In our last post we addressed what may be one of the most important news of the year for our planet, the major decline in illegal logging by 22 percent since 2002, according to the last report released by Chatham House, a London-based thinktank.

In this post we are going to focus on the main outcomes of the report broken down by country, dividing them in two categories: wood producers and importers.

So, addressing firstly wood producers, the outcomes, by country, unveiled by the report are as follows:

Brazil: Illegal logging in the Brazilian Amazon has declined by 50–75 percent since 2000. Most of the reduction occurred in the last five years, and is closely correlated with a similarly dramatic decline in deforestation.

Indonesia: Illegal log harvest in Indonesia has fallen by 75 percent since a peak in 2000, but it still represents around 40percent of timber production. Log smuggling to China has fallen by 92percent since 2004.

Cameroon: Illegal logging in Cameroon has declined by around 50 percent since 1999. Most of the reduction occurred in the first part of the 2000s, and all is related to industrial production for export – small-scale illegal logging for domestic markets appears to have increased.

Malaysia: Illegal logging in Malaysia, at 14–25 percent of production, is more prevalent than commonly thought. Experts feel that on average the situation had improved slightly in the last few years, the wood-balance analysis was inconclusive.

Ghana: There do not appear to have been significant reductions in illegal logging in Ghana in recent years, although the number of cases detected has increased, possibly as a result of improved enforcement.

The main outcomes breakdown for the wood importers is as follows:

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The forest sector plays a key role in tackling climate change. One of the main recent reports addressing deforestation, The Eliasch Review, Climate Change: Financing Global Forests (an independent report commissioned by the British Prime Minister), stresses the next:

“Forestry, as defined by the IPCC, accounts for around 17 per cent of global GHG emissions – the third largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions after energy supply and industrial activity. Forest emissions are comparable to the annual CO2 emissions of the US or China.”

The review goes further and estimates that in the absence of any mitigation efforts, “emissions from the forest sector alone will increase atmospheric carbon stock by around 30ppm by 2100” (current atmospheric CO2 leves stand at 433ppm).

But good news have come up. Consumer pressure, legal restrictions by importing countries and media attention have all contributed to the major decline in illegal logging in the world’s forests since 2002, according to the last report released by Chatham House, a London-based thinktank.

According to the in-depth analysis of twelve countries (exporters and consignees of illegal logging, by importation) a major decline in illegal logging of 22 percent has been experienced since 2002. “Actions taken by governments, civil society and the private sector over the last ten years in response to illegal logging and related trade have been extensive and had a considerable impact”, stresses the report.

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Last June 17, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) made a unique announcement: they will fund the Great Green Wall, a 4,400 mile long wall, nine miles thick, made completely of trees.

The Great Green Wall will cost U$S 119 million and 11 northern African nations intend to participate in the initiative.

“We will make an allocation to each of your countries,” GEF Chief Executive Officer Monique Barbut told the leaders of the 11 nations in Ndjamena.

But, which is the main purpose of this project? The Wall represents a pan-African proposal to reforest the continent from west to east, an effort aimed at combating desertification in the Sahel-Saharan region. Linking Dakar in the west to Djibouti on the Red Sea in the east, the wall will cross through Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti.

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A recent study corroborates that to feel more alive we need to spend more time outdoors, in nature.

We usually drink a cup of coffee or a can of Coke when we need a little energy boost, but the truth is, a stroll through nature has a much larger effect in making us feel rejuvenated and energized than any of our urban drinks.

“Research has shown that people with a greater sense of vitality don’t just have more energy for things they want to do, they are also more resilient to physical illnesses. One of the pathways to health may be to spend more time in natural settings”, says Richard Ryan, lead author and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. So this means nature might not only bring some energy into our lives, it might also bring a state of well-being.

People often don’t take the time to take a stroll through a nearby park or go somewhere green on weekends. The effect that nature has on us is very significant as Ryan’s studies show “we’re kinder, more gentle folks when we feel in-touch with the natural world”.

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The Brazilian government announced last week that the number of deforested trees in the Amazon over the past year is less than the amounts recorded in the last 20 years. This year, the deforested area was 45% smaller than in 2008.

In the past 12 months, 7008 km2 of forest were cut down, what became known thanks to satellite images from the National Institute for Space Research. This amount is the lowest since the government began monitoring deforestation in 1988.

How was this accomplished?

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The 13^th World Forestry Congress has taken place this past week in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This Congress is organized every six years, in different cities of the world, and is attended by around 6000 people from more than 160 countries.

The topics addressed in the WFC 2009 included forests and climate change, forests and bioenergy, deforestation, the different uses given to forests, and their present situation and future prospects, among other subjects. Speakers included Environment Ministers from several countries, representatives from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization), the World Bank, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), scientists, and many others.

It’s been the first time a WFC was carbon neutral: its carbon footprint, –meaning its greenhouse gas emissions– will be measured and offset.

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