Lecture 12

Question 1

Define forest?

Answer 1

Land spanning>0.5 hectares

Trees taller than 5m

Canopy cover over 10%

Question 2

Three types of forest?

Answer 2

Natural forests (non-renewable)
Semi-natural forests
Plantation forests (renewable)

Question 3

2 uses of forests and examples?

Answer 3

Provider of goods: timber, food

Provider of services: removed CO2, nutrient cycling, soil creation

Question 4

How much rainforest did South America, Africa and Indonesia lose in 1990s alone?

Answer 4

South America - 4%
Africa - 8%
Indonesia - 12%

Question 5

2 main consequences of deforestation?

Answer 5

Climate change - carbon is stored in trees tf released when felled (roughly 20% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions are caused by deforestation)

Biodiversity loss - large proportion of species live in forests (predicted 7-10% of species will be lost per decade due to deforestation)

Question 6

Explain why developed countries believe forests should be preserved?

Answer 6

They see them as unique ecosystems that provide biodiversity and important environmental functions

Question 7

Explain why developing countries want to ‘open up’ forests?

Answer 7

They see them as environmental resources that can benefit economic development

They ignore non marketed costs and benefits therefore tend towards development options

Question 8

3 options developing countries have for their forests?

Answer 8

Preservation
Sustainable development
Clear cut it for agriculture

Question 9

Solution to development vs protectionism?

Answer 9

If forests are preserved, large amount of total economic value may accrue to nations who don’t contain the forests tf some type of international payment should take place to preserve forests

Question 10

4 specific causes of deforestation and percentage they make up?

Answer 10

1) slash+burn cultivators (61%) - people squeezed out of farmlands tf go to forests to create more
2) logging (22%)
3) cattle ranching (10%) - S and C America clearing forests for cows to meet USA demand
4) cash crops/roads/mining (7%) - eg Palm oil and rubber

Question 11

How to reduce slash and burn cultivators?

Answer 11

No easy fix, would require redistribution of farmland, improvement of credit facilities, provision of agrotechnologies

Question 12

How to reduce logging? (3) and EV

Answer 12

Restrict imports tf reduce demand
Restrict exports (or ban them)
Rely on consumers to buy sustainably sourced timber (FSC labelling of sustainably sourced products)

Still issue of most tropical timber is consumed domestically anyway