Chapter Three

Protecting and Using Forests

It's the People

The number one cause of tropical deforestation is people. Poison dart frogs aren't destroying the trees. Boa constrictors and anacondas aren't wishing they had somewhere else to rest. Bats aren't plotting to leave the roost for greener pastures.

But it's too easy to seek solutions to environmental problems by taking humans out of the equation. With an expanding population, it's not practical to hope that humans will stop trying to meet their needs and wants with natural resources. There very well may come a time when the trade-offs become tougher or supplies of resources (such as oil and gas) run low, but for the most part, it's business as usual on Planet Earth.

What About Parks and Reserves?

Some people have proposed that the solution to tropical deforestation is to set aside vast areas as parks and reserves. This may buy enough time to give local governments a chance to address the underlying causes of deforestation-poverty, growing populations, and misguided policies. And many people feel that setting aside tropical reserves will ensure that unused areas will continue to exist. They point out that many species can't survive in managed (human-used) forests.

But it is precisely the underlying causes that prevent reserves from being full solutions. If increasing numbers of poor people continue to flood into the forests to clear land and raise families, they will likely overwhelm any attempt to "seal off" large areas. And what about the people already living in the proposed park? Are they to be evicted? Where will they go to feed their families?

What about the expense of the patrolling, maintenance, and other costs? Who will cover these costs? The governments that are already impoverished? The citizens? Unless parks and reserves generate income from sales of products or ecotourism, it's quite possible that they will fail.

What About Ecotourism?

Can tourist dollars save the tropical rainforest? The idea is straightforward. If tourists can be brought to forest areas by local companies such that tourism income remains in the local economy, then pressures for clearing or degrading forests can be reduced. It is likely, however, that tourism represents only a part of the answer to the deforestation problem. Unfortunately, the very amenities that attract tourists-unspoiled wildernesses and abundant wildlife-can be threatened by the infrastructure needed to support the industry. Tourists seldom are satisfied with less-than-civilized conditions. They demand airports, comfortable hotel rooms, restaurants, and other creature comforts. Moreover, an influx of people looking for new jobs brings new population-related pressures. It's very difficult to preserve paradise.

Are Boycotts Effective?

Could a total boycott of, or refusal to buy, tropical wood help to save the rainforests? Most indications are that they don't help much, and in fact, might even increase the rate of deforestation. If demand for a tropical wood drops, then the value of wood to nonboycotting nations drops as well. This can lead to waste and low- value uses for tropical wood. In addition, the value of the forests that harbor the wood drops. A boycott might convince governments that it's better to replace the rainforest with an income-producing activity, such as grazing cattle or growing crops.

A U.S. boycott of tropical woods might be misguided anyway. Global trade in tropical timber products was estimated in 1994 to be directly responsible for about 4 percent of the volume of tropical forests cut. In that year, U.S. imports accounted for less than two-tenths of 1 percent of the world's tropical deforestation. The vast majority of all harvested wood is consumed in the area where it is cut (namely, the tropical country). It's debatable how much effect an American boycott would have on tropical woods, even if the concept were sound to begin with.

In some parts of the rainforests today, wood can be certified and labeled under a program that assures the buyer that the forest is carefully and responsibly managed. In a way, this is like a selective boycott. If consumers bought only certified wood, then managers who weren't responsible about their operations would go out of business. Ultimately, the tropical rainforests would be better managed.

A Unified Response

People all over the world have organized to try to preserve and protect tropical rainforests. Organizations include U.S. and international governmental agencies, universities, conservation groups, and other nongovernmental organizations. Additionally, some corporations work in cooperation with these groups. Some of these groups work on social aspects of tropical deforestation. These groups may promote family planning, better education, and social reforms.

Some timber-based concerns are exploring ways to harvest the forest while still retaining its functions and values. These organizations include the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), and the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF). These groups are working to encourage low-impact logging, which includes thorough mapping and planning prior to harvest; minimal-width roads; the use of specially equipped logging machinery; cutting of vines well ahead of harvesting (to lessen damage to other trees); and thorough training of loggers.

Groups all over the world are working to address the causes of tropical deforestation. But Dr. Dietmar Rose, a professor at the University of Minnesota's College of Natural Resources, urges caution, pointing out that "Solutions need to involve the very people who destroy the forest. They need to be given alternatives, they need to be part of the process of developing alternatives, they need to be given economic aid to survive during transition to sustainable systems."⁴ In other words, solutions cannot be prescribed by other countries that do not have to live with the changes and hardships these resolutions bring.

What Can We Do?

Solving the problem of tropical deforestation is not like learning how to sort for recycling. There are no simple things that children or adults in the United States can do to have a huge impact. So what do you tell your students?

You've already started helping tropical rainforests by teaching activities in these units. Education is one of the most powerful tools we can use to protect tropical rainforests. Unless we understand the problems and underlying causes, we may favor simplistic solutions that do more harm than good.

You also can encourage students to study more about the rainforests, and consider a career protecting them. They don't have to be award-winning scientists to make a contribution.

Many different types of professionals are needed to work on the social causes of deforestation. Of course, foresters, biologists, ethnobotanists, soil scientists, entomologists, and other scientists, will always be needed, too.

College graduates seeking experience in tropical regions can join organizations such as the Peace Corps or take advantage of programs offered by People-to-People International. Whatever their choices, encourage your students to continue to read critically and widely to learn more about the wonders of tropical rainforests.