Vital Forest Graphics

Forest animals threatened

J he World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has identified more than 200 eco-regions as outstanding examples of the diversity of the world’s ecosys- tems; of those, forest regions make up two thirds of the total. Yet while forests contain more than 80 per cent of the world’s terrestrial species, the survival of many of them is threatened. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) estimates that the accelerating rate of deforestation which has taken place over the last century has contributed to reducing the abundance of forest species by more than 30 per cent. The rate of species loss in forest regions is considerably faster than in other ecosystems. Between now and 2050, it is projected that there will be a further 38 per cent loss in abundance of forest species (UNEP-GLOBIO 2008). The conversion of forests for agri- cultural use and plantations, fires, pol- lution, climate change and invasive species all impact on forest biodivers-

Forests are among the most biologically rich terrestrial ecosystems. Yet deforestation, forest degradation and poaching mean that habitats are lost and the survival of many forest species is increasingly threatened

ity. Fragmentation of forests due to road, agriculture and human settle- ment development also impacts on wildlife by reducing the corridors used to move or migrate. In Indonesia over the period 2001-2007, forest clearance, including illegal logging, was found to be taking place in 37 out of 41 national parks, threatening many species and driving the orang-utan towards extinct- ion (UNEP 2006). The decline of the orang-utan and the destruction of its habitat has reached such a level that wildlife conservationists have set up so-called ‘orang-utan refugee camps’ in certain areas. Logging and agricultural expansion is also a major threat to amphibians and reptiles. In Haiti, a mega-diverse Caribbean country, amphibian species occur on high mountain ranges and down to sea-level mangrove swamps. The Massif de la Hotte in Haiti alone is home to 32 frog species. However, the future for many of these species is grim, with natural habitats being destroyed for fuelwood and charcoal production. Currently, over 90 per cent of the am phibian species in Haiti are threatened or extinct (Young et al . 2004). Poaching and trade Animals living in the forest are also at risk from poaching and bush-meat hunting (UNEP 2002, 2005; Dobson and Lynes 2008). In Africa, the bush- meat consumption per capita is higher in logging and mining areas, as the workers are often better off and able to afford bush-meat. Networks of logging roads and tracks also provide hunters with easier access to abundant wild-

Number of tree species per country in the world

5\TILY VM [YLL ZWLJPLZ

200 to 1000 More than 1 000

Less than 50 50 to 200

Source: FAO 2006a.

No data

38 VITAL FOREST GRAPHICS