Managing Tropical Rainforests

What if you woke up tomorrow in a world completely devoid of tropical rainforests? What do you think that would be like? What about the animals that lived there, or the people? What about the rivers? Would we have enough oxygen to breathe? What would remove atmospheric carbon dioxide and the impact on climate change?

Perhaps you think it's silly even to imagine this because there is no way it could ever happen...right? However, consider this- deforestation is one of the prices we pay for (unsustainable) development, and it has been happening fairly quickly. If unchecked, continuous deforestation could very well lead to the scenario described above. To prevent this, we need to engage in sustainably managing tropical rainforests, through protection and conservation.

Managing tropical rainforests sustainability

Tropical rainforests are important ecosystems. They help to reduce global warming by acting as a carbon sink. They produce a large proportion of the oxygen we breathe. They also help to regulate the global water cycle as more than 50% of the rain that falls in tropical rainforests goes back into the atmosphere through evapotranspiration.

Several of the products we use also come from the rainforest, such as fruits, spices and materials to make furniture. Furthermore, rainforests are a source of medicinal products. In fact, the US National Cancer Institute has estimated that 70% of the plants useful to treat cancer are found only in rainforests.¹

In spite of their importance, deforestation of tropical rainforests has been happening at a rapid rate. From 2010, it is estimated that 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) of rainforests have been removed annually for agriculture and industrial activities, including but not limited to, cattle ranching, road construction, mining and logging.

Fig. 1 - annual rate of rainforest deforestation, 2015

While it is accepted that tropical rainforests must be utilised in order to earn, sustainable usage is imperative in order to preserve them for future generations. Luckily, there are communities, organisations, and governments that have been working towards the sustainable management of rainforests. Read on to find out more about these management practices.

Managing tropical rainforests policies

Some of the policies which are used in the sustainable management of tropical rainforests include; reducing debt, international agreements, and selective logging and replanting.

Reducing debt

Many of the countries in which tropical rainforests are located have large amounts of international debts. They often unsustainably utilise their rainforest resources to earn money to pay these debts. One way in which the tropical rainforests in these areas can be sustainably managed is through "debt-for-nature" swaps. In this way, the country to which the debt is owed writes off or cancels part of the debt in exchange for the debtor preserving its tropical rainforest. This idea of exchanging debt for ecosystem preservation was first put forward by the World Wildlife Fund in 1984 and first implemented in Bolivia in 1987.

International agreements

Fig. 2 - illegal logging, Marojejy National Park, Madagascar

In this sustainable management method, only mature trees are selected to be harvested, rather than clear-cutting an entire area. Selective logging is more sustainable than clear-cutting because younger trees are left to grow and regenerate the tropical rainforest. In addition, many times trees are replanted to replace the ones that were logged. To reduce the damage caused by using trucks to traverse the rainforest to clear away the felled trees, horses and/or helicopters are used. Both of which are more environmentally friendly. As a result, the forest resource is left for the use of future generations.

Managing tropical rainforests protection

Environmental laws can be enacted and enforced to protect the tropical rainforest. Most commonly, these would be laws that ban the logging of certain tree species. Environmental laws can also involve the banning of illegal logging along with the selling of timber from rainforests that are not under sustainable management.

Several countries also protect their rainforests by establishing national parks and/or forest reserves within them. The declaration of these zones is protected by national law, which prohibits or restricts any destructive activities to occur. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, people still manage to undertake illicit activities.

Managing tropical rainforests conservation

Conservation usually goes hand in hand with education. It is important to educate people on the value of the tropical rainforest in order for successful conservation campaigns. Conservation enables the management of the use of rainforest resources to ensure that they are used sustainably. This enables people to use the rainforest without leaving any long-term impacts. Conservation is often spearheaded by international organisations but always involves the local communities. Conservation activities include, but are not limited to, promoting the use of alternative sources of lumber or offering incentives for the reduction in carbon emissions due to deforestation, amongst others.

Managing tropical rainforests ecotourism

Ecotourism is a type of sustainable tourism in that it considers its present and long-term social, environmental and economic impacts. It is typically small-scale in scope and involves minimizing the impact on the natural environment.

Ecotourism helps to sustainably manage tropical rainforests because it facilities the development of an area without compromising the ability of future generations to benefit from utilizing the same forest resources. It takes place in small groups and allows local communities to have control and therefore receive direct benefits in the form of income. They can earn a living working as tour guides or by providing transportation and accommodation. Consequently, they don't have to rely on destructive practices such as logging to provide for themselves and their families.

Ecotourism is environmentally friendly and the people involved usually have an interest in protecting natural space. It ensures there is no litter or garbage left behind through the provision of proper waste disposal. In addition, some of the profit made from ecotourism activities go back into preserving the tropical rainforest.