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Reflecting on what you have learnt today, write a body paragraph assess the causes of deforestation. Ensure that you utilise at least 1 case study example to substantiate your paragraph.

Just keep writing, writing, writing, writing~

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In LDC, the causes of deforestation are similar of the causes of deforestation in LDC could be plantation and economic drive for survival

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Deforestation occurs in low-income countries due to prioritisation of the government on economic development over environmental conservation.

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topic sentence:
a major cause of deforestation in low-income countries could be the conversion of forested land to agricultural land in pursuit of economic growth

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A cause for deforestation in low-income countries is the prioritisation of economic growth over environmental conservation. In low-income countries, the country is likely facing economic challenges making it difficult for the country to practice environmental conservation. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), over a million people are living in severe poverty, surviving on less than $2 a day. The economic benefits of deforesting forests for agriculture such as cash crops, or for logging to export to other countries are attractive to the government to help mediate the country’s economic crisis, sacrificing forests. Furthermore, as the population is generally poor, and the country does not have the financial capability to invest in better technology, the demand for charcoal would be very high in low-income countries such as DRC  as it is an easy fuel source, leading to mass deforestation to satisfy the demand for charcoal.

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One of the causes of deforestation in low-income countries is commercial and subsistence agriculture, which is arguably one of the largest drivers of deforestation. More often than not, forested land is converted into agricultural land for the cultivation of commodity crops. Commercial agriculture is commonly seen in the world due to the growing population's need for staple foods and hence an increase in the demand for such crops. This would make converting the forested land, which is seemingly less useful, to croplands to meet up with the demand for crops. Especially since low-income countries lack money and are less concerned about environmental concerns, this would be an enticing offer to convert the forested lands to agriculture land so that more crop exports can be exported and hence more economic revenue for the country. For instance, in Indonesia, large scale oil palm and timber plantations together accounted for more than two fifths of deforestation from 2001 to 2016. There is an increasing demand for palm oil worldwide as palm oil is used for not only cooking but also to fuel gas tanks of cars and trucks. With a spike in prices of many food resources and crops worldwide, farmers would also need to use that land for subsistence farming to ensure that he has enough food to support his family. Hence, this is important for not only the country but for the livelihood of individuals as well.

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In your groups, study how the different countries manage deforestation and answer the questions individually in the subsquent columns of this Padlet.

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A major cause of deforestation in low-income countries could be the conversion of forested land to agricultural land in pursuit of economic growth. In low-income countries, governments may prioritise economic growth over environmental conservation to ensure employment opportunities and higher incomes for their people, increasing the country's prosperity. As a result, they may encourage deforestation to convert forested land to agricultural land to be utilised in the production of commodity crops for export and hence economic gain. For instance, in Brazil, massive government investment in the advancement of soybean plantations in the Amazon has resulted in major clearance of forested area, with plantations expanding at a rate of 14.1% from 1990, now covering over 8 million ha. Especially due to lower soybean production in the USA and high prices for grains, exploiting the Amazon for its land area would lead to hefty profits for the Brazilian government. Thus, the direct cause of land conversion for agricultural purposes is intensified by the political influence over deforestation. Since the ownership of the Amazon rainforest mainly lies with the Brazilian government, deforestation is likely to continue being used as a catalyst for economic growth. Therefore, due to governance influencing the conversion of forested land to be used for agriculture, deforestation is made prevalent in low-income countries as they develop economically.

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Soy production in Brazil is contributing to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, both directly through forest clearing for new soy farms (usually giant in size) and by displacing small farmers who then move into forest areas for subsistence agriculture. Further pressure comes from the development of infrastructure (like roads and ports) to support soy expansion. This infrastructure attracts other developers (like loggers, ranchers, and colonists who have been displaced from elsewhere) who cut down the forest.

Why is soy expanding in the Amazon?

Soybean cultivation is expanding in the Amazon due to economics, including high prices for grains. These high prices are driven by increasing demand for meat in countries with a large and fast-growing middle class (especially India, Brazil, and China) and U.S. government subsidies for corn-based ethanol production. Such subsidies (essentially payments to farmers for growing certain crops) mean that American farmers are planting corn instead of soy. Less soy production in the United States, means that more production is needed in places like Brazil, which has large tracts of lands suitable for agriculture.

Since 1990 the area of land planted with soybeans in Amazonian states has expanded at the rate of 14.1 percent per year and now covers more than eight million hectares.

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Why is soy bad for the Amazon rainforest?

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Soy production in Brazil is contributing to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, both directly through forest clearing for new soy farms (usually giant in size) and by displacing small farmers who then move into forest areas for subsistence agriculture. Further pressure comes from the development of infrastructure (like roads and ports) to support soy expansion.

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All three countries have taken measures to reduce deforestation as part of REDD++

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In the 3 different countries it is observed that REDD+ has been used a lot in managing the problem of deforestation. the strategies used also involves a mixture of local and international strategies to address it

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All three countries have adopted various legislation and policies to deter deforestation such as through fines or legal punishments. Mainly, all of the countries are using REDD+ as one of their strategies to counter deforestation.

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These management strategies are quite similar as these countries not only relies on governance and multi national policies to reduce deforestation, but also have their own policies as well. Eg Red+ a global organisation, as well as local reforestation

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Collaboration of the varying stakeholders: citizens, NGOs, companies who profit from deforestation and the government.

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The collaborations with REDD+ and the involvement of more local communities. The government is also stepping up with local policies

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- All 3 countries use REDD++

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Brazil seems to be more successful in their management of deforestation. On top of strategies used to protect pre-existing forested areas, they also adopted the use of expanding the area of protected area which in the long run, not only addresses deforestation but at the same time have more forested area available as compared to the other countries as they cover a larger area of land

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The enforcement by the government is tighter and the citizens are more aware

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all three countries utilise REDD+ to help reduce deforestation and mitigate climate change in their country. Strategies employed also include a mix of both international and local ones to mitigate deforestation.

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some countries have adopted the method of Reforestation

An example is Congo, where it launches large-scale tree planting programme and planted 160,000 trees. The aim of the tree-planting plan is to relieve pressure exercised by mankind on natural forests by reducing deforestation and the degradation of the soil

However there are limitations. The government needs to spend large amounts of money to replant trees, opportunity costs incurred as money spent on reforestation could have been used for education and healthcare etc.

It is also impossible to plant our way out of the climate crisis. It takes centuries for newly planted trees if they even survive to be able to absorb carbon on the scale that existing rainforests do. Replantation also does nothing in the way of halting biodiversity loss.

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Indonesia seems to be more effective as a substantial 38% of deforestation has been reduced, but in the end all still affected by corruption to get anything done

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Lack of finances to effectively implement strategies like reforestation and reinforcing legislature

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The strategies that the three countries implement are similar to a small extent.
They are similar in terms of partaking in REDD+ to mitigate climate change through reducing net emissions of greenhouse gases by better managing forests.
They are different in terms of the different types of stakeholders who are willing to implement strategies or laws and regulations to prevent further deforestation.

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-Money (most of them are LDCs and are unable to afford)
-Disagreement between stakeholders about what strategy to take/ or whether action should even be taken, this results in a time lag, as while they are deciding, deforestation occurs

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Brazil seems to be more successful in their management of deforestation as they have expanded their protected regions compared to the other two countries, combined with stricter enforcement of their legislation against illegal logging helps their deforestation management be more successful. Brazil also faces pressure from its citizens to decrease its deforestation levels.

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Tensions between the different stakeholders with different aims. eg: NGOs in environmental conservation, certain companies who want to profit from the deforestation, and the government in meeting the needs of the country(which would be either environmental conservation, economic growth, or a mixture of both)

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Main challenges is human greed. Governments only pursue for economic and self gain, they do not care about the well being of the forest. They see it as a chance for profit and milk it dry, leading to ineffective policies and corruption to follow their own goals that they have set, hence deforestation is prominent in these 3 countries

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- good governance
-money
-agreement/ compromise between stakeholders

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Sufficient funds in order to ensure effective implementation of the varying policies to mitigate deforestation.

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DRC has the most holistic approach to addressing deforestation as many different stakeholders have a role in managing deforestation.
International organisation;
- REDD+
- African forest initiative
National initiative:
- Reforestation
Involving local communities, providing them with training and tools to enable them to collect data regarding illegal logging , bush fires (employment opportunities, allowing them to voice their concerns) --> more sustainable strategies

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The strategies that the three countries implement are similar in that they involve REDD+ in their management of deforestation. They also implement policies national policies to prevent deforestation, though not all are enforced similarly.

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Some of the common challenges faced would be corruption. In the long run when less developed countries receive financial support from developed countries they may use the added support for other uses for their personal benefits, such as "granting their own small forest concessions for logging" which "undermines the effectiveness" of the respective strategies

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One of the main strategies used by all 3 countries is REDD+, while other more local strategies differ from country to country. However, all 3 countries utilise legislative strategies too.

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brazil is the most successful in their deforestation management. Not only do they help manage with pressure from citizens and strict enforcement of legislature, protecting existing forested areas, their management strategies also include expanding the area that is protected to ensure more sustainable efforts in reducing deforestation by ensuring there is more forested areas available compared to other countries

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It may be not feasible for less developed countries to use strategies involving huge amounts of investment as they have other pressing local issues that take higher priority over deforestation.
Considering the time period, strategies like reforestation take a long period of time. Even though implementation of laws and legislation can take immediate effect, the process in confirming and writing the law would typically take a long period of time

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strategies that address deforestations in local, national and international scales as well as incorruptible governments

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good governance
stability of the country
financial stability
proper enforcement of the laws

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Corruption is a significant challenge in all the strategies, surrounding the input of money due to REDD+. The high cost of implementing some strategies, especially reforestation, is worsened by corruption reducing the money put into managing tropical deforestation.

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DRC is more successful in their management of deforestation as their management strategies are able to tackle deforestation through different aspects. Reforestation helps to generate new forested land and the legislative strategies help to protect the forested land. Additionally, there is active community participation, thus the strategies are more sustainable as the views of the community are taken into account.

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one challenge is political will of the managing government. if the government is corrupted or is inclined towards deforestation to advance national interests like the economy of the country, then it will be difficult to implement the strategies as they will decide against these strategies.

lack of resources like money and space can also result in LDCS being unable to adopt the strategies as they have to divert their limited resources to ensuring citizens have a roof over their head and food to eat from agricultural practices