Now compare your notes with the following selective summaries and decide which one is the most suitable.

‘Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval forests … No one can stand in these solitudes unmoved …’

These words from Charles Darwin take on new meaning in today’s environmentally conscious world. Forests, after all, are the most widespread terrestrial ecosystem. Covering around 30 per cent of the earth’s total land area, they play vital roles in natural systems, as well as in economic development.

Forests form an integral component of the biosphere, essential to the stabilization of global climate and the management of water and land. They are home for the countless plants and animals that are vital elements of our life-supporting systems, as well as for millions of forest dwellers. They provide goods for direct consumption (including recreational activities) and land for good production. They also represent capital when converted to shelter and infrastructure.

The two main types of forests are tropical, which are rich in biodiversity and valuable tropical hardwood, and temperate, which serve as the world’s primary source of industrial wood. The temperate forests (1.5 billion hectares) can be found mainly in developed countries, whereas the tropical forests (both moist and dry, totalling about 1.5 billion ha. each) stretch across the developing world. Two thirds of the tropical moist forests are in Latin America, with the remainder split between Africa and Asia; three quarters of the tropical dry forests are in Africa.

But in recent years, there has been an alarming increase in destructive deforestation and land degradation in developing countries, reflecting the earlier development experiences of industrial countries, when large areas of the world’s temperate forests were cleared for agriculture, timber and fuelwood. Recent studies show that deforestation, especially in the tropics, has risen to an estimated 17-20 million ha. annually – almost equivalent in area to the United Kingdom or Uganda – from around 11.4 million ha. in 1980. Those hardest hit include Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Honduras, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Thailand, and the Philippines. In the temperate region, old-growth forests are also at risk. Furthermore, forest degradation, largely from recent acid precipitation, is harming large ares of temperate forests, especially in Eastern Europe.

Already, the misuse of forests has brought with it significant social, economic, and environmental costs. Many developing countries, especially in Africa and South Asia, face acute shortages of fuelwood, fodder, timber, and other forest products, not to mention the displacement of their forest dwellers. There has also been a loss of biological diversity, possible global climate change, degradation of watersheds, and desertification. The loss of tropical moist forests is especially worrying, as they provide habitats for more than 50 per cent of the world’s plants and animal species, generate genetic materials for food and medicine, and influence the climate, both at the regional and global level.

In recent years, with an increased understanding of – and concern about – the environmental consequences of destructive deforestation, people all over the world have expressed a desire for the sustainable use of forests. But there are strong differences of opinion among people, as well as among nations, about how best to balance conservation and development goals. Further complicating matters is the fact that in industrial countries, there is increasing concern for environmental and preservation considerations and the aesthetic qualities of forets, whereas in developing countries, where people are striving to achieve economic development, forests are frequently seen as a source of food, raw material and capital. The world community must find a way of reconciling these diverse interests in order to create incentives and values that will foster the wise use of forests. The challenge is twofold: to stabilize existing forests by arresting destructive deforestation and to increase forest resources by planting trees.

(Narendra Sharma and Raymond Rave, ‘Managing the world’s forests’, Finance and Development, June 1992.)

Summary 1

Tropical forests are rich in biological diversity and hardwood, covering a total of about 3 billion hectares in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Their destruction has reached an alarming rate of around 17-20 million ha a year, leading to loss of resources, plants and animal species, as well as pushing out forest inhabitants. In addition, deforestation has an effect on climate and the environment.

Summary 2

The loss of the tropical rain forests, which can be classified into moist and dry, is undoubtedly serious cause for concern. It is all the more alarming when one considers that these forests are to be found in the developing world. The develpped countries went through a period of deforestation on the path to industrialisation but their populations were much smaller than that of the developing world today. Moreover, the rate of loss (estimated at 17-20 million ha a year) is very high today. The repercussions on shortages of resources as well as unwarranted climatic and environmental changes may be more far-reaching than we are willmg to imagine.

Summary 3

Tropical rain forests are the habitat of numerous animal species and plants. They are also the source of products such as timber and fuelwood. It is therefore alarming to witness their disappearance at a rate of 17-20 million ha a year. Not only is such a loss the cause of depletion of valuable biological richness and resources, but it may alsa contribute to climatic and environmental changes.

Summary 4

Tropical forests can be divided into two types: dry forests cover around 1.5 billion hectares, mostly in Africa, while moist forests, covering a similar area size, extend over Africa, Asia and principally Latin America.

Deforestation in tropical areas has in recent years proceeded at an alarmingly high rate. An annual rate of loss of as many as 17-20 million hectares represents an area almost as large as the UK.

The costs are high in economic, social and environmental terms. Some parts of the world, notably countries in Africa and southern Asia, can expect to experience serious shortages in products that come from the forest, such as fuelwood, timber and fodder. Tropical moist forests are the homes of over 50 per cent of the world's animal species and plants, also producing genetic materials for medicine and food. In addition, tropical deforestation may have effects on climate, just as acid rain is harmful to temperate forests.

Summary 5

Deforestation increased substantially, from around 11.4 million ha a year in 1980 to around 17-20 million ha by 1992 and was particularly serious in the tropics. It led to severe shortages of forest products such as timber and fuelwood as well as displacing the inhabitants of forests. In addition, it threatens plant and animal species, especially in tropical moist forests where 50 per cent of them are found. Destruction of tropical moist forests also causes loss of genetic material for food and medicine and changes to climate.