Urgency
Deforestation & Climate
Monday, 09 March 2009 Trevor Williams - Originally Published in Green Muze
Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. Image: iStockphoto
Deforestation and ClimateThe Amazon Rainforest is still being cut down at an alarming rate. Almost every year there is more news about deforestation but it seems to be over-shadowed by the debate on climate change. In 2005, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations reported on the state of the world’s forests in their Global Forest Resources Assessment. Their next report is due sometime in 2010 and will likely include even more bad news.
The 2005 report stated that 13 million hectares of forest was destroyed and replaced by agricultural land between 2000-2005. This means that significant carbon absorbing mass was lost on the planet and was replaced by land area that actually generates more greenhouse gases through agricultural processes and fossil fuel based agricultural products.
Mono Titi Monkeys
When a troop of Mono Titi pass through it is like a band of wild teenagers on a holiday bash. Even Hugh Hefner would be jealous of their sex lives. They’re fun, happy and cute – life is a celebration for them.
The Mono Titi is among the smallest of all primates. Weighing in at only one and a half pounds, not much bigger than a squirrel, they can fit onto the palm of a hand.
Also known as the Peaceful Primates, Mono Titi are endemic to the Manuel Antonio Park in Costa Rica: the birthplace of Eco Tourism. In Manuel Antonio, the monkeys sre the stars of the show for the thousands of visitors that come each year.
Lungs of the Earth
By Dan Tefft, CEO TreeBanking LLC
The Rainforests are the lungs of the earth. Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen, but they also create clouds that help reflect sunlight and heat back into space and provide rain for crops and drinking water.
Until recently most people that live in the Rainforests have seen them as unlimited. A vast sea of trees that were in the way of development. They had to be removed in order for the land to yield any valuable crops.
What Are the Causes of Deforestation?
Forests disappear naturally as a result of broad climate change, fire, hurricanes or other disturbances, however most deforestation in the past 40,000 years has been man made.
Increasing the amount of farmland for soy and palm oil production, wood extraction and, infrastructure expansion are all important factors in driving deforestation in different regions
The ultimate cause of most deforestation is increased food production. Cattle, permanent crops, slash and burn cultivation are obvious examples. Harvesting wood for cooking fuel and construction material are also causes of deforestation.
The demand for tropical hardwoods for furniture and other decorative construction projects is also a leading cause of deforestation.
A sad part of of much of this deforestation is that after the trees are removed, barren land is left behind... abandoned.
Orangutan on the BrinkFYI: 300 football fields worth of trees are destroyed every hour. The wildlife and native peoples have no 'claim' to the land. The animals are simply killed or sold into the wildlife-trade as pets, meat, or as laboratory research specimens. 
Young Orangutan in treeThe name “orangutan” literally translates into English as “man of the forest”. It comes from Malay and Bahasa Indonesian orang (man) and hutan (forest).
Orangutans are extremely intelligent creatures who clearly have the ability to reason and think. Their similarity to us is uncanny. Baby orangutans cry when they’re hungry, whimper when they’re hurt and smile at their mothers. They express emotions just like we do: joy, fear, anger, surprise…. it’s all there. If you take a few minutes and watch an orangutan, you’ll swear they’re just like us. And they kind of are….
Orangutans are large, but in general are quite gentle. Large males can be aggressive, but for the most part they keep to themselves. They are uniquely arboreal– living their lives quietly up in the trees away from predators… and only descending to the forest floor when they must. Were it not for the occasional squealing of a baby or calling out of a big male, you would hardly even know they were there. They don’t bother anyone. They don’t want anything to do with us. They’re too busy getting on with their lives.
Local Indonesian mythology has it that orangutans actually have the ability to speak, but choose not to, fearing they would be forced to work if were they ever caught. Legends aside, even if this were the case, who could blame them?
