2008-'09 - Kerala Forest Research Institute

DIRECTOR’S REPORT
The beginning of the 21st century has witnessed certain critical moments in the
global economic scenario. A few other issues also have surfaced in social and
environmental fronts. While the challenge of food security of nearly seven billion
of the world population remains unresolved, additional concerns such as
deteriorating environmental quality and global climate change have emerged as
more crucial problems in recent years. Vegetation cover of the earth, mainly
forests, is suggested as one of the main means for the mitigation of these
adversities. Forests act as a buffer against such adverse situations by absorbing
carbon dioxide, one of the greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.
Presently forests worldwide absorb about a quarter of the total carbon emissions.
Although the global average of forest cover is about 30% of the total land area,
there is wide disparity in this proportion from country to country and region to
region. Of the total area, primary forests account for just over a third of global
forests. The amount of primary forests provides a basic indication of biodiversity
since these are the most diverse ecosystems on land and they hold the vast majority
of the world's terrestrial species. It is estimated that each year about 60,000 km 2
of these primary forests are lost or modified by logging or other human
interventions. This means that the global biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming
rate. It is impossible at the moment to estimate the value of biodiversity to
mankind since only a small fraction of known species have been examined for
potential medicinal, agricultural or industrial value.