Tropical rain forests & deforestation a Learn, Apply, Communicate presentation International Institute for Industrial and Environmental Economics
About this presentation This presentation is produced by master students at the International Institute for Industrial and Environmental Economics at Lund University in Sweden. The material is part of a project in communication of environmental issues. The presentation is available in movie format as well as in PDF format, with or without presenter s notes. After the presentation we kindly ask you to take part of a short survey that will help us to evaluate and improve our ideas...
Purpose The purpose of this series of presentations is to illuminate some of the environmental issues of today, and to provide high school educators with interesting facts, ideas for discussions and activities, as well as inspirational material to use in their work. The fifth presentation in the series deals with tropical rain forests and deforestation and its effects on environment.
Background information Forest systems: 30% of the Earth s land surface. ¼ boreal coniferous forests More than ½ tropical forests, which equals only 2% of Earth s land surface
Background information Forest systems: 30% of the Earth s land surface. ¼ boreal coniferous forests More than ½ tropical forests, which equals only 2% of Earth s land surface Discuss! Have you been to a tropical forest? Are forests important to you? Would you be prepared to take personal action to protect forests?
Biomes Abiotic, limiting factors: Elevation Latitude Average temperature Precipitation Biome and forest development: Tropical Temperate Cold (sub-polar and polar)
Biomes Abiotic, limiting factors: Elevation Latitude Average temperature Precipitation Biome and forest development: Tropical Temperate Cold (sub-polar and polar) Discuss! By which abiotic factors cana freshwater system or a marine ecosystem be determined?
Tropical rain forests Location: close to the equator. Prevailing climate and limiting factors: Extensive sunshine High temperatures Heavy, daily rainfalls Half of the world s biodiversity. Photo by J. Luth Richter
Niches Competition of resources. Coexistence of a variety of species Classification of layers
Niches Competition of resources. Coexistence of a variety of species Classification of layers Discuss! Except for their outstanding strategy in reaching sunlight, which advantages/ disadvantages could vines or so-called lianas have for other species in a tropical forest? Think of the directions they could grow in.
Plant nutrient storage No plant litter on forest ground. Quick decomposition. Decomposers - producers. Nutrient storage in the flora.
Logging & land use change Degradation and destruction of half of the tropical rain forests by human activities. 300 million people dependent on forests for: Shelter Food Medicine Small-scale trading activities
Deforestation 1 minute = -35 football fields 9 3 6 World Wildlife Fund (2011)
Major harmful effects Biodiversity loss. Biosequestration stop. Accelerated global warming. Regional weather patterns change. Limited secondary ecological succession. Logo by the United Nations
Major harmful effects Biodiversity loss. Biosequestration stop. Accelerated global warming. Regional weather patterns change. Limited secondary ecological succession. Discuss! In the next 24 hours, deforestation will release as much CO 2 into the atmosphere as 8 million people flying from London to New York. Have you heard about carbon offsetting and which options do you know about? Logo by the United Nations
Latest research & trends Tropical wealth Potential annual earnings from avoided deforestation, by country (in USD millions). Values were calculated assuming USD 37.5 per metric ton of CO₂ equivalent Illustration from the FAO report: State of the world s forests 2007.
Latest trends Reduced impact logging (RIL) Planned, controlled harvest of timber to minimise impact. Forest product certification. Cost perspective.
Latest trends Reduced impact logging (RIL) Planned, controlled harvest of timber to minimise impact. Forest product certification. Cost perspective. Discuss! Can you think of any factors why a timber company operator would not be interested in RIL?
Future scenarios Case study: Palm oil - a trace of rainforest in my cookie. Oil palm: highest yield of any oil seed crop. In high demand for consumer products and biofuel. 88% from Indonesia and Malaysia. Plantation in tropical forest areas.
Ideas for discussion (...) there s money to be made from food and energy and no income to be derived from the standing forest, it s obvious that the forest will take the hit. Hylton Philipson, Trustee of Rainforest Concerned
Ideas for discussion (...) there s money to be made from food and energy and no income to be derived from the standing forest, it s obvious that the forest will take the hit. Hylton Philipson, Trustee of Rainforest Concerned Discuss! Putting a price on the carbon these vital forests is the only way to slow their destruction. What is your opinion about placing a value on the valuable land in developing countries?
Activities Video and food item listing Class and individual activity. Watch the 1 minute Greenpeace campaign video Have a break and ask the students to make a list of all items they can find and use which contain palm oil. Familiarization with Forest Stewardship Council Group activity. Each group receives a thematic fact sheet from the FSC website to prepare a summary of the facts and elaborate advantages and disadvantages of FSC s activities for a roundtable discussion. Localisation Individual or group activity. Use the tropical forests of the world map and ask the students to identify the continents and countries in which tropical rain forests can be found.
Suggested resources Ten minutes video extract from Lost in Palm oil documentary showing the palm oil development and impact on the tropical rain forest and its indigenous communities on Sumatra, Indonesia. Recommended as a complement to the Future scenario section of this presentation. One minute Greenpeace campaign video Have a break? against Nestlé using palm oil in Kit Kat. Recommended video for activity one. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) website with fact sheets. Recommended for acvitity two. Tropical forests of the world map. Recommended for activity three. A full list of websites can be retrieved from the presenter s notes.
Suggested resources 30 seconds video introduction to the importance of forests by United Nations for the International Year of Forests 2011. Five minutes CIFOR video with Frances Seymour, Director General, Center for International Forestry Research on International Year of Forests A full list of websites can be retrieved from the presenter s notes.
Supplementary reading Seedmagazine article on paying countries to keep forests intact, what role carbon markets should play, and how to protect the people whose lives depend on trees. Access here. WWF Living Forests Report 2011, chapter 1. Access here. FAO State of the World s Forests report on the status of forests, recent institutional and policy developments and challenges in the forest sector. Access here. Mongabay.com, a platform on tropical forests, conservation and wildlife. Access here. It provides also links to teacher material on What is logging?, What is deforestation?, to be found here. A full list of websites can be retrieved from the presenter s notes.
Supplementary reading The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) is an intergovernmental organization promoting the conservation and sustainable management, use and trade of tropical forest resources. Access here. Yale Tropical Resources Institute, publication of the Tropical Resources Bulletin. Access here. Rainforest Action Network campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organising, and non-violent direct action. Articles on their work related to palm oil. Access here. A full list of websites can be retrieved from the presenter s notes.
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