Assessment, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forest Biodiversity

Conservation and Sustainable Use (sustainable forest management)
Forestry trends in Amazonia
The forestry trends emerging in Amazonia are unsustainable selective logging, plantations and to a very
limited extent, sustainable yield management and sustainable forest management.
Selective logging, where the most valuable species are extracted, has become the most common form of
forestry in the region. This unsustainable harvesting does not take any precautions to regenerate the tree
species that were extracted. According to a study carried out in 1999, more than 10 000 km 2 of forests in
Amazonia were stripped of their most valuable trees. Selective logging started in the inundated areas (várzea)
and has since the 1970’s expanded to the non-inundated areas (terra firme). However, research suggests that
selective forestry should be maintained in the várzea as much as possible because they have fewer tree species;
are densely stocked with timber; grow more rapidly and the damage to the canopy and ground during logging
is less severe than in terra firme.
Forest plantations are often hailed as the solution to the silvicultural problems associated with the tropical
forests. Indeed, they are more productive and are capable of greater final wood volume per unit area, reducing
the area of human disturbance. However, plantations in Amazonia tend to be established on natural forests
instead of on already degraded land, which reduces the local biodiversity. Furthermore, since plantations tend
to be composed of monocultures, they are vulnerable to environmental disturbances such as soil fertility,
climate, disease and pests, the latter two being particularly prevalent in the tropics,. All the attempts of
establishing large-scale plantations in Amazonia have failed. Examples include the rubber plantation of
Fordlandia that was abandoned after a fungal outbreak and the Jari plantation of non-native softwood species
which gave yields much lower than expected. More recently, 50 000 km 2 of natural forests are being replaced by
plantations in order to provide charcoal in the Projeto Grande Carajás and this project is likely to be doomed
by natural disasters.
Sustainable yield management focuses on providing sustainable amounts of timber. This type of forestry was
not initially successful in Amazonia because the Brazilian government chose to promote forest plantations and
agriculture by various incentive measures. Several large-scale sustainable yield management projects in
Amazonia have failed, namely the pilot project initiated by FAO and the Brazilian government of the Tapajós
National Forest.
Sustainable forest management strives to preserve not only timber resources but also biodiversity and other
natural systems such as aquatic systems and climate. In effect, this management, also known as “reducedimpact
logging” is a refinement of sustainable yield management based more on a holistic ecosystemic multiresource,
and multi-service approach. Examples that come closest to such management are the extraction
techniques employed by Precious Wood in Itacoatiara near Manuas and the Rosa Group in Paragominas
which is now applying for certification by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Barriers and opportunities in establishing sustainable forestry in Amazonia
Amazonia will have to surmount various barriers in order to establish sustainable forestry. The most notable
examples of environmental barriers are difficulties in monitoring and assessing logging activities; wastes in
logging operations and in sawmills as well as mercury contaminations caused by soil erosion after cuts.
Sociological barriers include corruption, population growth and an outdated agrarian system. Economic
barriers include uncontrollable timber prices, inappropriate stumpage fees, and the undervaluation of
rainforest goods and services. The political barriers include an absence of a central land register as well as
underfunded and overburdened governmental institutions, resulting in their inability to enforce regulations.
There are also opportunities for sustainable forestry in Amazonia. Environmental opportunities include
adoption of standards such as certification, technological transfer for better monitoring and harvesting
equipment, promotion of non-timber forest products and agroforestry. Sociological opportunities include
educating the forest workers and managers of the importance of work safety and sustainable forestry
practices. Interesting economic opportunities considered were eco-tourism and the debt-for-nature swap
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