Countries that invest in the management and restoration of ecosystems are likely to see far higher rates of return and stronger economic growth in the 21st century, according to a study by 100 experts from science, economics and policy from across the globe.

"Some countries have already made the link to a limited extent and are glimpsing benefits in terms of jobs, livelihoods and economic returns that outstrip those wedded to older economic models of the previous century," says a statement accompanying the release today of a report prepared by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).

Silhouetted mangrove trees and roots at sunset, Gabon. Mangroves can save millions of dollars on dyke maintenance. Removing them to make shrimp farms may be a bad investment.

NGS stock photo by Michael Nichols

TEEB was launched by Germany and the European Commission in response to a proposal by the G8+5 Environment Ministers (Potsdam, Germany 2007) to develop a global study on the economics of biodiversity loss. It is an independent study, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme with financial support from European countries.

In its report released today, TEEB gave these examples of countries already reaping benefits from ecosystem projects:

• In Venezuela, investment in the national protected area system is preventing sedimentation that otherwise could reduce farm earnings by around U.S.$3.5 million a year.
• Planting and protecting nearly 12,000 hectares of mangroves in Vietnam costs just over $1 million but saved annual expenditures on dyke maintenance of well over $7 million.
• One in 40 jobs in Europe is now linked with the environment and ecosystem services ranging from clean tech "eco-industries" to organic agriculture, sustainable forestry and eco-tourism.
• Investment in the protection of Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve is generating an annual of income of close to $50 million a year, createed 7,000 jobs, and boosted local family incomes.

"Accelerate, scale-up and embed investments in the management and restoration of ecosystems."

The TEEB report, The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, calls on policy-makers to "accelerate, scale-up and embed investments in the management and restoration of ecosystems."

It also calls for more sophisticated cost-benefit analysis before policy decisions are made.

The report cites a study on mangroves in south Thailand on the conversion of mangroves into shrimp farms, an example of cost-benefit analysis that was perhaps not very well thought-through.

"Subsidized commercial shrimp farms can generate returns of around $1,220 per hectare by clearing mangrove forests. But this does not take into account the losses to local communities totaling over $12,000 a hectare linked with wood and non-wood forest products, fisheries and coastal protection services," TEEB said.

"Nor does the profit to the commercial operators take into account the costs of rehabilitating the abandoned sites after five years of exploitation---estimated at over $9,000 a hectare." 

Ecosystem-savvy economy

TEEB's report outlines a plan to catalyze a transition to more ecosystem-savvy economies able to meet the multiple challenges and deliver the multiple opportunities on a planet of six billion people, rising to nine billion by 2050.

Said Pavan Sukhdev, TEEB's study leader, "Nature's multiple and complex values have direct economic impacts on human wellbeing and public and private spending. Recognizing and rewarding the value delivered to society by the natural environment must become a policy priority.

"The economic invisibility of ecosystems and biodiversity is increased by our dominant economic model, which is consumption-led, production-driven, and GDP-measured. This model is in need of significant reform. The multiple crises we are experiencing--fuel, food, finance, and the economy--serve as reminders of the need for change.

"It is now up to governments to provide fiscal or other incentives to move us from short-term opportunism to long-term stewardship. The right policies can help us move toward a resource efficient economy."

The report comes in advance of the United Nations climate convention meeting in Copenhagen where governments are expected to give the green light to funding developing countries to maintain forests, the statement says.

"Close to 20 per cent of current global greenhouse gas emissions are linked with deforestation. Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) aims to counter this while also generating financial flows from North to South.

"REDD and REDD-Plus, which includes not only maintaining forests but planting and recovering forest systems, secured the backing of close 15 presidents and prime ministers at a special meeting hosted last month by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon." (Read about this on Stuart Pimm's blog Better REDD than dead when it comes to climate change.) 

Kinabatangan River and forest, East Malaysia. Paying countries to not only maintain forests but also plant and recover forest systems would recognize the enormous economic value these ecosystems provide.

NGS stock photo by James P. Blair

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Paying developing countries under REDD marks a fundamental step forward in terms of bringing the huge financial importance of ecosystems and biodiversity into the centre of economic activity."

"It could open the door to more creative and forward looking funds and mechanisms covering other nature-based infrastructure such as peatlands and wetlands en route to support for the services generated by coastal and marine ecosystems such as coral reefs to mangroves," he said.

Read on for the key recommendations of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biovidersity:

► Read This Entire Post

The coniferous forest that wraps around the subarctic latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere offers the world's best opportunity to apply conservation as a climate change strategy, according to a report released today.

The boreal forest, as it is called, must be preserved because it is holding vast amounts of carbon in and under its trees, and also because it offers a buffer for plants and animals impacted by climate change.

Cut down those trees and develop the land and all that carbon will be released into the atmosphere--and the animals and plants seeking sanctuary from the warmer lower latitudes will have nowhere to go.

Carbon-rich wetlands in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Photo by Chad Delany, Ducks Unlimited

"When the world thinks of forests and their value to offset global warming, tropical forests come to mind," say the Boreal Songbird Initiative and the Canadian Boreal Initiative, sponsors of the report The Carbon the World Forgot.

The report released today shows that the global impact of Canada's boreal forest, which stores nearly twice as much carbon per acre as tropical forests, has been vastly underestimated.

Canada's boreal forest

Map courtesy of Boreal Songbird Initiative

"The Carbon the World Forgot identifies the boreal forests of North America as not only the cornerstone habitat for key mammal species, but one of the most significant carbon stores in the world, the equivalent of 26 years of global emissions from burning fossil fuels, based on 2006 emissions levels. Globally, these forests store 22 percent of all carbon on the earth's land surface," says a statement accompanying the release of the report.

Breakdown of carbon stored by global forest biome

Chart courtesy of Boreal Songbird Initiative

"Past accounting greatly underestimated the amount and depth of carbon stored in and under the boreal forest," says Jeff Wells, an author of the report. "In addition to carbon storage in trees, organic matter accumulated over millennia is stored in boreal peatlands and areas of permafrost. Some of this boreal carbon has been in place for up to 8,000 years."

"The boreal forest's status as the most intact forest left on Earth also offers a unique opportunity for plants and animals forced to adapt to shifting habitats."

The boreal forest's status as the most intact forest left on Earth also offers a unique opportunity for plants and animals forced to adapt to shifting habitats. Most other habitats today are highly fragmented by human activity, creating a variety of additional obstacles for species survival, the statement added.

Oscar Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories

Photo by D. Langhorst, Ducks Unlimited

"In light of these findings, today's report urges that international negotiations on carbon and forest protection consider ways to account for and protect the boreal," the authors say.

"Any effective and affordable response to climate change should include preserving the world's remaining, carbon-rich old-growth forests," said Steve Kallick, director of the Pew Environment Group's International Boreal Conservation Campaign. "This report makes clear that nations must look not just at the tropics but at all the world's old-growth forests for climate change solutions."

Top intact forests--largest in red, followed by yellow and green, representing forests undisturbed to date by humans.

Map courtesy of Boreal Songbird Initiative

"Keeping that carbon in place by protecting boreal forests is an important part of the climate equation," said Andrew Weaver, "If you cut down the boreal forest and disturb its peatlands, you release more carbon, accelerating climate change." Weaver of the University of Victoria is a lead author for the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Triangle Lake, part of northern Ontario's boreal forest

Photo by Jeff Wells, Boreal Songbird Initiative

"The collision of climate disruption and massive human degradation of ecosystems is seriously worrying globally," said conservation biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University. "These changes are surely novel in earth's history. Maintaining the boreal forest's intactness will be critical to slowing ecosystem shifts and to providing migratory corridors for displaced wildlife." Stuart Pimm is a regular contributor to NatGeo News Watch. 

Global warming is expected to affect caribou populations worldwide, like this small herd near MacMillan Pass, in Canada's Northwest Territories.

Photo by Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

"Conservation can be an important tool in the fight to mitigate climate change," said Larry Innes, director of the Canadian Boreal Initiative, a sponsor of the report. "International protocols and legislation need to create opportunities to maintain the carbon stored in intact boreal forest soils, peatlands, and wetlands while enabling indigenous and local communities to take a leadership role in determining how to best conserve not only carbon, but the full suite of ecological, cultural and economic values that the boreal forest represents."

The Bay-breasted warbler has declined 70 percent over the last 40 years. Only 7 percent of its boreal forest habitat is protected. The migratory bird breeds in the coniferous woodlands.

Photo by Jeff Nadler

More than 1,500 international scientists led by authors for the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommended in 2007 that at least half of Canada's boreal forest be protected from further disturbance--in large part to keep both the boreal forest carbon bank and internationally significant wildlife habitats intact.

Despite the current lack of international protocol, several Canadian First Nation, provincial, and federal governments have taken important steps to protect hundreds of millions of acres of Canada's carbon rich boreal forest. In all, scientists are recommending that at least 300 million hectares be protected.

Read on for more photos, maps, and the full text of the executive summary of the report The Carbon the World Forgot:

► Read This Entire Post

By April Reese
Special contributor to NatGeo News Watch

MERIDA, Mexico--Protecting the world´s remaining wilderness areas should be a top priority at internationial climate change talks scheduled for next month in Copenhagen, conservation groups said yesterday in a formal statement aimed at influencing the negotiations.

While the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal is responsible for the majority of emissions of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to climate change, the clearing of forests, wetlands and other wildlands accounts for 30 percent of carbon releases into the atmosphere, the groups said in the statement.

Left intact, wildlands absorb carbon dioxide, helping to offset emissions from fossil fuels.

"Runaway carbon emissions are driving the climate towards irreversible tipping points," the groups´"Message from Merida" reads. "This situation is in stark contrast to the world we can have if wilderness and its contribution to natural life support systems are properly valued and protected."

About a dozen groups signed the statement yesterday during the WILD9 international wilderness conference, being held here this week. The signatories include Conservation International, the Wilderness Foundation Africa, Naturalia, Sanctuary Asia, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

Currently, only about 15 percent of the worlds´land area is protected, said Nik Lopoukine, chair of the World Commission on Protected Areas, speaking during the conference.

The most recent draft of the new climate change agreement does not acknowledge the importance of protecting the world's wildlands, those familiar with the negotiations said.

"If we don't address this problem in the negotiations, climate change will only get worse," said Brendan Mackey, an ecologist with Australian National University.

Keeping wildlands whole will also help buffer ecosystems from the worst effects of a warming world, he said, explaining that the larger the protected area, the more resiliency an ecosystem has.

Pay to preserve?

Many conservationists and government officials are pushing for the creation of a system in which countries with high emissions can pay countries with abundant, carbon-absorbing wildlands to preserve them.

That approach, initially championed by Mexico but now gaining support among other developing nations, would create a financial incentive for developing countries to keep their natural areas intact while allowing the most polluting countries to offset some of their emissions, said Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoeflich, head of the Commission for Natural Protected Areas for United Mexican States, a government agency.

"It´s a cheaper way of reducing their carbon footprint," he said in an interview. "It´s basically to create a market and use that market to achieve emission reduction goals."

Conservationists are calling for tropical forests like this one in Mexico's Calakmul Reserve to be protected to help address climate change.

Photo by Boyd Norton/via The WILD Foundation

Many developing countries contain tropical forests, which store about one-fourth of all the carbon sequestered in the world's trees. Consequently, these wilderness-rich but cash-poor nations could see significant economic benefits from such a market, Enkerlin-Hoeflich added.

Safeguards to prevent corruption and ensure that wildlands enrolled in the market stay intact still need to be worked out, supporters acknowledged. But with both developed and developing countries warming to the idea, momentum is building for a climate change agreement that includes wilderness, conservationists said.

"I think this will come through one way or the other," said Michael Sweatman, who sits on the WILD Foundation´s board.

The next round of climate change talks, which are conducted by the United Nations, will be held December 7-18 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The National Geographic Society is a sponsor of WILD9.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Resolution today that condemns the unchecked illegal logging and decimation of Madagascar's endemic species, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon), author of the resolution, said in a statement published on his Web site.

"The House is sending a firm signal that the devastating and illegal destruction of Madagascar's natural resources will not be tolerated," Blumenauer said. "Illegal logging not only does irreparable harm to the environment, but it destroys livelihoods.

"In Oregon and across the United States, at a time when we are working to recover the economy, illegal timber imports undermine legitimate logging operations.

"While Madagascar's de facto government continues to use its endangered resources to boost its regime, Congress today joined the administration in calling for an immediate end to these practices."

The Resolution responds to growing anxiety in the international conservation community that the continued plundering of Madagascar's few protected forests, for valuable rosewood and other timber, and with it the destruction of habitat vital for the survival of lemurs and numerous other rare species, has inflicted irreparable damage on the African island country's environment.

Satellite image courtesy NASA

Much of the California-size island has been eroded because of deforestation for farming. Most of the country's twenty million people are poor. Conservation projects such as national parks that would showcase Madagascar's abundance of endemic species were supposed to provide drawcards for tourists and researchers, creating income and work to kick-start local economies. But much of that is at risk because of recent political instability and the destruction of the forests.

There is also concern that what's been happening in Madagascar exacerbates the problem of worldwide illegal logging, which costs countries U.S.$10 billion-15 billion each year in lost revenues for legitimate lumber industries.

"Madagascar is home to almost 150,000 species of flora and fauna. The illegal extraction of these resources threatens biodiversity as well as legitimate logging operations in the U.S.--up to $460 million lost in export opportunities every year," Blumenauer said.

"After a coup in March, the new and weakened government of Andry Rajoelina issued sweeping decrees allowing the harvest and export of wood from protected forests and World Heritage Sites. The Obama administration has condemned the de facto government, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Conservation International have denounced the wholesale exploitation of some of the world's most diverse forests and decimation of the local population's resources and livelihoods. These groups have strongly endorsed Blumenauer's resolution," the Congressman's statement said.

Madagascar is legendary for its unusual animals and plants, such as this chameleon.

NGS photo by Luis Marden

The House voted 409-5 to join the administration and environmental groups in speaking out against the devastation occurring in Madagascar. The Resolution was co-sponsored by 49 members, representing both Democrats and Republicans and including Congressman Donald Payne (D-New Jersey), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health on the Committee for Foreign Affairs, and Congressman Eni Faleomavaega (D-American Samoa), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and the Global Environment.

Author of the Legal Timber Protection Act, Blumenauer is a global leader on the issue of illegal logging, his Web site states. The law, signed in May 2008, bans the import of illegally harvested timber and wood products and empowers regulators to keep illegally harvested timber out of the U.S.

Most species of baobab trees are found only in Madagascar.

NGS photo by Luis Marden

Commenting on today's House resolution, John Calvelli, Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, said, "The situation in Madagascar is nothing short of tragic--not only for the people and wildlife of Madagascar, but for the entire planet. I applaud Congressman Blumenauer for his continued leadership in the United States Congress on the issue of illegal logging. This resolution will serve as a clear message to the current Malagasy government that the illegal harvesting of Madagascar's natural resources is unacceptable."

Said Lisa Steel, Deputy Director for Madagascar at WWF, "The loss of Madagascar's spectacular biodiversity would not only be a global tragedy, but it will further impoverish rural communities whose lives are inextricably tied to the health of their natural environments. While Madagascar is under the rule of a weakened government, it is essential that the international community work to stop the harvest and trade of illegal wood and other protected species, and we appreciate this important first step by Congressman Blumenauer."

"Congressman Blumenauer continues to play a leadership role in the global problem of illegal logging and the responsibility of consumer nations like the U.S. to support the fight against it, through policies like the Lacey Act and this resolution," said Alexander von Bismarck, executive director of the Environmental Investigation Agency, which conducted a mission to Madagascar in August 2009 to evaluate the illegal logging situation.

Full text of the Resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives today:

H. RES. 839
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, and Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA) submitted
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION
Condemning the illegal extraction of Madagascar's natural
resources.

Whereas Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island, and
home to up to 150,000 species of unique flora and fauna;

Whereas during the last 20 years, with the support of the
U.S. Government and others, Madagascar has made substantial
progress in stopping environmental degradation,
effectively managing natural resources and preserving its
unique biodiversity;

Whereas these natural resources provide essential benefits
and services for the basic needs of the majority of
Madagascar's people, three-quarters of whom live in rural
areas and two-thirds of whom live on less than $2 per
day;

Whereas these natural resources also provide economic development
in the tourism sector, drawing an estimated
$390,000,000 per year;

Whereas the Obama Administration has condemned Marc
Ravalomanana's forced resignation as President of the
Republic of Madagascar, and Andry Rajoelina's installation
as de facto head of state, as tantamount to a coup
d'etat, undemocratic, and contrary to the rule of law;

Whereas in March 2009, the Obama Administration announced
a suspension of non-humanitarian assistance to
the de facto Andry Rajoelina government;

Whereas, given that 2⁄3 of people live off the natural resources,
decreased assistance for conservation efforts is
having dire humanitarian consequences;

Whereas the African Union and the Southern African Development
Community have suspended Madagascar's participation
until constitutional order is restored;

Whereas in October 2009, the World Wide Fund (WWF),
Conservation International, and the Wildlife Conservation
Society condemned an interministerial order issued by the
current administration granting sweeping authorization
to export raw and semi-processed hard wood as
''legaliz[ing] the sale of illegally cut and collected wood
onto the market; allow[ing] for the potential embezzlement
of funds in the name of environmental protection
and constitut[ing] a legal incentive for further corruption
in the forestry sector'';

Whereas the following natural resource degradation is occurring
under the de facto government's watch--

(1) open and organized plundering of precious wood
from natural forests, including World Heritage Sites such
as Marojejy and Masoala National Parks;

(2) intimidation and menace of legitimate local community
management structures, and expropriation of revenue
and benefits from them, causing suffering and impoverishment;

(3) intensified smuggling of endemic and protected
species and species parts and/or products to the national
and international markets;

(4) proliferation of destructive practices such as illegal
mining and slash-and-burn agriculture within protected
areas and environmentally sensitive areas;

(5) degradation of forests, pushing some rosewood
and ebony species to the brink of extinction; and

(6) the degradation of the resource base upon which
rural communities depend representing an immediate and
future threat to local governance, local incomes, and food
security; and

Whereas the vast majority of this precious wood is destined
for global export markets: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) calls on people of Madagascar to immediately
undertake a democratic, consensual process
to restore constitutional governance, culminating in
free, fair and peaceful elections;

(2) strongly condemns the illegal extraction of
Madagascar's natural resources and its impact on
biodiversity and livelihoods of rural communities,
including illegal logging, smuggling of wild species,
and illegal mining;

(3) supports action by competent authorities
and the people of Madagascar to stop this illegal
devastation and bring those perpetrating these
crimes to justice;

(4) calls upon importing countries to intensify
their inspection and monitoring processes to ensure
that they do not contribute to the demand for ille10
gally sourced precious woods from Madagascar; and

(5) calls upon consumers of rosewood and
ebony products to check their origin, and boycott
those made of Malagasy wood, until constitutional
order is restored.

 

You might also be interested in:

The call to boycott Madagascar's rosewood and ebony explained
Conservation biologist Stuart Pimm writes about his observations of the diversity in Madagascar and how the current pillaging of the country's natural heritage threatens not only to destroy decades of conservation work, but also ruin the one chance that communities adjacent to national parks have to escape poverty.

Conservationists Call on Malagasy People to Stop Forest Plunder
Eleven groups that fund and help manage conservation of Madagascar's remaining wilderness heritage issued a joint statement deploring the invasion by armed looters of national parks and forests, illegal timber extraction, illegal mining, and intensified smuggling of endangered species.

Act Aggressively to Curb Illegal Logging, Madagascar Urged
Madagascar's efforts to curtail illegal logging in the World Heritage Sites of Masoala and Marojejy National Parks and their peripheral zones have not reduced the impact of logging in the immediate term, say governments, international agencies, and conservation groups that support conservation of the country's natural heritage.

Lemurs, Rare Forests Threatened by Madagascar Strife
Looters are invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species. (March 2009)

 

Six hundred experts from seventy countries concluding a biodiversity conference today in Cape Town, South Africa, described preliminary research revealing "jaw-dropping" dollar values of the ecosystem services of forests and coral reefs, including food, pollution treatment, and climate regulation.

"Undertaken to help societies make better-informed choices, the economic research shows a single hectare [2.47 acres] of coral reef, for example, provides annual services to humans valued at U.S.$130,000 on average, rising to as much as $1.2 million," said a statement released by Diversitas, a Paris-based international partnership of inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations formed to promote and facilitate scientific research on biodiversity. Diversitas convened the conference.

NGS photo by Bates Littlehales

The research described in Cape Town today provides insights into the worth of ecosystems in human economic terms, says economist Pavan Sukhdev of the United Nations Environment Programme, head of a Cambridge, England-based project called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB).

 

Based on analysis of more than 80 coral reef valuation studies, TEEB calculated the worth of services per hectare of coral reef breaks down as follows: 

• Food, raw materials, ornamental resources: average $1,100 (up to $6,000);
• Climate regulation, moderation of extreme events, waste treatment / water purification, biological control: average $26,000 (up to $35,000);
• Cultural services (eg. recreation / tourism): average $88,700 (up to $1.1 million)
• Maintenance of genetic diversity: average $13,500 (up to $57,000)

Taken together, coral reef services worldwide have an average annual value estimated at $172 billion, Sukhdev said.

NGS photo by Paul Zahl

Sukhdev noted growing scientific agreement that coral reefs are unlikely to survive if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels exceed 350 parts per million. Negotiators of a new climate change deal in Copenhagen in December, however, "would be proud" to achieve an agreement that limits atmospheric carbon to 450 parts per million, he said, calling that "a death sentence on the world's coral reefs."

Halving deforestation worth trillions

"Halving the destruction of tropical forests, meanwhile, would allow them to continue absorbing roughly 4.8 gigatonnes of carbon per year, slow the rise of atmospheric carbon levels and forestall anticipated climate change damage, Diversitas said in its statement. "Halving deforestation has a net present value estimated at U.S.$3.7 trillion, according to research."

The economic choice of turning such forests into timber or clearing them to make way for agriculture is "not very clever," Sukhdev said.

"Stopping deforestation offers an excellent cost-benefit ratio. "Investment in protected areas holds exceptional high returns," he said.

"Investing $45 billion could secure nature-based services worth some $4.5 to 5.2 trillion annually."

Previous studies have shown that investing $45 billion "could secure nature-based services worth some $4.5 to 5.2 trillion annually," Diversitas added. "Among the specific examples cited: planting mangroves along a coastline in Vietnam cost $1.1 million but saved $7.3 million annually in dyke maintenance."

Diversitas released these examples of a rate of return on investments in ecosystem restoration:

• Coral reefs: 7%, (with a cost-benefit ratio of 2.8);
• Rivers: 27%, (cost-benefit ratio 15.5);
• Tropical forests: 50% (cost-benefit ratio 37.3);
• Mangroves: 40%, (cost-benefit ratio 26.4);
• Grasslands: 79%, (cost-benefit ratio 75.1).

 

Cape Town "Declaration" 

Scientists attending the conference issued a concluding statement confirming stating that "as we approach the 2010 Year of Biodiversity ... the fabric out of which the Earth system is woven is unravelling at an accelerating rate."

"At the same time, we are discovering ever more about biodiversity and the benefits it provides to people. It is clear that biodiversity loss erodes the integrity of ecosystems and their capacity to adapt in a changing world. It represents a serious risk to human wellbeing and a squandering of current assets and future opportunities.

"The biodiversity scientists gathered here commit themselves to finding practical solutions to this problem. They will do so by: increasing shared knowledge of biodiversity and its functions; helping to develop systems for monitoring the biodiversity of the planet; and being responsive to the knowledge needs of society with clear communication of findings.

"The proposed mechanism for the ongoing evaluation and communication of scientific evidence on these issues is an Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). We call on governments and non-governmental organisations to join us in establishing IPBES as soon as possible. We urge policy-makers to act swiftly and effectively on the already-established and future findings relating to ways of limiting further biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystem services."

"Meeting current and future human needs must make adequate provision for the complex web of life of which people are an integral part. People everywhere must give effect to their shared desire for a biologically-rich and productive planet through their individual decisions and political voices."

Swapping field clothes for a suit and tie, conservation biologist Stuart Pimm attended a United Nations event last week on forests and climate change. He was among world leaders and distinguished thinkers and activists invited to publicly express their commitment and support for the role of forests as an option to mitigate the emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The forest event followed the Summit on Climate Change, convened at the UN a day earlier "to mobilize political will and strengthen momentum for a fair, effective, and ambitious climate deal" in Copenhagen this December.

Officials from almost every country will gather in Copenhagen to try to agree a new climate treaty as a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the first phase of which expires in 2012. The conference, also known as COP15, is widely regarded as a critical opportunity for humanity to try to get a grip on the problem of climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.

The meeting on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) convened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the United Nations, New York.

Photo courtesy United Nations

By Stuart L. Pimm
Special Contributor to NatGeo News Watch

United Nations, New York--September 23, 2009, 5 a.m. Another morning when the alarm goes off while it's still very dark. When I dress, it's not my boots and field khakis that I put on, but a white shirt, fumbling at this early hour with the cufflinks, and a charcoal grey suit.

The flight to New York is just over an hour. Then a taxi. It can't get me very close to my destination. First, I see what must be every policeman in the city, then the traffic slows to a crawl, then a standstill, and I continue my journey on foot.

Different kind of jungle

This morning I'm off to a different kind of "jungle" and it requires different field clothes. The United Nations General Assembly is in session and I have an invitation to watch a "high level event."

What happens here may decide whether the world's forests, their biodiversity, and their indigenous peoples, have a future.

The last few blocks have the feel of a street fair. Lots of noisy people waving posters, shouting slogans--and one, carrying a placard reading simply "Indict him!", nearly knocks me over.

I wonder who the "him" is, thinking there might be 192 national leaders to choose from, then remember that some would be "her," so that narrows the field just a bit.

Finally, I reach the right street corner, see someone holding a small sign "REDD," and, in short order, I am whisked through security into the relative tranquility of the UN building.

REDD is for "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation." It is a UN program that seeks to generate income for countries that provide sustainable management of forests while also contributing to important reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

There's a lot of science involved and the world's forests are at stake. I worry: will this meeting of the world's top politicians--its presidents and prime ministers--have got the message?

Burning tropical forests, like this in southern Venezuela, contribute one fifth of all the greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere due to human activity--more that all the emissions from Europe.

Photo by Stuart L. Pimm

The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, introduces the proceedings. He recognizes the commitment to the meeting--more than 85 governments are represented in the room, 18 of them by their heads of state.

Then he nails the key points:

• Deforestation causes 20 percent of the emissions of global greenhouse gases.
• Hundreds of million of mostly poor people live in forests and depend on the ecosystem services they provide.
• Forests harbor the greatest share of the planet's biodiversity.

Some background: A total of 183 countries have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol--an agreement to reduce the greenhouse gases that are disrupting the planet.

People often think that this is entirely a problem for industrial nations, such as the U.S., European countries, Japan, and so on. If so, the list of top emitters would surprise: after China and the U.S., come Brazil and Indonesia.

Brazil and Indonesia get to that position because of their high rates of deforestation.

Guyana in South America still has most of its forests and, with the areas of adjacent Venezuela (seen here) and northern Brazil constituting one of the largest remaining blocks of tropical forest.

Photo by Stuart L. Pimm

Under the Kyoto Protocol, developing countries cannot receive credit for the benefits their forests provide as the major stores of global carbon. REDD aims to change that.

Brazil's neighbor, Guyana, still has most of its forests. Its president, Bharrat Jagdeo, gave the event's most forceful presentation. "We all profess to know how important forests are," he started, then asked why REDD hadn't been given the attention of other solutions. "We need to correct that this afternoon."

Certainly, there were technical problems, he noted, but there are also technical problems with alternatives such as employing renewable energy. He felt that countries were focusing too much on REDD's difficulties. "This is the lowest-cost [greenhouse gas] abatement solution," he said. 

Indeed, studies done by the Union of Concerned Scientists show that about U.S. $25 billion in forest conservation would prevent a billion tons of carbon going into the atmosphere.

Stopping deforestation is a bargain compared to other solutions.

Amazon sunrise: tropical forests are home to 70 percent of the planet's biodiversity.

Photo by Stuart L. Pimm 

From the point of view of the developed world, Sweden's prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, spoke on behalf of the European Union. He too started with the importance of forests--home to "70 percent of the world's biodiversity."

Deforestation was running at "13 million hectares [50,000 square miles] per year between 2000 and 2005," Reinfeldt said. Unless the world's nations could reduce that by half by 2020, there would be no way to keep the planet from warming at least two degrees, he warned.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not attend. Neither did British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. But a British official read Brown's statement. Yes, public funding was vital, the British agreed, but so too was the private sector who could use carbon markets to offset their emissions. (Companies could compensate for their carbon emissions by investing in carbon-trapping opportunities like forests.) 

With colleagues, I have spent a career documenting forest-loss and the species extinctions it causes. Would this science get onto the political agenda? I need not have worried. It has.

But would the broad international agreements on the science be enough to effect real change?

"The core point is will there be adequate funds to do this?"

While president Jagdeo applauded Norway's financial commitments and Brazil's efforts to reduce deforestation, his main point was emphatic: "the core point is will there be adequate funds to do this?" Can enough money be raised through carbin markets and other global sources to make forest conservaton sustainable?

I knew from previous events, drinks and canapés would follow. From the windowless meeting chamber, we trouped into a lounge with an impressive view overlooking the river.

I wasn't just there for the snacks, for there were short talks by two women who I have long admired, but never met.

Wangari Maathai is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, rewarded for her work in environmental conservation, women's rights and--so relevant to the day's events--planting trees.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz chairs the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She played a central role is getting the UN to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Forests are home to many indigenous groups, some still living in voluntary isolation.  Others, such as these Waorani in Ecuador, were born as nomads in the forest and still live traditional lives.

Photos by Stuart L. Pimm

Yes, REDD is about billions of tons of carbon. And about millions of species. Maathai and Tauli-Corpuz understood that. But their unique and powerful message is that REDD is about people--whose lives and whose homes are destroyed when we clear the world's forests.

 

Professor Stuart L. Pimm is a conservation biologist at Duke University, North Carolina. A former member of the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration, Pimm is the author of dozens of books and research papers, including the book "The World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits the Earth."

 

 

Read earlier blog posts by Stuart Pimm>>

 

Updated with new images and text 

Photo of silky sifakas in Marojejy National Park by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel

Looters are invading Madagascar's protected wildlife sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species, conservationists said today.

Marojejy National Park in the northern part of the African island country has been closed to tourism. Rangers are abandoning their posts in other parks, according to reports.

The trouble is linked to turmoil that culminated in a coup d'etat that ousted President Marc Ravalomanana last week. Looters have taken advantage of government paralysis and lawlessness in some parts of the country. Some protected conservation areas are being invaded by organized criminals intent on cutting down valuable rosewood trees and extracting other protected resources, according to conservationists in Madagascar.

The closure of Marojejy National Park was "deemed necessary by park management due to the lawlessness that has descended over the ... region during this time of political unrest in Madagascar, and the resultant looting and destruction which is currently occurring within the park," according to a notice posted on the park's Web site.

Satellite image courtesy NASA

"In particular, gangs of armed men (led primarily by foreign profiteers in conjunction with the rich local mafia) are plundering the rainforests of Marojejy for the extremely valuable rosewood that grows there," the notice continues.

The crisis in Marojejy has serious implications on several fronts, states the notice on the park's Web site.

"First, of course, is the extremely detrimental impact it is having on the park's unique flora and fauna. While old-growth rosewood trees may be the primary objective of the armed gangs, such destructive, unregulated use of the forest will certainly have an adverse effect on everything else in the park.

"Most worrisome is the well-being of the highly endangered silky sifaka, a lemur found only in the rainforests of Marojejy and the surrounding area."

Map courtesy Marojejy National Park

"But the crisis is also having a devastating effect outside the boundaries of the park itself. With armed militia descending on local villages and death threats being issued, people live in fear; communities are divided, and families are pitted one against the other. Many local people who depend on tourism -- guides, porters, shopkeepers, hotel and restaurant personnel - -now live in limbo.

"With no other means of support, some turn to the lucrative rosewood trade," the notice said.

Erik Patel is a PhD candidate at Cornell University who has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001 and has recently published the first article about illegal precious wood logging in Madagascar. (See a quote from his paper in the side bar below.)

"Illegal logging of precious wood has emerged as one of the most severe threats to Madagascar's dwindling northeastern
rainforests," Patel said in an email.

 

Rosewood logged illegally in Marojejy National Park in 2005

Photo courtesy Erik Patel

Cornell University PhD Candidate Erik Patel has been studying the silky sifaka since 2001.

Photo of silky sifaka by Andrew Ritchie. Photo of Patel by Abigail Derby/courtesy Erik Patel

The video clip above features Erik Patel and his work in Marojejy National Park. It is from "Angels of the Forest, " a documentary film by Sharon Pieczenik chronicling the science and conservation efforts surrounding the silky sifaka.

Over the past few years, thousands of logs, worth millions of dollars, have been confiscated at ports of Vohémar, Antalaha, and Toamasina, Patel said. "Most of this critically endangered rosewood and ebony is known to have come from Marojejy National Park and Masoala National Park." 

In the face of rich, armed, and politically connected criminals (believed to have ties to elements in China), the parks simply lack the resources to stop this, he added.

"The impacts of such selective logging include violating local taboos as well as ecological consequences such as increased likehood of fire, invasive species, impaired habitat, and loss in genetic diversity." 

Patel said that a key cause of the logging now being seen was the recent (January, 2009) termination of the law prohibiting export of rosewood and ebony from Madagascar. 

The laws prohibiting such exportation must be reinstated as soon as possible," he said. "It is unprecedented for a national park in Madagacar to be closed to tourism because of illegal logging!"

Patricia Wright and Mireya Mayor, conservationists who have done extensive research on lemurs in the wild, spoke to me at length about the crisis in Madagascar. Both had heard from their contacts in Madagascar that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of parks because of concerns about personal safety.

"I'm gutted and at a loss to describe how bad this situation is," said Mayor, a primatologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer who has done field work in Marojejy. (Watch the video about her work below.) "Thirty years of successful conservation initiatives is now at risk of being totally destroyed," she said in the interview.

Mireya Mayor working with both the silky sifaka in Marojejy and Perrier's sifaka in Analamera.

National Geographic Video

Loggers who invaded the parks to extract rosewood would destroy habitat, set up camps, and eat the wildlife, including the lemurs, Mayor predicted. "The lemurs will not be able to withstand this."

"This crisis has had a compelling effect on me personally because of the immediate threat to Perrier's sifaka and the silky sifaka," Mayor said.

Mayor did groundbreaking research on these two critically endangered primates, leading the first expeditions to capture, collar and study some of the animals in remote areas of Madagascar a decade ago. Her work was showcased on National Geographic Television. The work was used to elevate the silky sifaka and Perrier's sifaka from subspecies of lemur to full species. "I feel personally vested in this 'war,'" she said. 

"I have worked extensively in the northern forests and with those villagers whose kindness and generosity got me through many an expedition and whose lives are now being threatened. I am anxious about them too," Mayor said. 

Photo of silky sifakas by Jeff Gibbs/courtesy Erik Patel

 

Posts Abandoned

Patricia Wright said she had received reports that rangers were abandoning their posts in a number of other parks because of fears for their safety.

"What's happening in the north is very worrying, because that is the home of two of the most endangered primates in the world, the silky sifaka and the Perrier's sifaka," she said.

Wright, a professor in the Department of Anthropology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and former member of National Geographic's Committee for Research and Exploration, said she had been on the phone to her contacts in the region yesterday and was told that heavy rain had been falling in the far north of the country for days, making the roads nearly impassable. That could be a good thing because it could inhibit timber exploitation, she said.

The trouble appeared to be confined for the moment to parks in Madagascar's northern areas, Wright said. However, she was concerned that it could spread if the country's political situation was not quickly resolved.

Both Wright and Mayor were at a loss about what could be done to alleviate the crisis in the short term. "One thing we can do is create awareness about this," Mayor said.

Wright said she was trying to contact foundations and agencies that sponsor conservation in Madagascar. "A big worry is that funding dries up for conservation because of the coup. That will leave the national parks without resources and completely exposed to exploitation."

Both Mayor and Wright are also concerned about the long-term future of conservation in Madagascar.

Patricia Wright (left) and Mireya Mayor photo courtesy Mireya Mayor

Former President Ravalomanana had committed the Madagascar government to increasing protected areas on the island and had demonstrated a willingness to work with conservationists. "Now, we don't know what's going to happen," Mayor said.

Erik Patel sent the photos below -- "three of our best Marojejy National park landscape photos" -- which I am adding to show readers the majestic beauty of the habitat, closed temporarily to tourism.

Below the photos are links for additional information and related National Geographic News stories about Marojejy, lemurs, Madagascar, and more. 

The three photos above are by Inaki Relanzon/courtesy Erik Patel

Additional Information:

Marojejy in Crisis (Marojejy National Park Web site)

"Cross Dressing" Lemurs Appear Male to Avoid Conflict (National Geographic News)

Flying Lemurs With "Backpacks" Reveal Gliding Secrets (National Geographic News)

Photo: Three New Lemurs Discovered, Add to Madagascar's Diversity (National Geographic News)

Threatened Lemurs' Diet Key to Conservation Efforts, Researchers Say (National Geographic News)

Lemur Logic May Provide Clues to Primate Intellect Evolution (National Geographic News)

Rainfall Helps Baby Lemurs Survive, Tooth Study Shows (National Geographic News)

African Trees May Be Tied to Lemurs' Fate (National Geographic News)

Madagascar Creates Millions of Acres of New Protected Areas (National Geographic News)

Rare Animals Make Africa Island Park True Hot Spot (National Geographic News)

TV News Feature: Madagascar Ecotourism (National Geographic News)

Monkeys and Lemurs Videos (National Geographic)

Map of Madagascar (National Geographic)

 

Related News From the Web

A happy ending for Madagascar? (BBC Earth Watch blog)

Conservationists see trouble in Madagascar conflict (Nature's Great Beyond blog)

Madagascar Scientists Struggle With Military Coup (ScienceInsider blog)