Agriculture causes deforestation - was
For forests, was supposed to be the "environmental super year. But like most plans in , this moment never came to fruition. Even before , many companies struggled with the realization that they were unable to report progress, due to undefined and insubstantial commitments. And even more problematic, more than 40 percent of the most influential companies in the global forest-risk supply chains — many of which tout the importance of sustainable sourcing — still did not have a deforestation commitment in place. The answer is to double down, learn from the missteps and keep moving forward. To this end, the World Wildlife Fund WWF has released a report that closely examines the status and drivers of deforestation in 24 global hot spots in the tropics and subtropics. The loss of forests in the tropics and subtropics between and equaled an area roughly the size of California. Nearly two-thirds of the total forest loss occurred in Latin America due primarily to large-scale agriculture. Across the globe, the expansion of plantations and the ongoing growth of commercial agriculture to feed global demand were significant contributors to deforestation. Infrastructure, particularly new roads and extractive industries such as mining and fuelwood harvesting, also added to the destruction. agriculture causes deforestationCauses of Deforestation
The loss of primary forest - the clearing of old-growth, intact forest for the first time agriculture causes deforestation hit its third-highest annual total on record sincereaching 2. Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru recorded historically high deforestation levels, while Brazil had "another bad year", losing over 1. After Brazil, the countries with the highest primary Amazon forest loss in were Bolivia, Peru and Colombia - which suffered its second-highest loss on record - followed by Venezuela and Ecuador, according to the report based on analysis of the data produced by the University of Maryland. In Brazil, deforestation was largely driven by forest being converted into pasture for cattle, the report said.
Cutting down forests has major implications for global goals to curb climate change, as trees absorb about a third of the planet-warming carbon emissions produced worldwide. The report noted that the biggest deforestation hotspots in the Amazon were found in southeast Agriculture causes deforestation defoestation fires have raged through its drier Chiquitano and Chaco forests. Many Bolivians use slash-and-burn tactics to clear land for cattle or soy production, and the fires they set can get out of control and escape into the forest in dry conditions.
In parts of the Peruvian Amazon, deforestation driven by agriculture causes deforestation gold mining decreased in the past year "thanks to effective government action", the report said. But Peru still had the highest primary forest loss on record in its share of the Amazon, surpassinghectares.
That was largely fuelled by the expansion of small-scale farming and the cattle pasture frontier, including on indigenous lands, the report said. How Biden could use foreign and trade policy to protect the Amazon rainforest. Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon two-thirds lower on titled indigenous land. Inside the war against illegal gold mining in Peru's Amazon. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly.
Our global editorial team of about 55 journalists and more than freelancers covers the lives of people around agirculture agriculture causes deforestation who struggle to live freely or fairly. Thomson Reuters Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales registration number: About Thomson Reuters Foundation. agriculture causes deforestation
What is Deforestation?
About our Climate coverage We focus on the human and development impacts of climate change. Newsletter sign up:. Doubts dog Lebanon's first electric car India's 'Solar Man' lights path out of poverty with clean power Land-starved Singapore gets creative with solar in clean energy push EU urged to ban 'discriminatory' AI tools that detect gender or sexuality. Related stories: How Biden could use foreign and trade policy to protect the Amazon rainforest Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon two-thirds lower on titled indigenous land Inside the deforetsation against illegal gold mining in Peru's Amazon Reporting by Anastasia Moloney; Editing by Megan Rowling. Brazil demand for U. About Thomson Reuters Foundation News news. Find out more.]
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