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Countries Appendix
NEOTROPICAL REALM
2004 Update!
According to FAO 1997, 95% (852 million ha) of the forests of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean
are tropical forests. South America houses over 97% of these forests, which include the world's largest tropical
rainforest- that of the Amazon Basin.
Threats
The rainforests of this region have come under recent assault
by logging firms: over 30 million
acres of forest land have been purchased by Asian timber companies alone in the last few years. Throughout the
realm, rainforests are threatened by large scale agricultural schemes, logging, and subsistence agriculture on
the part of poor peasants who often follow roads opened by forest exploitation firms or government sponsored settlement
projects. Deforestation rates, after decreasing during the early 1990s, have increased dramatically since 1994.
In 1998, Brazil released long-awaited deforestation statistics revealing a disturbing, but not unexpected increase
in forest clearance.
In the Caribbean, deforestation rates were 1.7% annually from 1990-1995, a high rate for a region with such degraded
forests. Most of this destruction resulted from clearing for development and small scale agriculture on the part
of peasants.
In Central America, deforestation rates from 1990-1995 were extremely high: 2.2% annually, meaning that Central
America has lost more than 10% of its forests over the past five years. Much of this clearing came from subsistence
activities and agricultural schemes, though commercial logging is accelerating in the region.
South America's tropical forests were lost at a rate of 0.6% annually for the first half of the 1990s, translating
to a total loss of some 11,500,000 acres (4,655,000 ha) of forest. Brazil's deforestation rate has increased 36%
in the period of 1991-94 in the light of increased logging, subsistence activities, and agricultural projects.
Outlook
The outlook for the rainforests of South America is better than that of Africa because of heavy pressure by outside
environmentalists and an increasingly ecologically minded, educated populace. A fair amount of land is afforded
with some sort of protection, though not always effective, and local projects promoting sustainable management,
while benefitting locals are on the rise. Several governments, including those of Brazil and Costa Rica, have passed
policies to enhance protection of forests. Many Neotropical countries have developed ecotourism as a means to generate
revenue to protect forests. Costa Rica has entered into a unique bioprospecting contract with an American pharmaceutical
company (Merck) and it appears that others may soon follow suit. The use and export of NWFP's is increasing, though
it still plays a minute role in trade in comparison to timber, oil, and minerals extracted from rainforest lands.
Funding of large, damaging hydroelectric projects appears to be on the decline as funding agencies move to support
smaller, more effective projects. However, the forests of the Neotropical realm are facing tremendous challenges
from numerous development threats. |
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