Using forest resources sustainably

Intact forests protect watersheds. They provide the biological gene bank for many agricultural crops. They buffer the climatic system against change. They are the storehouse for traditional medicines. Their long term sustainable use provides the foundation for many local economies.

Two thirds of the earths original forest cover has disappeared. the rest is disappearing at the rate of one acre per second. In three months an area the size of belgium is lost in the Amazon due to fires started deliberately to clear land. The ecological cost of this destruction is an estimated loss of 100 species per day. Less than 6% of the worlds forests are protected.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends promoting efficient utilization and assessment to recover the full valuation of the goods and services provided by forests, forest lands and woodlands.

The World Bank and WWF have formed an alliance for the conservation and sustainable use of forests. The aim is to increase to 10% the amount of protected forest of all types by the year 2000. Also to put 500 million acres of forest under independent certification by the year 2005. So far 21 countries including Brazil have agreed to the 10% target. The initiative includes helping countries with resources and the science as well as the creation of sustainable managed buffer zones surrounding protected areas. Emphasis is placed on the needs of people especially indigenous people to enable them to invest in sustainable development.