Forest loss 'threatening humans'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Forest loss 'threatening humans'*
June 25, 2008 02:18pm
Article from: AAP
ABOUT 15 million hectares of tropical rainforest are being lost across
the world every year, posing a direct threat to human life, according to
University of Adelaide research.
Corey Bradshaw, from the university's school of earth and environmental
sciences, says the world is losing the battle over tropical habitat loss.
He said tropical forests supported more than 60 per cent of all known
species but those species were now being lost at a rate 10,000 times
greater than would randomly occur without the impact of humans.
"This is not just a tragedy for tropical biodiversity, this is a crisis
that will directly affect human livelihoods," Professor Bradshaw said as
the lead author in a study published online today by the Ecological
Society of America.
"This is not just about losing tiny species found at the base of big
trees in a rainforest few people will ever see, this is about a complete
change in ecosystem services that directly benefit human life.
"The majority of the world's population live in the tropics and what is
at stake is the survival of species that pollinate most of the world's
food crops, purify our water systems, attenuate severe flood risk,
sequester carbon and modify climate."
Prof Bradshaw's study found the world was "on a trajectory towards
disaster" and called for an immediate global conservation approach to
avert the worst outcomes.
"We must not accept that all is well in the tropics, or that the
situation will improve with economic development, nor use this as an
excuse for inaction on the vexing conservation challenges of this
century," he said.
"We need to start valuing forests for all the services they provide and
richer nations should be investing in the maintenance of tropical habitats."
Professor Bradshaw said one of the biggest issues was corruption.
"The greatest long-term improvements (which) can be made in governance
of tropical diversity resources and good governance will only come from
strong multi-lateral policy," he said.
"We need international pressure to ensure appropriate monitoring and
accounting systems are in place."