For the first time in history, deforestation is becoming global news. It’s about time. Deforestation generates about 20 percent of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming and climate change. Deforestation also cripples our planet’s ability to filter carbon dioxide from our air.

Destroying these carbon sinks also threatens entire watersheds, endangered species and endangered cultures. A Phoenix PR firm is rallying the troops in defense of ecosystems around the world. It is promoting forest conservation, sustainable agriculture, reforestation, and wildlife conservation to help defend entire ecosystems.

“Defending ecosystems is vital to life as we know it,” said Gary Chandler, CEO of Crossbow Communications.

“Fossil fuels and energy policy are only part of the equation. Entire ecosystems are failing and the humanitarian crisis will continue to unfold.”

Global tree cover loss reached a record 29.7 million hectares (73.4 million acres) in 2016 and it continued at the same pace through 2017. Much of the loss is happening in tropical rainforests, which are vital hotspots for biodiversity, including many endangered species. The annual loss of forests now covers an area about the size of New Zealand. Forest fires contributed to the recent spike. Deforestation due to agriculture, logging, and mining continue to drive global tree cover loss.

Energy conservation, renewable energy and sustainable agriculture are all part of the solution to humanity’s contribution to global warming and climate change, but we need proven carbon capture strategies to help restore balance to our atmosphere. We need forests more than ever.

Forests are critical to the way Earth functions. They lock up vast amounts of carbon and release oxygen. They influence rainfall, filter fresh water and prevent flooding and soil erosion. They produce wild foods, fuel wood and medicines for the people that live in and around them. They are storehouses of potential future crop varieties and genetic materials with untapped healing qualities. Wood and other fiber grown in forests can be used as a renewable fuel or as raw material for paper, packaging, furniture or housing.

While the pressures on forests vary across regions, the biggest cause of deforestation is expanding agriculture – including commercial livestock and major crops such as palm oil and soy.

Small-scale farmers also play a role, often due to poverty and insecure land tenure. Mining, hydroelectricity and other infrastructure projects are also major pressures – new roads can have a large indirect impact through opening up forests to settlers and agriculture.

The biggest cause of deforestation is agriculture – including commercial livestock and major crops such as palm oil and soy. Small-scale farmers also play a role. Mining, hydroelectricity and other infrastructure projects are taking a toll. Forest fires also are taking their toll:
• About half of the world’s tropical forests have been cleared, according to the FAO.
• Forests currently cover about 30 percent of the world’s landmass, according to National Geographic.
• The Earth is losing the equivalent of 41 soccer fields every minute.
• The country with the most deforestation is Indonesia. Since the turn of the century, Indonesia has lost at least 39 million acres (15.79 million hectares) of forest.

To help reverse this deadly trend, we are developing projects to defend entire ecosystems around the world. We have several projects ready in Africa today. Thousands of community stakeholders across East Africa are ready to act now. They can help us all fight global climate change, while defending critical ecosystems. 

Read The Full Story About Biodiversity, Deforestation and Climate Change.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications — an award-winning public affairs and government affairs firm. We specialize in public health and environmental issues. We serve the world.

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Stakeholders welcome the European Commission’s intention to step up EU action against deforestation and forest degradation, as indicated in today’s publication of a roadmap towards a Communication, which is expected to be adopted in the second quarter of 2019.

This initiative follows numerous calls by NGOs and other civil society organizations, and clear demands by the European Parliament and the Member States that are signatories of the Amsterdam Declaration.

EU consumption is a key driver of deforestation around the world, caused by commodities such as soy, palm oil, cocoa or meat, of which the EU is a top importer, accounting for as much as 36 percent of all global imports of crop and livestock products associated with deforestation.

Deforestation and forest degradation are known to cause severe environmental and social impacts, including climate change and human rights abuses.

This Commission’s initiative is a first step as time is running out for the EU to uphold its international commitment to end deforestation by 2020, as agreed to under Sustainable Development Goal 15, as well as other commitments like the Paris Agreement, the 2014 UN New York Declaration on Forests, and the CBD Aichi targets.

WWF is now calling on the Commission to develop strong and robust legislative measures to effectively tackle the EU’s global forest footprint on forests worldwide from agricultural commodity supply chains and ensure commodities being imported to the EU market are sustainably produced and deforestation-free. Voluntary commitments alone will not be sufficient and new legally binding tools are essential to ensure that the future communication adequately addresses the problem. In its feasibility study published in March 2017, the EC had already looked into different policy options, including further regulation.

“We’ve been waiting for this announcement for years. The feedback period on the roadmap and the upcoming public consultation will be crucial for stakeholders to have their say, to make sure this initiative will be meaningful in reducing the EU’s forest footprint,” said Andreas Baumüller, Head of Natural Resources at the WWF European Policy Office.

“WWF expects that all the key stakeholders, including all leading companies with commitments on zero deforestation, will send a strong message to the Commission by supporting new legislative proposals to tackle imported deforestation.”

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications. He is the author of several books about health and environmental issues from around the world. He also is the author of the Language and Travel Guide To Indonesia.

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The relationship between economic development and environmental degradation became a high-profile issue in 1972, at the United Nations (UN) Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. After contentious accusations and debates, the governing body proceeded to establish the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote environmental protection.

In 1983, the UN established the World Commission on Environment and Development to accelerate international cooperation. The new Commission developed an alarming report for the UN General Assembly in 1987, which sparked the creation of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). UNCED scheduled the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992. International representatives, including many heads of state, convened and developed three key agreements:

• Agenda 21, which began promoting sustainable development around the world;
• The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, which defined the rights and responsibilities of nations;
• The Statement of Forest Principles, which outlined the sustainable management of forests worldwide. These non–binding principles defined the sustainable management of forests and generated the first global consensus on the issue.

Saving Rainforests

After the Earth Summit, several European nations considered bans on all tropical timber and related products to curb rainforest destruction. In September 1992, Austria initiated a regulation that required labels on all tropical timber imports and it imposed a stiff import tariff of 70 percent on such products. Tropical-wood exporters, including Indonesia, protested Austria’s unilateral decision to create this misguided eco-labeling law. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) took their protest to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT).

At the time, Malaysia and Indonesia were leading exporters of tropical timber. If Austria’s labeling campaign gained traction in other countries, these developing tropical nations would lose jobs and foreign capital. Meanwhile, some of the ASEAN Ministers claimed that developed nations covertly backed the campaign to promote temperate timber by creating trade barriers against tropical hardwoods.

The Global Forestry Conference

The Indonesian government and forestry producers were under siege. They scrambled to correct misinformation with facts and best practices.

Like most countries, Indonesia has seen the good, the bad and the ugly of natural resource development. Unfortunately, it’s success stories were suddenly overshadowed by its mistakes and the destructive acts of illegal loggers and slash-and-burn farmers. As the caretaker of the second-largest rainforest in the world, Indonesia deserved a place in the global debate.

Crossbow Communications saw an opportunity for Indonesia to create a showcase for the world. Our team suggested that Indonesia host a follow-up meeting to the Earth Summit to specifically discuss the Statement of Forest Principles developed in Rio. Thanks to support from top corners of Indonesian government and global sponsors, including the U.S. Forestry Service, Texaco, the Indonesian Cultural Foundation and the Indonesian Forestry Commission, Indonesia scheduled the Global Forestry Conference in Bandung, Java, in 1993—just eight months after the Earth Summit sparked the latest controversy around tropical timber products. Crossbow’s team helped develop and promote the program. We helped recruit panelists, attendees and media representatives from around the globe.

The Bandung Initiative

The Global Forestry Conference created an international showcase for Indonesia’s success stories, while isolating critical issues for discussion and prioritization. Government officials, industry leaders, academic experts and nongovernmental groups from both rich and poor nations participated.

After one week of strategic tours, presentations and one-on-one meetings, Indonesian officials and executives built hundreds of relationships with leaders and influencers from around the globe. The conference shaped new perceptions about Indonesia that had previously been formed in offices thousands of miles away.

As a result, leaders crafted the Bandung Initiative for Global Partnership in Sustainable Forest Development. The Initiative called on world leaders, the Secretary General of the United Nations and other agencies to immediately strengthen global partnerships to advance sustainable forestry management. It asked the UN to make forestry the highest priority. It urged all nations to manage forests with the same standards and to lift bans on most tropical timber. Meanwhile, Indonesia confirmed its commitment to ITTO and sustainable forestry.

The media entourage simultaneously generated hundreds of international media placements from the Forestry Conference. As hoped, news coverage was strong and very positive for Indonesia’s forestry practices and products, especially from Germany (a key influencer to Austria and Europe as a whole).

The Conference positioned the Indonesian government and forest concessionaires as leaders and responsible partners in sustainable forestry. It helped emphasize the threat of illegal logging and slash-and-burn agriculture and promoted the need to combat those practices globally. Most importantly, Austria rescinded its misguided eco-labeling law and threats of a full-blown trade war ceased.

Gary Chandler is the CEO of Crossbow Communications — an award-winning public affairs and government affairs firm. We specialize in public health and environmental issues. We serve the world.

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