People have been destroying forests for a very long time. In many cases this destruction has been done under population pressures and the need to clear land for crops. Although the pressure to clear forests has somewhat eased in most rich countries, the demand for arable land is very strong in many developing countries. In Congo, which has the most rainforest land, behind Brazil, most of the clearing is being carried out by smallholders, who are clearing the brush in response to population rises. However, in 2010, Brazil’s deforestation rate dropped very fast. According to The Economist, in 2004 Brazil razed 2.8 million hectares of rainforest in the Amazon. In 2010 only 750,000 hectares were raised.
Globalization is increasing the demand for agricultural products from tropical countries, and as populations become richer, there is an increased demand for those goods; however, as the standard of living improves, people begin to think about environmental issues and this gets eventually reflected in through their voting. Governments begin to pass enforce greener laws. It is however extremely important that the transition from deforestation to conservation gets accelerated and the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programme i doing just that. The aim of the programme is to pay people in developing countries to look after their forests and leave them standing. For more information about REDD and the future of forests please follow this link.
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