How to make tropical forests more valuable standing than felled? Conservationists have grappled with this challenge for decades.
From the 1980s onwards, as research enhanced knowledge, the value of forests as habitats for wild plants and animals, and their role in regulating water resources, became clearer. More recently, forests have also been recognised for their climate moderating benefits.
All trees, large and small, absorb global warming carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and store them in their biomass. Tropical forests contain about a quarter of all the world’s carbon, while other forest regions of the world hold another 20%. In just the Amazon forest region, studies estimate that forests contain 90-140 billion tons of carbon – or the equivalent of 9-14 decades of human carbon emissions.
When forests are felled, this carbon capture is released, and some of it can find its way back into the atmosphere, accelerating the planet’s warming. Deforestation and forest degradation are estimated to make up around 15-18% of global warming greenhouse gas emissions, especially in carbon-rich tropical forests.
REDD+
So, we should be doing as much to prevent deforestation as we try to increase energy efficiency and reduce automobile use. But, keeping forests alive isn’t easy or simple when markets favour their felling. People need incentives to manage forests sustainably, while still being able to benefit economically.
This forms the basis of a climate change mitigation strategy known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Introduced in 2005, it is an international policy mechanism whereby benefits flow from developed countries to forest-rich developing countries to avoid deforestation and forest degradation.
Sri Lanka has been engaging the UN-driven global REDD programme since 2009. The Forest Department just completed a detailed assessment and consultative process that will enable the island nation to move into a new era of forest conservation, sustainable management and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. The National REDD+ Investment Framework and Action Plan (NRIFAP), prepared over four years with support from the UN REDD programme, was presented to the government in early May 2017. It contains action drawn from a wide range of proposals made by many stakeholders to improve the forest sector, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a goal Sri Lanka is committed to under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
NRIFAP identifies 13 Policies and Measures (PAMs) within three key policy areas to be pursued over five years (2018-2023). The $99 million plan, once approved by the cabinet, will be open for international development funding. It is to be presented to the World Bank, the Green Climate Fund and other potential sources.
[pullquote]When forests are felled, this carbon capture is released back into the atmosphere, accelerating the planet’s warming[/pullquote]
During the preparatory phase, REDD+ supported a highly scientific stock taking of the country’s forests, which provided clear insights on what pressures are acting on them, and how. The academic and research community was involved in this process alongside civil society, the private sector and our dwindling tribe of indigenous people, the Veddahs.
Deforestation
Analysis of 2010 data revealed that Sri Lanka has a total natural forest cover of approximately 1.95 million hectares (or 19,500 sq.km), equal to 29.7% of total land area. Of this, 21.9% is closed canopy forest.
This forest cover keeps declining by an average of around 8,000 hectares (80 sq.km) per year. To visualise, this is a little over twice the size of Colombo city (37.3 sq.km). It is worrying, but deforestation has actually slowed down from the earlier rate of 42,200 ha per year, which occurred between 1956 and 1984.
The phenomenon is also becoming more scattered across the country, with the Dry Zone reporting higher rates than the Wet Zone. Between 1992 and 2010, the highest rates of forest cover declines (in absolute terms) occurred in the five ‘hotspot’ districts of Anuradhapura, Moneragala, Hambantota, Ampara and Puttalam.
During that time, deforestation and forest degradation (the latter is where a forest’s capacity to produce ecosystem services such as carbon storage and wood products is reduced, although it still stands) have been caused by three direct ‘drivers’ or factors.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not for timber but for land that most of our forests are being cleared. At national level, the biggest driver has been state-sponsored infrastructure projects like roads, harbours and airports, tourism facilities, expansion of power generation and transmission works, and associated resettlement. Such projects have picked up pace since the war ended in 2009.
Another key driver is agricultural expansion, particularly of commercial rain-fed highland agriculture, and the development of smallholder plantation agriculture in the Dry Zone.
As the REDD+ Sri Lanka website notes, “Increased standards of living for a population of over 20 million people and a high population density of 325 per sq.km put heavy pressure on land and forest areas. This leads to encroachment by many localised drivers scattered throughout the country, which cumulatively cause considerable deforestation and forest degradation.”
Multiple catalysts
Several catalysts that intensify pressure on forests are also identified. These include population growth, advances in agricultural technology, commercialisation of rural economies and political patronage/influence.
“The practice of periodic regularisation of encroached (forest) lands, together with the lack of law enforcement by authorities, also plays a key role in allowing the impacts of encroachment to continue,” the report notes.
Meanwhile, forest degradation happens due to practices like cardamom growing, fuelwood collection, cattle grazing, human-caused forest fires, gem mining, harvesting of various non-timber forest products (e.g. rattan, medicinal plants and resin), and illicit felling of timber. There is some good news, however. While timber felling is still prevalent throughout the country, the report says, it does not happen “in large scale” any more.
In fact, natural forests have not been (officially) harvested for timber for the last three decades. Instead, the domestic supply of timber and firewood comes from forest plantations and tree resources outside forests, such as home gardens and community wood lots. For example, 23 Regional Plantation Companies currently manage approximately 9,000 ha of forest plantations that supply fuelwood and timber for both private and industrial use. The Forest Department has around 80,000 ha of forest plantation.
Balancing Act
Sustainably managing the country’s forests is a formidable task given the complex interplay of demographics, economics, and increasing use of energy and resources.
One key approach in the REDD+ plan is to rationalise land use policies—where the government can set the tone that 82% of the total land area is under some form of state control. Another is to assign financial values to ecosystem services that forests provide.
“Many consider forests a waste of land, whereas utilising that same terrain for other purposes can bring prosperity to society and contribute to the national economy. But, forests provide other services such as being the source of fresh water and clean air. Losing these services will result in costly alternatives that can be valued economically,” says Conservator General of Forests Anura Sathurusinghe.
[pullquote]Contrary to popular belief, it’s not for timber that most of our forests are being cleared[/pullquote]
It is “often a big challenge to communicate this value to politicians and officials who mainly understand the value of everything in monetary terms and demand forest land for other development work”, he adds.
Researchers worldwide have been developing methods to quantify ecosystem services. The idea is to show how big a loss is incurred when forests are lost. “We know the ‘provisioning’ values of forests like the value of timber and other forest products, but other forest services are often taken for granted,” points out Professor Nimal Gunatilleke, botanist and a leading expert on Lankan forests.
Other benefits are categorised as regulating (control of climate and disease), supporting (nutrient cycles and crop pollination) and cultural (spiritual and recreational benefits).
Green Economy
Professor Gunatilleke sees REDD+ as an opportunity to shift the economic engines of growth in developing countries towards more low-carbon and inclusive pathways.
He says: “To move towards a greener economy while learning from past experiences and judiciously blending them with innovative thinking to suit modern situations is the need of the hour. We do have the potential to develop models in appropriately greening the forestry, as well as related sectors, towards meeting our own sustainable development goals.”
Political will seems to be forthcoming. In October 2015, the government announced a programme to increase the country’s forest cover to 32% of land area by 2020. This is ambitious: It entails covering around 150,000 ha of land with trees.
Do we have enough land? Sathurusinghe says marginal lands, currently not used for any farming, can be tapped for this. It requires participation by government agencies, private companies, civil society and community groups. But, efforts must extend beyond token tree planting to a more integrated programme that conserves while reaping benefits.
Indeed, the Sri Lanka REDD+ programme’s vision is “Forests and beyond: Sustaining life and livelihoods in a greener Sri Lanka”. We can only hope that richer countries will soon come up with funding to keep our forests standing – and serving.
For details, see Sri Lanka REDD+ website: www.redd.lk