Vital Forest Graphics

Forests under threat as agricultural

: eforestation is driven by the need for land for uses such as agricul- ture, agroforestry, human settlements, infrastructure and mining. Some of the most serious deforestation occurs when there are various commodity booms at the domestic and international lev- els. At such times farmers and large agribusiness enterprises clear forest areas to plant more profitable market crops such as palm oil, rice, sugar cane, banana and soya beans – or forest is cleared for animal grazing. In addi- tion, new road networks mean previ- ously remote areas can be reached and infrastructure built up, often leading to the eventual settlement of former for- est lands. A combination of increase in demands for food, land fertility, rising market prices for commodities and a lack of clear and enforceable ownership rights to forest land results in agricul- ture being the major cause of deforest- ation. Such deforestation is often exe- cuted through slash and burn practices, with forests and woodlands cut and burned and the land cleared for crop production or for livestock pastures. This method, practised by small-scale farmers for centuries, releases a pulse of nutrients that serve as fertilizers for the soil. However, while traditional slash- and-burn or so called shifting cultiva- tion practices involved the growing of crops for a few years, followed by a fallow period during which the forest

Growing global demand for land for the production of agricultural commodities has resulted in sometimes irreversible changes to the world’s forest cover

Major producers of soya beans and sugar cane

7YVK\J[PVU PU 4PSSPVU [VUULZ

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

China

Canada

15

Russia

United States

India

Ukraine

Italy

8

87

Brazil

Nigeria

52

Indonesia

South Africa

Bolivia

Paraguay Uruguay

Argentina

40

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Source: FAO 2008a.

7YVK\J[PVU PU 4PSSPVU [VUULZ

450 400

300

China

100

United States

Pakistan

200

26

44

281 India

Egypt

Mexico

Philippines

50

24

Guatemala

100

Brazil

Thailand Vietnam

455

Colombia

47

39

Indonesia

25

South Africa

Australia

0

38

Argentina

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20

Source: FAO 2008a.

20 VITAL FOREST GRAPHICS