Deforestation: no improvements for 17 years

In the last 17 years countries in the world has not been able to cut the rate of deforestation: a continuous dripping of trees and forests which on the one hand has not got worse, but in the other hand has not even seen improvements. Datas come from a study based on the observation of satellite maps, published by Global Forest Watch and Science Magazine.

Several experts worked on the study, to find what are the causes of such a wild deforestation, to identify which areas have suffered more of this phenomenon and the situation of areas which had been subjected to a "permanent" deforestation. According to the researchers for some forests that have suffered serious reductions the hope for reforestation is not dead yet.

The authors of the study said that countries carried out changes against deforestation too slowly to reach the 2020 targets. But the main cause of this phenomenon is trading, especially in Amazonia and Africa: indeed, 27% of the reduction is caused by the exchange of goods. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, forests have been replaced by cocoa beans, while in South America, the paper industry has taken its place among the trees, along with soybean crops. However - as the research recalls - the deforestation perpetuated over time «permanently alters a landscape», a problem that is even worse if tied with intensive agriculture or mining, or controlled deforestation and fires.

Therefore, 5 million hectares are lost every year for the last 15 years to procure raw materials, a rate that has remained stable. Doug Boucher, an environment expert, also traced in an article the situation of the Brazilian Amazon in 2013 and now explains that in 5 years «nothing has changed». «During the late 1990s and early 2000s - Boucher writes - the rate of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon was on average around 20,000 square kilometers, driven by the rapid expansion of pastures and commercial soybean industry. Then, - the expert continues - since 2005, it has started a rapid decline, falling by 70% in just half a dozen years ». From that moment on «there was no more changes» Indeed the annual loss of Amazonian forest was 6,947 square kilometers, in 2011 it was 6,418. According to the scientist, the causes are often linked to local politics and economic factors. The fact that the rate has been unchanged and the "zero deforestation" policies do not work is a «serious failure in terms of effects on climate change».