Forest fragmentation is rapidly eroding biodiversity and worsening global warming [more] in the Amazon rainforest according to research to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Forest fragmentation [search] is the process whereby a large, contiguous rainforest landscape is cut into pieces by industrial logging (including what is sometimes called "selective" but opens large forest gaps creating fragmentation), large-scale cattle ranching, slash-and-burn farming, rapid soya expansion, and wildfires. "Fragmentation causes profound changes to forest dynamics and ecology, resulting in the disappearance of rare species and forest specialists." Fragmentation also has global climate impact since fragments experience a considerable die-off of trees attributed to drying winds and storms.

Perhaps the mainstream environmental ancient forest logging apologists that promote certified industrial logging as a "conservation" strategy in the world's last few large and relatively intact ancient primary and old-growth forests can explain how their support for such logging matches up to the overwhelming science that industrial logging of any type severely diminishes ancient rainforests. I pick the scientific observations of top scientists like William Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama over the hippie-dippies in Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network, and the career bureaucrats with conflicts of interest in WWF, FSC and WCS. The science is clear – humanity must end ancient forest logging NOW if there is to be any chance of global ecological survival. If you are not working to do so you are a bad guy, on the wrong side of forest conservation history.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

TAKE ACTION: After an earlier successful campaign to halt oil road construction, the message must still be sent that oil extraction and protected areas do not mix

In two separate letters delivered to the Ecuadorian government, a group of over 40 Yasuni scientists (known as the Scientists Concerned for Yasuni) and 6 international NGOs have criticized Petrobras' new Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of their new "roadless" plan to build oil production facilities in Ecuador's world class Yasuni National Park. Although both letters praise Ecuador for stopping Petrobras from building an access road into Yasuni National Park, they emphasize that the new project design (construction and operation of 2 drilling platforms, flow lines, a processing facility and pipeline) will cause major impacts to the region's biodiversity and indigenous peoples.

A massive new processing facility would be constructed on the alluvial plain of the world renowned Tiputini River. Sixteen hectares of mature, inundated forests along the Tiputini would have to be cleared and drained, completely destroying the habitat. And the rainforest surrounding the proposed sites for the two drilling platforms is home to large mammal species considered indicators of high quality rainforest, such as tapir, giant armadillo, giant anteater, and large monkey species. The Waorani representative organizations were never consulted about the project, nor did they grant consent for activities on their ancestral territory. The Ecuadorian government must be urged to NOT approve the study and to cancel the project, as oil exploration and protected area status are simply incompatible. Tell them by taking action now.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The World and Brazil in particular have come a long way in recent years regarding acknowledging the need to protect the world's rainforests and climate, and developing policy sufficient for doing so. Not so long ago Brazil's government railed against any suggestion by the international community that the Amazon should be protected. Now at the international climate talks in Kenya the Brazilian government has asked "rich nations to back a plan to help it slow deforestation". Along with other tropical rainforest rich countries like Papua New Guinea and Costa Rica, it has proposed that a fund be established "that developing countries can tap after they prove they have slowed initial deforestation rates". This proposal definitely represents progress towards solving two of the world's most dire ecological crises - terrestrial habitat loss [search] and global warming/heating [search]. But as always with such proposals, the devil is in the details. Forest diminishment such as what is caused by "selective" logging and other industrial developments permanently lowers the ability of ancient forests to hold carbon. To be truly effective, such climate funding for forest conservation must protect against deforestation as well as all ecological diminishment of large, contiguous and relatively intact forest expanses. Ancient forests can simply not be acceptably industrially managed while still holding all their carbon.

Posted by Dr. Glen Barry at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)