Historically, civilization, our health and human well-being have gone hand in hand with forests and jungles. How could they now support society to recover in a more sustainable way after COVID-19?
Many environmental services and goods, essential for the lives of millions of people, are linked to forests and jungles. However, in the same way that they are related to our well-being, these ecosystems also pose serious problems if we do not take good care of them.
Most new infectious diseases, such as malaria, Chagas disease and COVID-19 are zoonoses and their appearance, in many cases, is related to the habitat fragmentation, land use and climate change.
1. Forests and jungles contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and reduce the effects of climate change
The destruction of forests is linked to biodiversity loss and the effects of climate change, as well as related to socio-environmental problems.
Deforestation and forest degradation continue to advance alarmingly, contributing to increased exposure to zoonoses. The estimated deforestation rate between 2015 and 2020 was close to 10 million hectares per year, and primary forests decreased by more than 80 million hectares in the last 30 years, resulting in more than 100 million hectares of forest experiencing pests, fires, droughts and other negative effects.
Between 2001 and 2018, Mexico lost more than 200,000 hectares of forest areas per year, mainly due to land-use change for agriculture. Likewise, illegal timber for commercial purposes is almost equal to Mexico’s legal timber harvest.
Without a doubt, carrying out programs and activities for forest management and production, conservation and restoration of forests, fire protection and forest health, and actions to stop deforestation are a necessity for all our well-being.
2. Under sustainable forest management, forests can provide economic alternatives such as ecotourism while providing medicine and food for vulnerable communities
The negative effects of the pandemic for our health, the economy and society are visible. Estimates for LAC indicate that up to 17 million formal jobs could be lost, and the percentage of informality could reach 62%.
This is significant given forests provide nearly 90 million green jobs and sustain the livelihoods of many more people. More than 800 million people around the world carry out tasks such as gathering firewood, among other activities, and much of this is done by women. In addition, about 252 million people living in forests and savannas earn less than USD 1.25 a day.
According to Mexico’s National Forestry Commission, forestry activity presented a reduction of 27% in the last few months of the pandemic, mainly in supply activities and timber transformation, and showed a reduction in nature tourism with adverse effects for many families.
For a sustainable recovery to benefit “ejidos” (communally held land), communities, small owners and private companies, community forest management actions that create jobs could be promoted including nurseries, forestry companies, timber harvesting and processing industry, as well as increasing forest coverage through investment in related jobs.
3. Forests represent an opportunity to design timely responses at the territorial level that can benefit rural forest populations
We can use forests to design responses at the territorial level that seek to benefit rural forest communities through coordinating actions by federal, state and municipal agencies and civil society.
In the context of the pandemic, as well as for the recovery, we may experience an increase in pressure on forests due to the economic crisis and increases in poverty and unemployment, among other impacts.
Actions taken for a sustainable recovery will require significant resources, which combined with the expected effects of climate change, will result in a reduced capacity to address them by related actors, so implementing sustainable nature-based solutions is of paramount importance.
An example of this are cost-effective projects that look to the conservation and connectivity of ecosystems, to control the outbreak of zoonoses, and generate a range of environmental services.
In this new normal, we are pleased to share some lessons learned gained in sustainable forest management projects, which can support a sustainable recovery. Since 2016, the IDB and the Selva Negra Ecological Foundation A.C. (created by the legendary band, Maná) carried out a project with the aim of reducing forest degradation and increasing resilience in the Ahuisculco mountains.
Within the framework of this technical cooperation, the following results were achieved by the end of the project in October 2020:
- Soil conservation and reforestation with 41,500 native tree species in the biological corridor of the Ahuisculco mountains across more than 40 hectares. This action was accompanied by the preparation of a study on the CO2 captured by these activities.
- The Business Plan of the Ahuisculco Associated Producers Cooperative nursery, to consolidate it as a profitable socio-environmental company directed mainly by women.
- Dissemination of initiatives to raise awareness about climate change and its effects, including a virtual event on forests and climate change with more than 1000 participants.
We would also like to share in this video some of the lessons learnt, which could be used to support sustainable recovery actions locally and regionally.
Forests can contribute hugely to achieving a sustainable recovery. This project shows the great benefits of forests to confront the climate and ecological crisis while supporting rural communities. We must take care of these extraordinary ecosystems!
Further reading
Can nature support a green and inclusive economic recovery?
Nature-based solutions can put the brakes on the climate crisis
Increasing Infrastructure Resilience with Nature-Based Solutions (NbS)
What are nature-based solutions and why do they matter?
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Photo: Debs
I agree with what you said that for everyone’s well-being, we must conduct forest management, conservation, and restoration programs. There are a couple of private lands in our town that are owned by wealthy families. I hope they’re hiring forest management services to help contribute to a sustainable environment.