which is very high and alarming. The purpose of this research essay is to highlight the root causes of high rate of deforestation, especially in Khaber Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP) and the role of NGOs, government and all stakeholders in controlling the high rate of deforestation. The analysis suggests, that involvement of all the stakeholders in the policy making process, irrespective of their interests, should go a long way to arrest the sharp forest decline in the country.

Definition

The exact definition of the term deforestationis contentious. A broad definition is the change from a primary closed canopy forest to any other use. The Food and Agricultural Organization (FA0 1982) more narrowly defines deforestation as the transformation of forest land to non-forest uses where forest land includes lands under ago-forestry and shifting cultivation, and not simply closed canopy primary forests.

Problem Statement

“The rate of deforestation is .2% to .5% per annum, which is very high and alarming.”

Introduction (Present scenario)

Deforestation is one of the most significant global environmental problems. Total area of Pakistan is about79.6 million hectares and total forested area is 4.224 millions hectors which is 4.8 % of the total land. Forest are largely concentrated in the North West frontier province (NWFP), approx 40% of the total forested area. The rest is shared more or less equally by other provinces. Balochistan 14 %, Punjab 14.4 %, Sindh 9.4 %, Northern Area 15.7 %, AJK 6.5 %. This estimate is taken from the Forestry sector master plan (FSMP). Forest resource extends over 1.684 million hectares, which forms about 17% of the total surface of the Province (NWFP). The forest cover in the NWFP is considerably higher then the national average of about 4.8%.

 

Out of 4.224 million hectors of forest, 1.930 million hectors are hill coniferous forest (41 %), .259 million hectors are irrigated forest (5 %), .332 million hectors are rive rain forest (7 %) 1.639 million hectors are Scrub forest (35 %), .512 million hectors coastal forest (11 %), .024 million hectors are Mazri Land forest (.5 %), and .44 million hectors are Linear plantation (.5 %).

Problem Description and Evidences

The per capita forest area is only 0.037 ha compared to the world average of ONE ha. With the population growing at 2.6 percent annually, the forest area per capita is declining.  There is also a wide gap in the production and consumption of wood. In 1993, the consumption of wood was 29.5 million cubic meters. At present, Pakistan is producing only 14 million cubic meter of wood. By 2020, it will require 50 million cubic meter of wood in order to cater to demands of the people. This wide gap in the production and consumption of wood is one of the main factors of deforestation

The area covered by natural forests in northwestern Pakistan is declining due to deforestation (Khan 2000; Rome 2005) and land encroachment (Khan 2005). In 1978, the area was covered with dense forest (Figure 1); however, GIS maps show that between 1978 and 2001 agriculture accelerated at the expense of forest cover (Figure 2). This loss of forest is leading to ecological changes, such as loss of important medicinal plant and wildlife species, as well as adverse impacts on livelihoods of the local population. Estimates show that, at the current rate of forest decline, the entire forest cover may disappear by 2025 (Steimann 2003). This dramatic decline in forest cover would affect the welfare of surrounding poor communities as a result of loss of forest income accruing to these communities.

 

Figure 1. Vegetation covers in Miandam valley in 1978

Source: Khan (2005).

 

Figure 2. Vegetation covers in Miandam valley in 2001.

Source: Khan (2005).

Literature Review

Many explanations regarding deforestation in the mountainous regions of the subcontinent are offered. Most current among these is the Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation (THED). The THED ascribes deteriorating environmental conditions of the Himalaya region to the increasing population pressure in the fragile mountain ecological environment. The second argument addresses the wider socioeconomic processes-especially urbanization of the lowland areas and the corresponding increase in the demand for timber. This also includes developmental activities and infrastructure expansion in the mountainous areas-particularly opening up of previously inaccessible forests due to construction of roads. Alternatively, another strand of research underscores the political economy approach to resource degradation. For example, research has looked into the rent seeking activities of the communities residing in/around the forests as a source of deforestation. Failure of the government to establish a proper institutional set-up for forest management has also been blamed as the cause of forest decline. The unholy alliance between private forest contractors and forest officials leading to illegal logging activities has also been quoted as one important reason for forest decline. Though these studies identify important aspects of deforestation, yet they fail to incorporate them in a broader framework.

Contemporary research on causes of deforestation treats it as a multidimensional and complex process and distinguishes between direct and indirect causes. Direct causes are the acts of agents-loggers, miners, shifted cultivators, plantation owners, ranchers etc., who use forests for its diversified products (or convert forestland to alternative land uses). Indirect causes include factors that induce behavioral patterns of these actors. These include market failures, mistaken policy intervention, institutional factors (land tenure, illegal activities) and broader socioeconomic causes (population growth and density, economic growth).

Deforestation is also cast in terms of institutional failure. Among the main reasons for deforestation, market failures and governance weaknesses are considered as most important (Contreras-Hermosilla 2000).governance failures as a probable cause of underdevelopment of the third world countries. Though no formal definition of governance failure is offered, one can borrow from Krueger’s (1990) definition of government failure, who describes it as the sum of actions and/or failures to act which result in sub-optimal situations (Krueger 1990)36. Further, Khan (1995) distinguishes between two types of state failures. Type I state failures are those where “a particular formal institutional structure results in lower net benefits for society compared to an alternative structure”. This he labels as structural failure. Type II failure occur when “the process for changing the structure of institution attains a lower cumulative set of net benefits for the society compared to an alternative process over a given period” (Khan 1995).

Role of NGO

The SUNGI Development Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works on issues of policy advocacy and community development, was established in 1989. It began its work in the Hazara Division of the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. In its primary stages, Sungi was started by a handful of committed young community volunteers working mainly on lobbying and advocacy of environmental degradation issues, including DEFORESTATION and forced resettlement triggered by the construction of large dams and other “development” activities. These phenomena appeared symbolic to the eyes of the founders of Sungi who felt that the poor in the North-West Frontier Province were left out of the benefits of development activities and that the well-being of the people deserved more attention in the process of the country’s development.

Organizational Structure

Sungi has grown from only seven staff in 1993 to the present 70 staff members and now operates in four districts of the mountainous parts of Hazara in Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra and Battagram, covering more than 100 communities. It has developed over 150 community-based organizations, half of which are women 5 associations, and has nearly 5,000 volunteers. Sungi has achieved this expansion despite the severe geographical constraints of the region, which cannot be overemphasized. The Hazara Division of the North-West Frontier Province spreads over the plains of the Indus and is engulfed by the rugged foothills of the Himalayan mountain range. The area also suffers from a fragile geological stratum, which makes it highly prone to large-scale erosion and landslides.

Achievements and impact

In terms of quantifiable achievements, Sungi’s community development activities through its Field Operations Unit, responding to community needs in health, sanitation, farmer training, savings and credit, and natural resources management, have had substantial and measurable results. Since its establishment in 1989, Sungi has started or strengthened more than 150 men’s and women’s village organizations, and primary training has been given to over 2,000 community members, 500 of whom were women. More than 500 farmers, including 100 women, have received training in agriculture, forestry development, sericulture, horticulture, animal husbandry techniques and small enterprise/local craft development. Sungi, with its partner VOs and WOs, has planned and implemented over 80 irrigation channels, link roads or footbridges, and other small infrastructural schemes aimed at environmental rehabilitation, improvement in the quality of life and the raising of farm incomes.

Interview

Dr. Shahid Zia, Executive Director, Sungi Development Foundation presented peoples perceptions of forest and inability of the colonial laws, based heavily on income generation to arrest deforestation. He asserted that the rich and not the poor are responsible for the cutting and selling of trees. However the failure of the government to curb woodcutting by providing other alternatives has heavily affected the poor people. The current forest management approaches do not consider social and economic dimensions as they are heavily tilted in favour of income generation.

He explained that there is a nexus between integrated family health and forest system in NWFP. Studies carried out suggest that a single illness in the household would push the entire family into the poverty trap, compelling people to resort to deforestation as a source of livelihood. He stated that the policies designed in isolation without the active involvement of communities to develop the mountain areas would not yield the desired results, and referred to studies, which show that communities get 30-60% of their uncultivated food from forests.

Role of Government

The government has failed to develop forestry sector through out especially in the NWFP. The underlying hypothesis is: the primary cause of deforestation in Pakistan is failure of state to establish a system that would ensure proper exploitation of forest resources. The working hypotheses are: (1) The process of government control over forests created a discordant structure of property rights; (2) Government was pitted against the community and social recognition of state property was absent, which made forest management an impossible task; (3) Massive deforestation on part of the government exacerbated the dwindling state of public forests; (4) Management failures placed forest contractors in a comfortable alliance with the FD causing excessive felling.

Conclusion

It is concluded that Sungi is a successful example of a local NGO that has, in a short period of time, built upon indigenous knowledge, local practices and local leadership to achieve significant advances in the rights and well-being of village communities and development of the forestry sector in North West region of Pakistan.

Recommendation

Analyzing the present scenario, review of literature, comparative analysis of NGO and government role in the development of forestry sector I recommend that government should adopt the principle of decentralized and participatory decision making , equitable and sustainable development. I believe that these principles may be achieved only through “advocacy-based development” in which advocacy and community development are integrated for two sides of the same coin.

References

• Full Analysis of the Sungi Development Foundation, Pakistan , a non-governmental organization (NGO)

• Tanvir Ali; Munir Ahmad; Babar Shahbaz; Abid Suleri Impact of participatory forest management on vulnerability and livelihood assets of forest-dependent communities in northern Pakistan (International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology)
• Hasan, Lubna An Anatomy of State Failures in The Forest Management in Pakistan

 

Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

• National forest policy 2001
• Government of Pakistan (1992). Forestry Sector Master Plan. Government of Pakistan. Islamabad.
• Khan, M. (1995) State Failure in Weak States: A Critique of New Institutionalist Explanations. In J. Harriss, J. Hunter, and C. M. Lewis the new institutional Economicsand the Third World Development. London: Routledge.
• See Ives (1987) for a review of the Theory of Himalayan Environmental Degradation THED, and about its validity in the light of available evidence.

Interview conducted from:

• Dr. Shahid Zia, Executive Director Sungi Development Foundation.

 

 

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Introduction:

Tropical deforestation has affected the ecological balance over the years and this has led to global warming and other environmental problems, the tropical forests have been diminished due to commercial logging, expansion for agricultural land and also urban development and there has been other factors that are not human related such as forest fires which have also contributed to the decline in the area covered by the tropical forests.

Problems:

The deforestation acts by human beings have posed major problems to the environment such as climate changes, harsh climates and also a reduction in the level of rain, these problems are discussed below:

Reduced rainfall levels:

Due to cutting down of trees in the tropical forests there has been a reduction in the rainfall received, trees are important in the water cycle balance of the environment, cutting down tres mean a reduction in both the level of the amount of water released by trees into the atmosphere resulting into a reduction in the rainfall received.

Forest also are important in the management of water sheds, areas covered by forests usually hold a lot of ground water and the exposure of this ground to the open through deforestation results into the reduction of ground water and this results into even more drier climates.

Green house gases and global warming:

Due to the reduction of forest areas there has been an increase in the level of carbon dioxide gases and other green house gases into the atmosphere and the end result is an increase in the temperatures also known as global warming. Trees are important in their processes that reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, when the area covered by forest is reduced then the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases.

Trees also will release carbon into the atmosphere when they are cut down, deforestation results into the release of carbon and other green house gases such as methane into the atmosphere which was previously held by the forest, this increase is a result of burning the trees and also from the decay of trees which releases the gases into the atmosphere. Therefore deforestation has posed a major problem to the environment.

Loss of biodiversity:

Due to deforestation the earth stands to loose its resources in the process, due to commercial logging some plant species are likely to be extinct while other animals and are likely to be displaced, for this reason there is a great problem caused by deforestation regarding the loss of resources and also the complete extinction of some plant species and animals.

Possible solutions:

Reforestations and afforestation:

This is the process of planting trees in areas where forests existed, when reforestation is practiced in the tropical forests that have already been cleared then the ecological problems are likely to be reduced and this is possible due to the renewable nature of forest resources.

Afforestation on the other hand involves the process of planting trees in area which were not previously covered by forests. This is also a possible solution to the problem of deforestation because there is a high possibility of renewing the cleared and destroyed forests.

Proper forest management programs:

The implementation of proper policies regarding deforestation may result into a reduction of the rate of deforestation or even stop further deforestation, therefore there is a need to come up with policies that protect forests from deforestation and destruction which will slow or even stop the process of deforestation.

References:

Earth observations (2008) tropical deforestation, retrieved on 10th April

Information: Tropical deforestation results into the loss of biodiversity

BBC website (2008) Tropical deforestation and green house gases and global warming, retrieved on 10th April

Information: deforestation leads to the increase in the green house gases in the atmosphere leading to global warming.

Deforestation Facts (2008) Deforestation and rain reduction, retrieved on 10th April

Information: Tropical deforestation and rainfall reduction and water shed destruction

 

 

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/tropical-deforestation-2258577.html

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