A shift from poverty-driven to industry-driven deforestation threatens
the world’s tropical forests but offers new opportunities for
conservation, according to an article to be published in the September
issue of the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.
The article, "New Strategies for Conserving Tropical Forests," was
coauthored by William Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research
Institute in Panama and Rhett Butler of Mongabay.com, a tropical-forest
Web site. The two argue that the sharp increase in deforestation by big
corporations provides environmental lobby groups with clear,
identifiable targets that can be pressured to be more responsive to
environmental concerns.
"Rather than being dominated by rural farmers, tropical
deforestation is increasingly driven by major industries-especially
large-scale farming, mining, and logging," said Laurance. "Although
this trend is pretty scary, it’s also much easier to target a handful
of global corporations than many millions of poor farmers."
The United Nations estimates that some 13 million hectares (33 million
acres) of tropical forest are destroyed each year; but these numbers
mask a transition from mostly subsistence-driven to mostly
corporate-driven forest destruction, say Butler and Laurance.
According to the authors, a global financial market and a
worldwide commodity boom are creating conditions ripe for corporate
exploitation of the environment. Surging demand for grain, driven by
the thirst for biofuels and rising standards of living in developing
countries, is also fueling this trend.
"Green groups are learning to use public boycotts and
embarrassment to target the corporate bad guys," said Butler. "And it
works–we’re already seeing the global soy, palm oil, and timber
industries beginning to change their approach. They’re realizing they
can’t run roughshod over the environment–it’s just too risky for
them."
"In addition, some massive financial firms, including Goldman
Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, and Bank of America, have altered
their lending practices after coming under fire from
environmentalists," said Butler.
"Environmental groups are using carrots as well as sticks," said
Laurance. "Many multinational corporations are developing greener
products because they’re more profitable. For example, the market for
eco-friendly timber products is expected to be worth tens of billions
of dollars in the U.S. by 2010."
"We argue that the public and green groups need to send a loud,
clear message to the corporate sector," said Laurance. "There’s just no
profit in destroying the natural world."
Earlier this week Brazil announced the creation of a fund to help preserve its Amazon rainforest.
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