Global Connections: Forests of the World

1. Global Connections: Forests of the World Activity 9 Researching Forests Around the World DRAFT JAN 2010

2. Objectives Study the concept of the global forest Research a specific forest in the world and develop a profile about that forest, including your relationship to it.

3. Searchable Key Words • forest ecosystem • forest product • [name of country] forest resources • world’s forests

4. Background Activity 9

5. Activity 9 – Background

6. Activity 9 – Background Where are the World’s Forests?

7. Activity 9 – Background People and Forests: Connected Through the Ages First human settlements Forests were sources of food, fuel for fires, and shelter. hunter-gatherer societies, trees provided the primary building materials and energy: cook, make pottery, and eventually smelt metal and work it into crafts, farming implements, tools, and weapons Early Greek and Roman used wood also as fuel for making glass, dyes, soap, and construction materials such as brick, cement, and tile. Wood was an indispensable material in bridges, buildings, mineshafts, ships, wagons, water wheels, and windmills Until the 19th century Wood was also a crucial element in the expansion of railroads late 19th / early 20th We still depend on wood: world­wide, more than 1 .7 million cubic meters (60 million cubic feet) of wood are used as fuel each year, and wood furnishes 70-90 percent of the energy needs of 34 developing countries and for building materials more than 1 .5 million cubic meters (53 million cubic feet) of wood are used for lumber, paper and paperboard. Today

8. Activity 9 – Background Forests As a Global Concern Forests are a crucial element for life Under great pressure from a growing human population Forests as a top environmental concern Reasons: deforestation and decline of forest health Forests connected with global environmental concerns such: population growth global climate change rise of infectious diseases

9. Activity 9 – Background Population Growth • 1999: world population topped 6 billion • 20th century: 75 percent of the growth in world population over the entire history of humans • As a direct or indirect consequence, that century also saw a loss of nearly half of the world’s original forest cover—some 3 billion hectares. • Throughout the 1990s, many countries with rapid population growth also had high rates of deforestation. “The correlation makes sense, given the additional need for farmland, pastureland, and forest products as human numbers expand.” Lester Brown

10. Activity 9 – Background Population growth • An expanding world population means that the average amount of forest land per person is becoming smaller and smaller. • At the same time, the per capita rate of wood consumption is rising. • Even though most of the world’s people still live in poverty, our collective wealth is growing. • With that wealth is a corresponding increase in overall consumption of energy, food, and goods.

11. Activity 9 – Background Rising Consumption • This rise in consumption of goods from forests is the result not only of an increased population, but also of individuals using more forest products. • Since 1960, for example, the use of paper and paper­board per person in the world has nearly tripled. • Developed countries account for most of the demand for forest products. • With just one-sixth of the world’s population based in North America, Europe, and Japan, those regions consume two-thirds of the world’s paper and paperboard and half of its industrial wood. • However, consumption of fuel-wood and industrial wood in developing countries is also expected to increase.

12. Activity 9 – Background In fact, the consumption of goods from forests has more than doubled in 30 years and will likely continue to increase.

13. Activity 9 – Background Deforestation Definition: thepermanent removal of trees from a forested area • Reasons: Loss of forest land, usually from development, urbanization, or conversion to agriculture • Today: forests cover about 3.9 billion hectares (9.6 billion acres) - almost a third of the Earth’s land surface excluding Antarctica and Greenland. • 11,000 years ago: forest land was double of today area • During the 1990s:South America and Africa lost more than 89 million hectares (219 million acres) of forest. • Overall rate of world forest loss: appears to be slowing • In tropical areas: rate of forest loss is accelerating, likely exceeding 13 million hectares (32 million acres) each year. • Annual change rate of forest cover: both Asia and Europe are showing a positive rate.

15. Activity 9 – Background Biodiversity Definition: thevariety and complexity of species that are present and that interact in an ecosystem, plus the relative abundance of each, including genetic variety within a species population, and species variety within an ecological community. • It is often used as an indicator of the health of that ecosystem. • Forests have the greatest species diversity of all terrestrial ecosystems, holding about two-thirds of the world’s known terrestrial species. • Human-caused pressures such as agriculture, hunting, and logging tend to decrease overall numbers of species, threaten local native species, and often create favorable conditions for nonnative species to colonize. • Invasions by nonnative species are a major threat to global biodiversity as a whole and to forests in particular.

16. Activity 9 – Background Invasive Species Definition: a species that is 1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and 2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. • Invasive plants and animals often do not have natural predators to impede their reproduction. • They tend to grow and reproduce quickly. Example: In Tahiti the meconia tree was introduced in 1937, as an attractive landscape plant, and has since replaced the native forest across much of the island, directly threatening 70 to 100 native plant species.

17. Activity 9 – Background Global Climate Change Definition: long-term changes in temperature, moisture, and air mass movements occurring globally. • Forests are interrelated with the issue of global climate change. • The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere rose 30 percent from 1850 to 1998, mostly as a result of humans burning fossil fuels, but also from burning wood for cooking and heating. • Climate models predict that more CO2 will warm the Earth’s atmosphere, causing changes in precipitation, sea level, and weather patterns, as well as in the distribution, extent, and structure of the world’s ecosystems.

18. Activity 9 – Background Carbon cycles • Carbon naturally cycles between the atmosphere, oceans, vegetation, animal life, and soils. • During the process of photosynthesis, trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and sequester (store) it in their woody tissues. • Forests sequester more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem, and an average forest tree can remove approximately 9kg of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. • On a global scale, forests’ potential to store carbon makes them critical for stabilizing atmospheric gases such as CO2.

19. Activity 9 – Background http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-for-kids/0159-the-carbon-cycle.php

20. Activity 9 – Background Image: http://adaptation.rncan.gc.ca/posters/on/on_07_e.php

21. Activity 9 – Background Political Stability When forests and other natural resources become scarce or severely degraded, political and social instability can follow, thereby leading to political crisis or even armed conflict. Example: In Haiti there has been a precipitous decline in forest cover as a result of the uncontrolled logging, the conversion of forest to farmland, and the use of wood as a primary fuel. In 1920, Haiti was covered with trees -more than 60 percent of the land was forested. Today, less than 2 percent of the land remains as forest. The degraded environment has contributed to political instability and large-scale migrations.

22. Activity 9 – Background Infectious Disease Human health may also be closely related to forest health. Example: in the depths of the tropical rain­forests of Peru, people are contracting malaria, a disease that was unknown in that region until recently. Scientists have found that deforestation is directly involved in this new disease pattern. Apparently, as the forest is cleared and as wildlife is eliminated, the mosquitoes that carry the disease must seek out new hosts - namely humans. Although most malaria cases originate in the tropics, the United States and Europe have experienced a steady increase in “airport malaria” involving people who never visited the tropics themselves, but who were exposed to people who had.

23. Activity 9 – Background Feeding the World’s Hungry The world’s farmers face a common crucial issue: How to affordably feed more and more people without impoverishing the land? Problem: Throughout the world and throughout thousands of years, this pressing need has led to cutting or burning forest land to make room for more farm land. One of the major underlying causes of deforestation today is subsistence farming, with farmers simply trying to feed their families.

24. Activity 9 – Background

25. Activity 9 – Background Indigenous Peoples and Cultures • Many indigenous peoples throughout the world have a long history of using and managing forests and are severely affected when forests are degraded or lost. • Past and present forestry policies have often excluded local peoples from forest planning and stewardship, resulting in a disruption of lives and livelihood for those peoples and a decline in forests. • Facing deforestation and forest degradation, many local indigenous communities are reasserting their role as stewards of the forests. Example: In many parts of the world indigenous peoples are organizing to stop the rapid economic development that has led to deforestation. At the same time, the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples is increasingly being recognized as an important component of sustainable forest management.

26. Activity 9 – Background From Global to Local Connection The extent and health of the world’s forests on a global scale are affected by activities that take place on a local level. Those activities such as… • farming and ranching • gathering fuelwood • conducting commercial logging • converting native forest to plantationswith trees grown as a crop • increasing urbanization and building new settlements • and constructing roads and hydroelectric reservoirs … may have profound effects on specific forest lands. Although local activities affect the forest, where, when, and howintensively those activities take place are often driven by economic, political, and socialforces on a national or international scale.

27. Activity 9 – Background Global Responses for Forests As global interest in the world’s forests continues to expand, coordinated international efforts are having a growing effect on how forests are used. Example: international agreements to reduce carbon dioxide and other ”greenhouse gases” have already prompted financial incentives for private landowners in the United States and Latin America to turn their farm land into productive forests, which, in turn, store or sequester carbon.

29. Activity 9 – Background Rio 92 At the United Nation’s 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit (also called United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED), world leaders from 102 countries adopted two international declarations that affirm the importance of the forests of the world. 1. Statement of Forest Principles 2. Agenda 21 PS: The summit also produced conventions on biodiversity, climate change and desertificationwhich have implications for forest management.

30. Activity 9 – Background Since the meeting in Rio de Janeiro… • …several national and international programs have been launched to measure progress toward sustainable forest management • …the most comprehensive and potentially far-reaching of those programs are the regional and international initiatives, which now involve more than 100 countries • By endorsing these initiatives, each participating country has made a commitment to work toward the sustainable management of all of its forests.

31. Activity 9 – Background Forest certification • The process of verifying that forests are well-managed and communicating that through some type of recognition program. • Certification of forests and wood procurement was developed to provide guidelines and structure - a set of standards - to promote responsible forestry, and then verify it through third party independent certification. • Certification is also a way to satisfy market demand - from consumers and customers - for “green” products. • There are many different forest certification systems around the world, each with a slightly different focus to reflect differentiating features such as land ownership patterns, governmental structures, forest owner values, and differences in forest types. • All of these standards promote economic, environmental, and social values by including auditable requirements for a variety of issues including: • protection of special biological and cultural sites, • management strategies to protect species at risk and wildlife habitat, • sustainable harvest levels, • and prompt regeneration.

32. Activity 9 – Background Some examples of labels This helps consumers identify and give preference to products from well managed forests.

33. Activity 9 – Background

34. Activity 9 – Background Buying Time for the World’s Forests • Many countries rely on forest products for economic development, and many individuals have few viable choices other than to cut or clear forest land for survival. • Some regions, especially with developed economies and temperate climates, are making significant progress toward creating sustainable forest management, revising forestry policy and legislation, and strengthening forestry institutions. • However, in regions with developing economies and tropical ecosystems, forest area continues to be lost. Many of those countries lack the strong institutions needed to reverse the trend, owing in part to limited financial resources.

36. Activity 9 – Background Think about this… “The world is faced with an increasingly complex challenge: is it possible to achieve sustainable forest management and to achieve equitable economic progress at the same time?” This is a challenge we must face on the local and global levels because safeguarding the world's forests is essential to the future health of all living things, including human beings.

37. Doing the activity Activity 9

38. Activity 9 – Doing the activity Now, time to work! Question: What do you know about forests in other countries? • The task is research a forested area in another country or region and create a profile about that forest. • You will follow the “Forests of the World Profile” • The profile must contain information for each question. • It is necessary to identify your sources of information in a bibliography.

39. Activity 9 – Doing the activity Resources to be used • At the student page there is a list with some suggestions for where to begin getting the country information. • You must also use at least one primary, or first-hand, source of information, such as an interview, letter, or research document. • To locate a primary source, some possibilities are: (a) e-mailing a Peace Corps volunteer who currently lives in that country (b) talking with a relative or an exchange student from that country (c) interviewing someone who imports products from that country (d) accessing a government website of that country

40. Activity 9 – Doing the activity How to select a country? • Read through “The World Forest Tour” cards for ideas. • Look over “Global Connections: Forests of the World” poster for a country that has a large percentage of forest land. • Trace back to its origins a product they use(such as tropical nuts, fruit, or coffee). • Choose your families’ country of origin. • Consider an area you have been curious about visiting or exploring. • Decide on a famous forest region you have heard of (such as the Cloud Forest of Costa Rica, Black Forest of Germany, Amazon Rain Forest of Brazil, or California Redwood Forest).

41. Activity 9 – Doing the activity Student Page: “Forest of the World Profile” Let’s read it and understand each category of information for your research…

44. Activity 9 – Doing the activity Presentation in class • The presentation must describe some of the main features of the forest you researched • Compare the similarities and differences between the different forests.

45. Assessment • Presentation of a forest profiles showing your understanding about what type of forest is present in the country or region, what factors influence the type and size of the forest, how people in the country or region view and use the forest, and how people around the globe are connected to this forest.

46. Enrichment Activity 9

47. Activity 9 – Enrichment International connection Make contact with students in another country, and have them exchange information about their local forests and culture. Resources: • U.S. Department of Education’s “Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet” http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tech/international/index.html • Peace Corps’ “Coverdell World Wise Schools” http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws. • EPALS Classroom Exchange at http://www.epals.com • International Education and Resource Network http://www.iearn.org.

48. Activity 9 – Enrichment - Careers Careers Investigate careers and volunteer opportunities (such as in tourism and international development) in which detailed country information is used on-the-job.

49. Activity 9 – Enrichment - Technology Technology Examine: • communication technologies in terms of how people get news and • information from around the world. As you do your forest research for this module, you can record the sources of your information (cable TV, Internet, print, and so on), including when, why, and from where the information originated. Analyze the sources of information and their influence on our understanding of forests around the world.

50. Resource • U.S. Department of Education’s “Teacher's Guide to International Collaboration on the Internet”: http://www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tech/international/index.html. • Peace Corps’ “Coverdell World Wise Schools”: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws. • EPALS Classroom Exchange: http://www.epals.com • International Education and Resource Network: http://www.iearn.org.