Here’s a bit of good news: Deforestation is slowing down – in some places
A new report from the UN a couple of weeks ago shows a glimmer of good news on the deforestation front:
The last decade saw forests being lost or converted at a rate of 13 million hectares per year, compared to 16 million hectares in the 1990s.
However, new forests were being planted to the tune of more than seven million hectares per year; so the net rate of loss since the year 2000 has been 5.2 million hectares per year, compared to 8.3 million in the 1990s.
Keep in mind that this still represents a massive loss of forest every year – just less than it was before. Given that one has to stop losing before you can start gaining, this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Take a look at this interesting chart:
You can see the minor improvement in Africa and South America – but take a look at Asia! This is largely due to changes in China (more tree planting) and Indonesia (less tree cutting).
Why is this important?
In my observation, almost every country that has serious environmental issues also has a severe deforestation problem. Healthy forests seem to be the key to environmental health almost anywhere you look: Forests regulate local climate, including humidity and rainfall patterns. They hold back water on steep hillsides, helping to prevent floods during rainy seasons and releasing their water gradually during dry seasons to mitigate drought. Trees are the “loadbearing columns” in the house God has built for us.
Isn’t it interesting that C.S. Lewis used wanton deforestation as a major theme in “The Last Battle”, his final book in the Narnia series…
[Want to help fight deforestation in one small corner of the world? Click here to help Care of Creation plant trees in Kenya.]
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Tags: deforestation, erosion, good news!, Kenya
