Biodiversity + Deforestation

This is a picture of Great Barrier Island, New Zealand’s largest offshore Island and one of our most favourite cruising destinations. 60% of the island is conservation land of dense bush, magnificent scenery and biodiversity. Great Barrier is home to just 700 people as well as 15 known species of lizards and frogs. Frogs are Helga’s favourite creature.

Frogs are an evolutionary link between fish and reptiles and have been on the planet for more then 350 million years. New Zealand’s native frogs are found nowhere else in the world. Of the seven species that existed at the time of the arrival of the first humans, only three now remain, and in much reduced numbers. They are a litmus test for decrease in biodiversity. Climate change seems to make them more vulnerable to infection by fungus.

It is axiomatic that all species depend on nature for their survival. More than 10,000 animal and plant species are directly threatened with extinction in the near term. The primary cause is the destruction or disruption of natural habitats through human occupation such as deforestation, over-fishing, intensive chemical based agriculture, exacerbated by the direct exploitation of endangered species for economic gain or in some cases the human survival of bourgeoning populations. WWF points to loss of habitat through transformation of forests and wilderness into [in many cases marginal] agricultural land as the biggest contributor. This threatens the survival of 85% of the world’s animals and rare birds.

In July 2006 some of the world's most distinguished biodiversity scientists published a dire warniing in Nature that the planet is hurtling towards a biodiversity catastrophe. "There is growing recognition that the diversity of life on earth, including the variety of genes, species and ecosystems, is an irreplaceable natural heritage crucial to human well-being and sustainable development. There is also clear scientific evidence that we are on the verge of a major biodiversity crisis. Virtually all aspects of biodiversity are in steep decline and a large number of populations and species are likely to become extinct this century.” As with climate change there is scientific consensus on the problem, the solutions are largely known, but there is a lack of collective political will to address the problem.

The United Nations Environment Programme notes that about 40% of the world’s economy depends on biodiversity. From an anthropocentric perspective the human species is dependent on biodiversity for food and medicine. Who knows what solutions to the world’s ills may have been in the species destroyed as 150 acres of the world’s rain forests are felled every minute of every day. Forests cover about 30% of the earth’s land mass but about 10 million of 4,000 million hectares are lost every year. In some parts of the world such as the Congo or The Solomon Islands over-exploitation of hardwood forests is a direct consequence of the push for profits from Western corporations, or worse the pressure placed on developing nations by international agencies set up for their protection and support to repay unpayable debt.

Herein lie huge business opportunities. It is well proven that rainforest cleared for cattle or subsistence agriculture can yield large short term profits to the international companies that [usually] conduct the operations, but do little for the local inhabitants in the longer term. By contrast if indigenous communities wild harvest medicinal plants, nuts, seeds, fruits, and oils they can sustainably earn many times more money than by chopping down trees. By co-creating innovative business models with local communities to sustainably develop and harvest their natural habitat, value can be created for companies, local communities and the planet.