State of the Rainforest 2014

Protecting forests can be aligned with rights, livelihoods, and governance objectives The contributions of forests to development described above are of greatest value to the most proximate communities 11 who thus have the most to lose from forest destruction or appropriation of forest wealth by others. People in and around forests are thus essential partners in the struggle to protect forests for climate and development benefits. Recognizing the rights of local forest stewards is a first step. State conservation efforts, sometimes legitimized by international support, have often come at the expense of local communities. 12 Indigenous communities empowered to exercise customary rights over forest resources are increasingly recognized as effective forest stewards. In the Xingu Indigenous Park in Brazil’s Mato Grosso, local enforcement efforts have secured the borders of indigenous lands, despite pressure from ranchers, loggers, miners and other outside actors vying for control. 13 Increased transparency and accountability are tools to fight deforestation as well as to improve governance more generally. While some deforestation results from intentional government policies, a significant proportion is due to illegal logging, encroachment into formally protected areas, and licensing of forest exploitation and conversion through corrupt practices. 14 Elites are thus enabled to effectivelyprivatizepublicassets,imposecostsondownstreamandlocal communities, and undermine respect for the rule of law. Civil society’s response to Indonesia’s forest fires in 2013 demonstrated the power of on-the-ground monitoring coupled with remote sensing technologies to detect illegal removal of forest cover, effectively pressuring government officials and corporate leaders to improve forest management. 15 Forest protection efforts, designed appropriately, can thus be a triple win, safeguarding the rights and livelihoods of local communities while generating climate and development benefits for society at large.

agricultural productivity. Forests regulate water quality and availability by reducing runoff, filtering, and facilitating water recycling. 4 New science suggests that forests play a much greater role in driving the water cycle at broader scales than previously thought, carrying moisture from oceans into continental interiors and essentially driving rainfall patterns. 5 Energy security is also provided by forests. For communities without access to modern energy sources, forests provide fuelwood and charcoal. Forested watersheds supply water to reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams as well as to irrigation systems, and protect against erosion and sedimentation that shortens the useful life of such infrastructure. A recent study calculated that cloud forests, though covering only a relatively small area (4.4%) of relevant watersheds, supply 21% of the surface water to the reservoirs above dams in the tropics. 6 Human health is supported by healthy forests beyond providing nutrition and clean water. For the majority of people in developing countries who rely largely on traditional medicine, access to forest plants and animals with medicinal properties is critical to well-being. 7 And as deforestation is commonly achieved through intentional burning, and degraded forests are more vulnerable to wildfires, a significant benefit of maintaining intact forests is the avoided damage to respiratory health caused by smoke and haze. 8 Human safety is also served by intact forests, which increase resilience to other extreme events in addition to forest fires. Complex root systems increase water infiltration and prevent erosion, helping to reduce both landslides and flooding. For coastal communities, mangrove forests intercept wave energy, providing some protection against storms and tsunamis. 9 Further, many of the goods and services provided by forests are important for climate adaptation, by enhancing resilience to the extreme weather events that are expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate instability. 10

The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of Sara del Fierro in the preparation of this essay.

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STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014