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Large and Intact Forests: Drivers and Inhibitors of Deforestation and Forest Degradation

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Book cover Managing Forest Carbon in a Changing Climate

Abstract

We examine the political, economic, geographic, and biophysical reasons for the presence of the remaining large and intact forests of the world. We discuss why these forests remain relatively undisturbed, and analyze current drivers of deforestation and degradation. Such forests are primarily in boreal (northern Eurasia and Canada) and tropical (South America and Central Africa) regions and are the main focus of this paper because of their disproportionate role in sequestering carbon and in influencing regional and potentially global climate. We conclude with recommendations for policymakers to help incorporate these forests and their carbon stocks into initiatives designed to mitigate the damaging effects of global climate change.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Because of the difficulty in segregating countrywide data in Indonesia from data specific to New Guinea (Irian Jaya), discussions regarding New Guinea will be focused on the Papua New Guinea half of the island.

  2. 2.

    A Protected Area is defined as any land that is given protected status as an extractive reserve, national park, indigenous reserve or wildlife reserve.

  3. 3.

    For more information regarding carbon sequestration and storage, see the science chapters of this book.

  4. 4.

    While the total amount of carbon stored is highest in primary or intact forests, rates of carbon sequestration are highest in fast-growing secondary forest. This is why large and intact forests are considered carbon “reservoirs” as opposed to the carbon “sinks” of growing secondary forests.

  5. 5.

    Although bushmeat hunting may not directly or initially impact the forest cover and carbon storage capacity of a forest, it has been shown to impact the floristic and faunal composition of tropical forests (Nunez-Iturri and Howe 2007).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bureau of Land Management, USDA, Washington, DC, USA

    Benjamin Blom

  2. Forest Carbon Ltd, Bali, Indonesia

    Ian Cummins

  3. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, 360 Prospect St, Marsh Hall, New Haven, CT, USA

    Mark S. Ashton

Authors
  1. Benjamin Blom
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  2. Ian Cummins
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  3. Mark S. Ashton
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Correspondence to Mark S. Ashton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Forestry and Environmental Stu, Yale University, Prospect St 360, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Mark S. Ashton

  2. , School of Forestry and Environmental Stu, Yale University, Prospect Street 360, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Mary L. Tyrrell

  3. , School of Forestry and Environmental Stu, Yale University, Prospect Street 360, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Deborah Spalding

  4. , School of Forestry and Environmental Stu, Yale University, Prospect Street 360, New Haven, 06511, Connecticut, USA

    Bradford Gentry

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Blom, B., Cummins, I., Ashton, M.S. (2012). Large and Intact Forests: Drivers and Inhibitors of Deforestation and Forest Degradation. In: Ashton, M., Tyrrell, M., Spalding, D., Gentry, B. (eds) Managing Forest Carbon in a Changing Climate. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2232-3_13

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