Rainforest Nations Agree to Take On Deforestation

By Ben Nystrom, 06/06/11

On Friday, 32 rainforest basin nations made an unprecedented environmental policy agreement by pledging to cooperate in battling rainforest deforestation in their areas.

According to a report by the AFP, the agreement took place at a meeting in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, and included various experts from the Congo Basin in Central Africa, South America's Amazon Basin and the Borneo-Mekong Basin in South East Asia. These three areas represent approximately 80 percent of the world's rainforests and are home to about two-thirds of the world's biodiversity.

The 2%-3% of deforestation logging is responsible for occurs mainly as clear-cutting for agricultural and cattle farming purposes. Source: Mongabay.com

The participating nations agreed that connections existed "between deforestation and forest degradation as well as socio-economic issues such as sustainability and poverty reduction." The nations also called on the rest of the world to "support their efforts" and assist with "long-term and transparent financing for a durable forest management."





This agreement is great news for the sustainable timber industry. Contrary to popular opinion, the main cause of deforestation and degradation isn't logging - it's cattle ranching. Legal, selective harvesting of timber from government-approved areas not only helps protect the land but also provides a much-needed boost to local economies. By working with the local governments and supporting their decision to protect the rainforests, responsible hardwood flooring and decking manufacturers such as Nova can guarantee these precious renewable resources are around for many generations to come.

By Ben Nystrom, 06/06/11

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