Developing nations
Increasingly developing nations are adopting environmental plans both to look good in the eyes of international
financing organizations, and in finally realizing the adverse affects of deforestation for their own economies
and peoples. In 1996, Mexico announced its first national environmental program aimed at saving the last remaining
10% of its forests. Other countries have initiated such projects, but still a fair number are quite ecologically
backwards. Malaysia, which claims to have the best conservation program in Southeast Asia, recently appealed a
high court decision that tried to uphold construction of a huge hydroelectric project in Bakuin, Sarawak (Bornean
Malaysia). The court decided that the dam construction company, Ekran, must comply with regulations established
by Malaysia's Environmental Quality Act of 1974 -- which holds that Malaysian citizens have the right to examine
and comment upon environmental studies prior to construction. The Malaysian government appealed this decision to
Malaysia's Court of Appeals so the hydroelectric project could proceed as quickly as possible.
A lack of judicial independence is frequently cited as a major concern for investors in developing countries. When
the executive branch or the military has virtual control over the judicial system. constitutional laws can become
meaningless and basic rights may be ignored. Laws are not in place to be flagrantly violated by politicians and
their associates at the expense of the people, the environment, and less well-connected business interests.
Developing governments have several ways they can better protect their forest environments for the future. Eliminating
subsidies for activities that promote forest clearing and largely benefit wealthy private interests, would probably
have the widest ranging effect on curbing deforestation in the tropics. For example ending subsidies for saw mills,
road construction, massive colonization schemes, and expansive agricultural projects would dramatically slow deforestation.
Such large subsidies creates a false image of profitability to industries that benefit from exploitation and undervalues
the worth of timber supplies and intact ecosystems. Rarely do these firms realize the full costs, whether they
be environmental, social, or financial. Leaders of these firms are a formidable roadblock to forest policy reform
since they are politically favored. Developing governments could significantly reduce deforestation by changing
land title procedures so deforestation is not favored over the maintenance of productive forest. Instead of giving
tax breaks and subsidies to large-scale forest clearers, governments could levy a deforestation tax which would
increase government revenues while reducing environmental degradation. Such a plan of action would have a tremendous
impact in countries like Brazil and Malaysia where large plantation owners and cattle ranchers are responsible
for substantial forest loss.
Currently, few fines are collected and those that are collected get "lost" before the forest ministry
ever sees them. Salary is so low that bribes are widely accepted by forestry officials. Governments can also increase
the effectiveness of forestry patrols by offering performance incentives to officials and returning proceeds from
fines and seized goods to the forestry departments.
There are serious conflicts of interests within government departments in many developing countries. Environmental
officials often lack coordination with officials from other departments like Mines, Forestry, and Agriculture,
which hand out permits for forest clearing and logging without consideration for the ecological effects. What is
needed is an integrated policy approach to overcome the inefficiencies and failures of overlapping jurisdictions.
Frequently, a well-placed bribe can get a plantation owner or timber baron a large tract of supposedly protected
forest. Other developers take a different approach: acquiring political ties. The economic circle of elite in Indonesia
was notorious for its ties to former president Suharto who allowed reforestation funds to be allocated for all
types of projects completely unrelated to forest preservation and reforestation. There is hope that the IMF bailout
will help dissolve some of these practices.
Combatting Amazonian Forest Fires
Developed countries are tired of the rhetoric from wealthy developed
countries urging them to preserve forests but not coughing up the cash to turn words into action. They argue that
if these forest provide important global benefits then the entire world should contribute to their preservation.
Besides, wealthy countries have already destroyed most of their own forests.
