WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

We need forests. They store large amounts of carbon dioxide, release oxygen, moderate climates, prevent floods, protect soils, and harbour millions of varieties of plant and animal species. They are also home to thousands of indigenous people, whose livelihood and way of life are rapidly being destroyed.

The FAO estimates that the net loss of forests in the 1990s as a whole was 94 million hectares. [1] This represents an area larger than Venezuela. If deforestation continues at the present rate, in just over 400 years all of the world's 3,869 million hectares of forest will be gone. No one denies that this would have devastating consequences for life on earth.

THE LIVESTOCK CONNECTION

Forests are being destroyed not only to provide wood, paper and fuel, but also to provide land for grazing cattle and for growing crops to feed to animals.

World Resources Institute assessments suggest that 20-30% of the world's forest areas have already been converted to agriculture. As agricultural lands become more and more degraded, most of the land for replacement and expansion comes from the world's forests. Estimates suggest that the expansion of agricultural land accounts for more than 60 percent of worldwide deforestation. [2]

Much of this land is used to graze beef cattle. Two World Bank specialists in agriculture concluded that, "Livestock-induced ranching in rainforests has led to significant loss in plant and animal biodiversity especially in Central America 320,000-430,000 ha/year and S. America about 1.1 million ha/year." [3] This process has become known as the 'hamburgerisation' of the forests.