Our remaining tropical ancient forests are the greatest celebration of life on earth. An extraordinary treasure chest of genetic information and biodiversity, taking up only 8% of the Earth's surface, they are home to more than half of the world's land-based plant and animal species - tens of thousands of plants, mammals, reptiles and insects - with many species still to be discovered. As the trees are destroyed, these plants and animals die with them
The Catastrophe of Industrial logging
In the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, transnational logging
companies, often in league with governments, promise schools and hospitals
in exchange for vast tracts of virgin forest. In reality, the traditional
landowners will gain less than 5% of the value of each log - and
they will suffer a lifetime of consequences. damage to drinking water supplies,
fishing streams, wild game, medicinal plants and other critical subsistence
resources lead to ongoing environmental, social and economic disaster.
But this is just one of the major regions of tropical ancient forest now under threat.
The plan for Amazon rainforest: destruction!
The Amazon constitutes one third of all tropical fotrest left on earh
- home to over half of the world's known species of plants and animals.
In just 3 years, 50,000 square kilometres of pristine Amazon rainforest
have been destroyed by industrial logging - most of it illegal. Now
major transnational compaies from our region (Australia) have bought over
1 million hectares of the unique and irreplaceable treasure. At a
logging rate of four hectares per second, it won't be long before this
has disappeared for ever.
Jaguars, frogs, tree kangaroos, butterflies - they're
losing their food, their homes and their lives
80% of the world's ancient forests have already been destroyed or severely
degraded. In the Amazon and Melanesia, the future of our last major pristine
tropical forests hangs in the balance. Yet vast transnational logging companies
continue to rob these few remaining forests of their life.
Huge, mechanised logging machines lumber on relentlessly, crashing through ecosystems shaped by three billion years of evolution.
In their wake is a wasteland.
Regrowth cannot possibly keep pace with the destruction. At this rate, in a couple of generations, our forests and the life they house will be gone. And what for?
Trees which have been growing for hundreds of years are being turned into toilet paper. Nappies. Chopsticks. Pulp for paper. Products for which there are readily available alternatives made from pre- and post-consumer waste.
There are alternatives.
This decimation lees not need to continue.
If we used wood and paper more efficiently, ecoforestry, forest stewardship
councils certified forests, plantations and farms could easily provide
enough timber to meet consumer needs.
The relentless logging of tropical ancient forests simply doesn't need to happen. The only reason it does continue is greed.
Ways for you to help protect our ancient heritage