Threats to the Long-Term Sustainability and Provision of Ecosystem Services - Essay Example

1. Outline current and future threats to the long-term sustainability and provision of ecosystem services from tropical savannas and rainforests Introduction The world is faced with a major challenge as the climate change continuously changes. The adverse effects from climate change are inevitable if the world at large do not collectively engage in sustainable use of its natural resources. Depletion of natural forests is a major challenge and a threat to environmental stability. Sustainable management of tropical forests calls for urgent conventional principles; use of forests in such a way that the tropical rainforests biodiversity has a well maintained production and capacity to fulfill all the economical, social as well as the ecological functions for today’s generation and for posterity. Therefore sustainability of the tropical Savanna and the rainforests demands urgent measures as it is faced with very many challenges and threats. Tropical savanna and rainforest destruction has been the major contributor to the global environmental change. The main questions now are the causes of forests depletion and deforestation as well as the Savanna encroachment. This is a question that has never gotten a clear answer due to the many factors that directly and indirectly makes deforestation to happen. It is worth noting here that these factors do not solely cause a major threat to the tropical ecosystems, but they link with each other, as one factor leads to the others. As indicated by Archard et al (2002), deforestation causative factors are very many and they do correlate without any clear cut pattern. The main causes of threats: The increased rate of agriculture expansion The need for agricultural farms is increasing day in day out. This has been described by many researches as the main changes in land use which is posing a major threat to the sustainability of the forests ecosystems and the savannah ecosystem in the world most importantly on the tropical rain forests. Geist and Lambin (2002), confirms this by asserting that over 96% of the total deforestation of forest ecosystem, occurs due to agricultural extensions to the forest land as well as the tropical savanna. Forests are converted into permanent farming fields, ranching areas, cultivation in shifts. The estimate in percentage in global permanent cultivation encroachment lies at 48%, with different countries having a variation in the levels of encroachment. Agriculture extension is mainly for subsistence rather than for commercial purposes. There has been a threat in forests management in Central and South America; mainly due to the encroachment of forests for cattle ranching. This has and will continue cause massive destruction of forests. According to Neil, Paula and Michael (2001), in Central America almost two-thirds of all the lowland tropical forest has been converted into pasture since early 1950s. About 40% of the total rainforest in Central America has been cut or even burnt for livestock pasture for feeding the export market. In Brazil for example the landlessness rate has gone too high, almost hitting the 3 million mark. This has led to the government’s decision to clear some areas of the Amazon rainforest; people are encouraged people to move into the forest. This clearly shows a threat of poor governments policies and schemes. Many farmers are not able to move, therefore they cultivate the land year in year out. This has adverse effects on the soil fertility which is very essential in the regeneration of forests. This bringing of land together for pasture has led to vey many people being left landless, forcing the poor people into the forest to search for land either to settle or to cultivate. Wood and timber extraction Wood harvesting for domestic and commercial use is a threat likely to reduce much of the forests ecosystem into bare land; tree felling for fuel and poles is the main cause of alarm as it increases each day. This is due to the rising demand of construction materials and lack of alternative building materials in many countries. There has been a worrying trend also in tree harvesting for commercials purpose, whereby, tree loggers do so to get money, especially from precious hard woods. This is challenge to the sustainability of the forests as majority of the loggers do no have in their mind the importance regeneration of the forests; they are guided by the spirit of profiteering. . Logging for commercial purposes is the main threat of forest destruction and forest sustainable management in Africa as well as South East Asia it is estimated that globally, logging for timber, wood, charcoal and medicinal herbs destroy almost 5 million hectares in a year. Logging leads to illegal settlements and encroachment from peasant farmers especially in Africa. Whereby, an estimate of 75% of the total land that has been occupied by farmers occurs in the land that has been logged in the past. This is a clear picture of why both legal and illegal logging is a threat and a challenge to the sustainability of the tropical and rainforest ecosystems globally. Much is needed to control this rising trend to save the world from climate changes emanating from lack of rainfall, desertification, and rise in global temperatures as a result of logging. Population growth Jill and James (2001), asserts that the global population is rising at an alarming rate; this will directly act as a threat to ecosystem sustainability. Population rise leads to direct increase in demand for, wood, land for cultivation, land for settlements, ranching and grazing lands and demand for other products from the forest ecosystem. The pressure of the population growth will immensely affect the sustainability of the tropical savanna and rainforest ecosystem as encroachment will also increase leading to more deforestation and land clearing. The services enjoyed from the tropical forest ecosystem for example, water, rain and ecological balance will be affected. Tropical rain forests management is a must if the future generation has to be guaranteed. Therefore, with proper management as suggested by Sheud, Nasi and Johnson (2004) should not be compromised by the rise in population instead this should act as a driving force towards the sustainability of the ecosystems for posterity. Population increase causes a demand in forest resources such as game animals, edible fruits and water. Forests are known to house very many different species of species plants, insects, and animals. They all play a role in ecological balance. Population rise creates a ready market for forest products and by products. This is and will continue to become challenge mainly due poachers and both legal and illegal loggers will continue enjoying the ready market. There has been an argument that the pressure from population growth is a major threat to forest destruction, this is a fact that nobody can deny as this problem is global. On the other hand this problem should note be viewed as the sole contributor to the challenge of forest destruction. Population growth directly leads to poverty, landlessness among other problems. These problems are the leading factors in forest encroachment. Laws and regulations There is this emerging threat of laws being incompatible due to lack of uniformity in standards. This is a serious problem to the management of forest ecosystem which is shared between or among nations. In one nation there may be provisions of strict laws to control illegal logging and encroachment but this may not be the case in the other countries. This leaves a loophole for illegal loggers to migrate into countries that do not prohibit controlled commercial logging. Conflicts that arise due to customary and legal regulations influence activities such as hunting, access to forests for other commercial and domestic purpose. The ambiguity that exists in the definition of important conservation measures remains a threat to the sustainability of the tropical forests ecosystems. Mohammed, Motiur & Zhang (2010). Law harmonization through environmental conventions has been yielding little fruits; many countries are not dedicated towards the objectives of the conventions. Currently the protected world forests are about 6 % of all the forest that is remaining worldwide, this is an indication that there is about 91 % that is not yet protected and it is readily available for taking. In addition the 6 % that is covered does not have a guaranteed safety due to lack of appropriate steps in sustainable development of the entire forest ecosystem. Industrialization Industrialization is posing a major the forests, today and in future; it is accompanied with developments that involve excavations and constructions. This is a threat in the thriving of forests as many trees are cut down and soil excavation leads loss of forests and dependant species. Road constructions across tropical forests and savanna take a wide area. A good example is of the Transamazon highway which has led to increased accessibility into the rainforests. It has now become easier to get into the forests both commercial and domestic logging. Industrialization is increasing the need for mining; this leads to destruction of forests in search for minerals, for example iron ore, oil, bauxite among other minerals. Though they generate a lot of economic advantages, their mining processes has gradually been causing, adverse forest destruction for example in the Amazon forests. Industries are the main polluters; release of harmful gases into the atmosphere leads to climatic changes and especially global warming. Global warming is a threat to replenishing, regeneration and the general growth of the forest ecosystem. Many tree species do not thrive under extreme high temperatures; this reduces the chances of survival of many tree species in the tropical forests. A slight change in the global temperatures due to industrial air pollution affects the entire forest ecosystem. This affects the normal functioning of the ecosystem. Global warming is a challenge that brings about forest fires. These fire outbreaks due to temperature rise pose a threat to the tropical Savanna as the fire spread very fast causing huge loss of vegetation. Technological advancement Technology has a lot of positive impacts on social and economic development. On the other hand it has led to rise of deforestation and the adverse negative effects that arise due to deforestation. It has become easier to cut trees and split timber due to availability of machines that can work all day. A good example is power saws and other machine driven cutting equipments. Transportation of logs, wood, animals from the tropical and rainforests has been simplified by availability of heavy loading machines and ferrying tracks. Agro technological changes are affecting the deforestation. Poor technology in wood harvesting leads to wastage of wood especially due to logging practices that waste a lot of wood. It is also very easy to clear a wide area of tropical Savanna within hours by use of machines. This is making the encroachers work easier (Emesto & Frank 2006). 2. How can we improve the management of their ecosystem services, given increasing pressures being placed on natural resources? Sustainable commercial logging Commercial logging should be made sustainable at government and local level. The timber industry has the ultimate solution to illegal and wasteful logging. Logging as the major challenge in sustainable management of tropical forests can be regulated by the industry to ensure that laws are put in place to govern both local and shared forest resources. This will ensure that wood harvesting for commercial and domestic purposes is done in controlled manner such that over extraction do not occur. Establishment of organizations such as the International Tropical Trade organization (ITTO) was a major step towards realization of sustainability. Though this did not bring the much anticipated goals in the timber industry, it can be streamlined and given the authority to manage forest resource. Bad politics, negligence, has been a major challenge for the organization’s free functioning. Doing away with politics and embracing a culture of change towards direct involvement in natural resource management will act as a strong pillar for tropical forest management. According to Naravan (2001), there is a rising trend in illegal timber logging posing a challenge to the security among nations as it creates tensions and conflicts especially in the shared natural resources. There is a dire need to have illegal logging controlled to evade disasters, such as climate change, desertification, and food insecurity and flooding. Sustainable logging can be made possible through certification of timber harvested from both the private forest ecosystems and the government owned tropical forests. A universal certification standard entailing evaluation, monitoring as well as labeling should be put in place to certify the sustainability of the wood throughout the production chain. These standards should be in line with the International Organization for standardization (ISO) 14000 on environmental management. Paying for services provided by the ecosystem Sustainable management of the natural resources has been hindered by free market entry of any individual or group especially in the Savanna and in the rain forest. As it is indicated by Patrick (1990, p.128), it is obvious that any resources that is seen to be free for all cannot be sustainably conserved as a result of the issue of tragedy of commons whereby, each person is willing to have more and more to his side. This leads to the urgent necessity to ask all the users of any particular ecosystem be made to pay for the services. The money collected is channeled towards sustainable management of the savanna and the rainforest ecosystem. This will also add value to natural resources and in return offer conservation efforts for any particular ecosystem. Though this is a good means of improving the sustainability of the natural resources, it can only succeed when proper and appropriate property rights are put in place, together with government policies that do support conservation of natural resources. Creation of awareness The biggest challenge faced in the management of natural resources is ignorance, lack of awareness, and illiteracy. Majority of individuals do mismanage resources because they do not have any idea of how and why they need to conserve the existing natural resources. For example, not all people who invade the Savanna are aware that it is not right to do so as they are putting their lives and the lives of the future generation at risk. Therefore, it is the role of the governments to offer basic environmental education to ensure that each individual is made aware of the importance of natural resource management. Coordination of all institutions and encouragement of social participation Conservation of natural resources, demand for incorporated strategies; to address the causes and factors which lead to destruction of natural resources globally, It is critical that a diversified involvement of international organizations as well as different local organizations at government level to come together. Natural resource sustainable management is only possible through proper coordination and cooperation among all the stake holders. As indicated by Francis (1994), when all concerned stake holders join together for a common goal of sustainability, all is possible. Pressure continues to mount on the available natural resources. As there are many sectors which are directly involved in any particular natural resource, they must all come together and also include the participation of civil service and other environmental organizations. This will enable concrete decision making in the development and conservation decisions in conservation and management policies. Doing this will enhance sharing of conservation ideas from knowledgeable individuals and better alternatives will also be identified. Involvement of all stake holders and most importantly the society is a major threshold in managing natural resources. For example it is wise to get all the stakeholders around the savanna involved in its management. Leaving out one stakeholder for example the communities encroaching into the Savanna will definitely compromise sustainable conservation measures. Coming up with proper management program Natural resources consist of various zones; therefore, it is vital to have a clear program targeting each zone to ensure that the pressure exerted on the available natural resource at that particular zone is sustainably managed and conserved. This call for integrated conservation policies to create protected areas that can yield ecological, economic, socials as well as aesthetic benefits to the society. This will motivate the society more towards the conservation of natural resources without over exploitation. Among the recommended policy adjustment for reducing the pressure on the natural resources include: foundation and giving much strength to natural protected areas. Natural resource depletion is at times inevitable due to increased pressure from dependants. Creation of protected areas is a strategy to secure a portion of natural resources. Since tropical forests and the tropical savanna have a very high aesthetic value, it is quite important to carryout ecotourism; it yields a lot of economic benefits, reduces destruction and promotes development. Ecotourism is a strategy aimed at protecting the natural resources as well as yielding benefits from the natural resources. Law enforcement Enforcing the set laws and regulations is very crucial in protecting the natural resources against over exploitation and mismanagement. There exist so many greedy individuals and groups whose main aim is to extract natural resources for self gain regardless of the importance of that particular resource to the entire functioning of an ecosystem. Laws are meant to ensure that natural resources are sustainably utilized for the benefit of all. Strengthening both local and international natural resources is a step forward in improving the manner in which natural resources are utilized (David, Francis & Vancley 2003). Legal mechanisms to control for example logging must be controlled by very strict laws as it emerges to be the main contributor to the rain forest depletion. Stiffer penalties reduce chances of willing loggers to encroach into the forests. Much is still needed within the legal systems as cooperation is needed to ensure that all nations using a shared resource have a common law to regulate the manner in which the resources are used. Most importantly to ensure that conservation takes place. Incentives Jennifer (1999) concludes that incentives act as a motivation towards conservation of natural resources. International organizations at times offer monetary funding or gifts to people who directly contribute in ensuring that natural resources are sustainably used and protected against destruction. The pressure being mounted on natural resources increases day after day, therefore there is need for any government or for governments relying on a shared resource to reward people, groups, and companies who excellently promote sustainability. Environmental restoration is one of the best ways to ensure that natural resources are brought back to the required level after being depleted. This helps in controlling spread of destruction. For example the tropical rain forests and the depleted tropical Savanna must be restored as soon as possible to ensure that the situation does not over bond to state that recovery or even regeneration is not possible. Early measures for restoring destroyed natural resource are very good ways of improving the way in which natural resources are managed, thus reducing the impacts of increased pressure on natural resources. Conclusion Ecosystem management is a major global concern, which requires a concerted effort to ensure that sustainability of natural resources is achieved. Threats to natural resources and in specific to tropical Savanna and tropical rainforest vary widely from region to region. Though this is the case, there are factors that cut across the board. A good example is poverty, population growth and landlessness. These factors interlink as one causes the other. It is worth noting here that the war of ecosystem depletion must be a concern for each individual; it should be a responsibility for each and every one of us. Ecosystems play a vital role in the global climate. Therefore, it is important to have well managed ecosystems. Though there are claims that the term sustainable resource use doe not arise at all, to some extent natural ecosystems have to be conserved for the sake of posterity. References Archard, F et al 2002, ‘Determination of deforestation rates of the World’s humid tropical Forests’, Science, vol.297, pp. 932-1000. David, P, Francis, E & Vancley, J 2003, ‘Sustainable Forestry in the tropics: Panacea of folly?’, Forest ecology and Management, vol.172, pp. 229-247. Emesto, F G & Frank, F 2006, ‘Land use options for Del plata Basin in South America: Trade offs analysis based on ecosystems services provision’, Ecological Economics, vol.57, pp.140-151. Francis, E P 1994, ‘Approaches to sustainable forest management’ Centre for policy research, working paper, no.4, pp. 3-6. Geist, H J& Lambin, F 2002, ‘Proximate causes and underlying driving forces of empirical deforestation’, Bio science, vol.52, no.2 pp. 1-16. Jill, L C & James R K 2001, ‘Diffusion of sustainable agriculture in the Brazilian Tropical rain forest: A discrete choice analysis’, Forest Ecology and Management, vol 172, pp. 102- 103. Jenifer, A 1999, Ecosystem management: Adaptive strategies for natural resources organizations in the twenty-first century, Taylor and Francis, United Kingdom Mohammed,M, Motiur, R & Zhang, G 2010, ‘A review of the present threat to tropical moist deciduous Sal ( Shorea robusta) forest ecosystem of Central Banghladesh’, Tropical Conservation Science, vol.3 no.1, pp. 1-5. Neil, B, Paula, H & Michael, S 2001, ‘Constraints on private conservation: Some challenges in managing Australia’s tropical rain forests’, Annual Conference Paper of the rainforest, vol.11, pp. 1-13. Naravan, B 2001, Ecosystem management, APH Publishing, United Kingdom. Patrick, D N 1990, ‘Recent environmental changes on Pacific Islands, The Geographical Journal, vol.156, no.2, pp. 126- 137. Sheud, D, Nasi, R & Johnson, B 2004, ‘Ecological criteria and indicators for tropical forests landscapes: challenges in the search for progress’, Ecology and Society, vol. 9, no.1, pp. 36-72. . . Read More