Policy Options for the World's Primary Forests in Multilateral Environmental Agreements

Conservation Letters

Brendan Mackey⁵  Dominick A. DellaSala³  Cyril Kormos⁸  David Lindenmayer⁶  Noelle Kumpel²  Barbara Zimmerman⁴  Sonia Hugh⁶  Virginia Young⁷  Sean Foley¹  Kriton Arsenis⁹ 

[1] The Samdhana Institute, Bogor, Jawa Barat, Indonesia;Zoological Society of London, London, UK;Geos Institute, Ashland, OR, USA;International Conservation Fund of Canada, Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada;Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Southport, QLD, Australia;The Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Australian Rainforest Conservation Society, Milton, QLD, Australia;Vice President for Policy, The Wild Foundation, CO, USA;Member of the European Parliament & RoadFree Initiative, European Parliament, Bât. Altiero Spinelli, Brussels

关键词: Biodiversity;    climate change;    ecosystem services;    indigenous conservation;    intact forest landscapes;    multilateral international agreements;    policy;    primary forest;    protected areas;   

DOI  :  10.1111/conl.12120

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

We identify policies that would provide a solid foundation in key international negotiations to ensure that primary forests persist into the 21st Century. A novel compilation of primary forest cover and other data revealed that protection of primary forests is a matter of global concern being equally distributed between developed and developing countries. Almost all (98%) of primary forest is found within 25 countries with around half in five developed ones (USA, Canada, Russia, Australia, and NZ). Only ∼22% of primary forest is found in IUCN Protected Areas Categories I–VI, which is approximately 5% of preagriculture natural forest cover. Rates of deforestation and forest degradation are rapid and extensive, and the long-term integrity of primary forest cannot be assumed. We recommend four new actions that could be included in climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable development negotiations: (1) recognize primary forests as a matter of global concern within international negotiations; (2) incorporate primary forests into environmental accounting; (3) prioritize the principle of avoided loss; and (4) universally accept the important role of indigenous and community conserved areas. In the absence of specific policies for primary forest protection, their unique biodiversity values and ecosystem services will continue to erode.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
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