Forests and Trees

The UNEP Magazine for Youth

for young people · by young people · about young people Forests and trees

A portrait of home • Sacred forests

Urban jungle • Chemical cornucopia • It’s up to us Forests 1

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 1 12/7/11 14:41:19 TUNZA the UNEP magazine for youth. To view current CONTENTS and past issues of this publication online, please visit www.unep.org Editorial 3 A portrait of home 4

United Nations Environment A chemical cornucopia 6 Programme (UNEP) PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya Tel (254 20) 7621 234 Norway leads on REDD 7 Fax (254 20) 7623 927 Telex 22068 UNEP KE Action on forests 8 E-mail [email protected] www.unep.org Campaigning for cork 11

ISSN 1727-8902 What makes a forest a forest? 12

Sacred forests 14 Director of Publication Satinder Bindra Editor Geoffrey Lean Special Contributor Wondwosen Asnake It’s up to us 16 Youth Editor Karen Eng Nairobi Coordinator Naomi Poulton The urban jungle 18 Head, UNEP’s Children and Youth Unit Theodore Oben REDD+: a natural progression 20 Circulation Manager Manyahleshal Kebede Seven forest wonders 22 Design Edward Cooper, Ecuador Production Banson A step at a time 24 Cover photo Anup Shah/naturepl.com

Youth contributors Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu (Ethiopia); Madhushree BN (India); Meghna Das (India); Diana Friedrich (Argentina); Lea Keep up with TUNZA on your mobile Keiper (Germany); Luke Roberts (UK); Tan http://tunza.mobi Sijie (Singapore); Yugratna Srivasvata (India); Mandarina Wambui Njoroge (Kenya); Andrea Tobar or on Facebook (Colombia). www.facebook.com/TUNZAmagazine

Other contributors Jane Bowbrick; Yann Arthus- Bertrand; Erik Solheim; Martin Jenkins; Martin Palmer, ARC; Ian Redmond, GRASP; Sara Oldﬁ eld, BGCI; Rosey Simonds and David Woollcombe, Peace Child International.

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The contents of this magazine do not necessarily refl ect the views or policies of UNEP or the editors, nor are they an offi - UNEP and Bayer, the German-based International Children’s Painting cial record. The designations employed and the presentation multinational involved in health care, Competition on the Environment, the do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on crop protection and high-tech materials, UNEP Tunza International Youth and the part of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, are working together to strengthen Children’s Conferences, youth territory or city or its authority, or concerning the delimita- tion of its frontiers or boundaries. young people’s environmental environmental networks in Africa, Asia awareness and engage children and Pacifi c, Europe, Latin America and the youth in environmental issues Caribbean, North America and West Asia, UNEP promotes worldwide. the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy environmentally sound practices Program and a photo competition, globally and in its own activities. This A partnership agreement, originally ‘Ecology in Focus’, in Eastern Europe. magazine is printed on FSC paper, using signed in 2004 and renewed in 2007 and vegetable-based inks and other eco-friendly 2010, runs through 2013. It lays down the The long-standing partnership between practices. Our distribution policy aims basis for UNEP and Bayer to implement UNEP and Bayer has become a public- to reduce UNEP’s carbon footprint. the projects under the partnership. private partnership that serves as a These include: TUNZA Magazine, the model for both organizations.

2 TUNZA Vol 9 No 1

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 2 12/7/11 14:41:22 EDITORIAL: A different way of thinking

e all know that timber, fi bres, foods and medicines from forests have a price. But the Wservices forests provide – often referred to as ecosystem services, such as regulating water and controlling fl oods, storing carbon and preventing erosion – go undervalued despite being far more signifi cant. The current rate of forest felling contributes 20 per cent of our carbon emissions, but what is the true worth of keeping that carbon locked up? Expressing such values in What ecosystem services are worth economic terms makes it possible to compare the value of (per hectare per year) conserving forests with the cost of destroying them.

Putting a dollar value to ecosystem services, however, is a contentious issue. Some say we should appreciate our natural environment for its intrinsic worth, and that Cameroon’s forest services putting a monetary value to it devalues it. Others believe Climate regulation $842–2,265 that we should really pay for what we consume – not just Non-timber forest products: $41–70 the face value of a cheap plastic toy or that affordable Flood regulation $24 mobile phone, but the cost to our environment of making, transporting, using and discarding such things. Hawaii, USA Groundwater recharging services of the forested Ko’olau The trouble is that nature’s harvests, using traditional watershed: $35,500–$65,750 economic measures, do not seem to contribute much, especially at the global level: forestry, agriculture and Costa Rica fi sheries account for less than a fi fth of the world’s gross The pollination value of forests next to coffee plantations: domestic product. At the local level, however, they are of $395 huge importance, representing up to 90 per cent of poor people’s livelihoods. So putting a price on ecosystem services more truly refl ects the fundamental needs of Reducing people on the planet, rich and poor alike.

Emissions from Payment for ecosystem services is a different way of thinking. Instead of letting the markets push people to Deforestation and Forest clear forests for timber, building materials and fuel or Degradation turn them into agricultural land or grazing for cattle, it rewards communities who preserve and even restore their forests – and helps fi ght poverty. The money comes from those who benefi t from the forests’ wider services – regulating climate, storing carbon and controlling fl ows of water. On a practical level, it can be raised through The UN’s initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation general taxation or by adding a charge to existing tariffs and Forest Degradation (REDD, www.un-redd.org) is a mecha- such as for water use, or from greenhouse gas emitters nism that facilitates the fl ow of funds from the developed to through the carbon markets. And there are also moves to the developing world to conserve forests. To date the REDD redirect some overseas development aid to payment for Policy Board has approved $55.4 million to support the ecosystem services. development of national REDD strategies in Bolivia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Indonesia, If these services are lost because of deforestation and forest Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, the Philippines, degradation, money won’t restore them. But ex pressing Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia. In the their value in the language of commerce may persuade longer run, as partnerships between nations are established, politicians, producers and consumers alike to rethink REDD could raise as much as $30 billion a year. exactly what goes into that plastic toy or mobile phone.

Forests 3

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 3 12/7/11 14:41:22 Yann Arthus-Bertrand ann Arthus-Bertrand has made documenting the from Above, and in 2009, released Home, a documentary grandeur and beauty of Earth his life’s work. Born showing the glories of the planet from the air and how Yin 1946, the French photographer, fi lm maker, humanity’s relationship with it is rapidly disrupting its environmentalist and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador started ecological balance. photographing wildlife on a trip to Kenya in the late 1970s, when he spent some time with a pride of lions. Since then, The UN commissioned Arthus-Bertrand to produce the he has worked for Life and National Geographic, and along offi cial fi lm for the launch of the International Year of the way photographed naturalist Dian Fossey and the Forests, Of Forests and Men – a seven-minute montage of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. the world’s forests from above. The footage shows not only the beauty of forests, but also what we are doing to them. Arthus-Bertrand is best known for his aerial photography – images shot from helicopters and hot-air balloons. With TUNZA asked Arthus-Bertrand about his relationship with the support of UNESCO, he provided a perspective of forests and how he feels photography can help preserve our planet that we wouldn’t otherwise see in The Earth the Earth.

TUNZA: Do you spend much time in TUNZA: From your perspective, what is are we, from the developed countries, forests? the key problem, and solution? going to share? For others to have more, we need to accept having less. And Y A-B: My house stands on the edge of Y A-B: I stopped once near a fi eld in that’s not easy. a forest where I walk every morning. It is Borneo, where a farmer was cutting a We have to change the way we a world of sensations, where all human patch of forest. I spoke to him about think, so that people ask: ‘Do I have things seem to disappear. Forests’ tran- deforestation, ecosystems and climate the right to do this? May I live with- quillity and beauty, freshness and change. He said: ‘You come here in out considering my impact on the fertility express something that con- your helicopter to teach me a lesson? environment, on a planet that I share tributes to my physical and mental Me, I’m just working to feed my family.’ with others?’ well-being. I don’t think I am alone in Then he invited me on to his wooden this. We come from the forest. Humans boat where his wife was feeding a baby TUNZA: What can photography and developed their binocular vision and and watching a US television show. fi lm do to help efforts to conserve opposable thumbs in the trees. Perhaps We have created a dream of comfort forests? that’s why I feel the need to return to and consumption, we profi ted from that them from time to time, to reconnect. dream, we showed it to others, but now Y A-B: The beauty of the Earth creates Yet I am aware that the forests around we tell them: ‘Sorry, not for you. The enormous emotion, and through this, Paris all bear the mark of humanity. planet is in danger.’ So the question is: one can raise consciousness and pass

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Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 4 12/7/11 14:41:22 A portrait of home

Yann Arthus-Bertrand on knowledge. Each picture of the Earth can act in his or her own way. What is or its inhabitants aims to show the best fundamental is to act. in order to appeal to what is best in us. The will to protect is strongest towards Visit Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s what one understands and loves. GoodPlanet.org for photographs, a competition, educational resources on TUNZA: What would you say to the forests, and much more. world’s young people? See his ﬁ lms online: Y A-B: Commitment gives meaning to Of Forests and Men life. I show it through photography, an www.desforetsetdeshommes.org architect can demonstrate it by design- Home ing a ‘green’ house or an engineer by http://www.youtube.com/ developing a clean car. Every person watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Forests 5

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 5 12/7/11 14:41:24 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _

E Keith Bedard/UNEP/Topham the release ofvolatile terpenes from trees produces a Consumable products are nottheonly offerings. Incredibly, of massive industrial relevance. for medicines,pesticides, cosmetics andothercompounds twigs, bark,roots, seeds,fungiandfauna liesthepotential are forests? Inthestems, ﬂ wealth thatalready exists inthechemical storehouses that have we forgotten, ordowe still notrecognize, thefantastic In therace to become ever more economically ‘successful’, the demandsofanever-growing humanpopulation. to buildroads ordamsandto extract minerals –allto supply monoculture plantations for food crops ortimberpalmoil, to turnever-greater quantitiesoflandover to agriculture, to size ofGreece) islost eachyear, driven bythehumandesire More than130,000square kilometres peryear (anarea the disappear withinamere 40years. Thereason? Deforestation. 6 percent ofthatremains, andsomebelieve thatit,too, will T 6 n g v 6 cornucopia A chemical TUNZA . i By Luke Roberts, who is studying molecular and and molecular studying is who Roberts, Luke By n cellular biology at Imperial College, London College, Imperial at biology cellular d d

ecosystems wasrainforest, for example. Today, only square kilometres thatmake upourterrestrial of forests. Anestimated 14percent ofthe150million he Earth’s surface wasonce heldtightly inthegrasp

Vol 9No 1 6 owers, vines,leaves, shoots, • Taxol (Paclitaxel) originally from thePacifi Invaluable forest chemicals –aglimpse • Terpenes (terpenoids) from coniferous species,vital in • Salicyclic acidfrom thewhite willow ( • Diosgenin from theMexican yam ( • Tannins (polyphenols) from plants,usedto treat parasitic • Quinine from thecinchonatree, once usedto treat and hydrocarbon polymer from thelatex ofthetree Not so.For example, natural rubber–orcaoutchouc, a will soonbeobsolete too? needed. Doesthismeanourreliance onforest chemicals factors, solengthy purifi are often low andvary withseasonalandenvironmental plus to requirements: concentrations ofsuchchemicals It iseasyto seewhynatural chemicals maybecome sur- be more effi example, hasbeenreplaced bysyntheticdrugsdesignedto by chemicals synthesizedto doacertain job:quinine,for occurring chemicals are beingreplaced entirely orpartially With theadvancement ofnew technologies, manynaturally some protection against increasing global warming. weather more terpenes are released, perhapsproviding atmosphere –aforest’s self-cooling system. Inwarmer chemical ‘cloud layer’ thatrefl of generations to come. could jeopardize the healthandwell-being ofour lives, and they were ever there atallisnotjust acriminalwaste – it assets slipthrough ourfi haven’t yet formulated. Lettingundiscovered chemical After all,you can’t look for answers to questions thatyou ecosystems –isthefear oflosing unidentifi forest biodiversity –otherthantheinherent beautyofforest explored. Apoignantreason to strive for theprotection of of rainforest specieshave hadtheirchemical composition are inforests, particularly rainforests. Butonly 5percent plant speciesdescribed,more thantwo thirds ofthese It iscritical to realize thatout ofthe300,000to 400,000 during fl standing tearing whenhotanditresists thebuild-upofheat physical advantages over synthetics:itisbetter atwith- brasiliensis compound ofourmost popular painkiller –aspirin. and adhesives. chewing gumandsoapto paint,varnish, polish,ink,resin producing commodities ranging from food colouring, used to produce thecontraceptive pill. diseases oflivestock. guard against malaria. brevifolia exing. ), usedto treat ovarian, breast andlungcancer. cient inthetreatment ofmalaria. –isstill usedextensively owing to certain ngers withoutusrecognizing that cation processes are often ects sunlightbackinto the Salix alba Salix Dioscorea c yew ( ed potential. potential. ed ), the active ), theactive sp.),fi Taxus Taxus Hevea Hevea rst rst 1 2 / 7 / 1 1

1 4 : 4 1 : 2 6 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _ E R in theAmazon byalmost70percentinthe pastseven years. ES: are you working? TUNZA: What progress hasthere been? With which countries reduce climategasemissionsfromforest destruction. decided touseup$500millionperyear onactivitiesthat hasdoneistoputmoneyonthetable.WeNorway have thing the destructionwillcontinue.Themostimportant higher incomethanother, destructive usesoftheforests, cancontributeto and animalspecies.Unlessconservation And rainforests contain halfoftheworld’ssurvival. plant poorest peopledependontropicalforests for their millionsoftheworld’senvironment. Equallyimportant: has severe effectson theregionalandlocalclimate almost asixthofallglobalgreenhousegasemissionsand destruction arehuge. Globally, deforestation causes deforestation, even thoughtheconsequencesofforest economic growth.Aneasyway toquickmoneyisthrough standing rainforests areincountriesgreatneedof area thesize year. ofEnglandevery Mostoftheworld’s ES: REDD/REDD+? TUNZA: Couldyou telluswhy andhow Norway issupporting has beenachieved todateandhishopesforthefuture. ERIK SOLHEIM Minister oftheEnvironment andUNEPChampionoftheEarth which Norway donor. isthelargest spokeTUNZA toNorway’s istheUN-REDDProgramme, REDDsupport offering to livelihoods for millions. Oneofseveral multi management –helpingpreserve biodiversity, andpro change. REDD+goes further, forest encouragingsustainable storedinthem,conserve thecarbon thereby ﬁ ﬁ countries change convention. Itisintendedtoofferdeveloping Bjørn H Stuedal n Norway g v 6 Brazil has done an amazing job in reducing deforestation Brazil hasdone anamazingjobinreducing deforestation Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate – an Rainforests aredisappearingatanalarmingrate– . i n d d being nego (REDD;Degradation alsoseepage20)isamechanism andForest educing EmissionsfromDeforestation

7 nancial incentives to keep their forests standing and and tokeepnancial incentives theirforestsstanding aboutwhyisleadingtheway, hiscountry what tiated under the United Nations climate climate undertheUnitedNations tiated leads on lateral initiatives lateralinitiatives ghting climate climate ghting viding viding negotiated. forest degradation even before a globaldealhasbeen succeed inreducingemissions fromdeforestation and but Isincerelyhopethat the rainforest countrieswill ofafutureglobal dealonclimatechange, of forests bepart huge challenges ahead.The ultimategoal isthatprotection rainforests have never looked better, althoughthereare ES: encouraged by what ishappening? TUNZA: How doyou seethefuture ofREDD+,andare you that destroyforests illegally. police usesatelliteimages toﬁ the sky, almostin ‘real time’. IntheBrazilianAmazon, the has satellitesthatmake itpossible towatch the forests from forests closelyintheyears tocome.Luckily, humanitynow are reallybeingsaved. To dothis we needtomonitorthe this together. have trustineachother, andbelieve thatwe canachieve is inplace;anddeveloping anddeveloped countries must courage toputmoneyonthetablebefore themechanism mechanism isinplace;donorcountriesmusthave the thiswork beforecourage theinternational tostart is threefold: developing countriesmusthave thepolitical requirement thatallcountriescontribute.Thechallenge of theinternationalclimatechange agreement,witha from enough.Thatiswhy we want thistobecomepart has putasigniﬁ ES: REDD? TUNZA: What have beenthebiggestobstaclesinimplementing fromtheUNandWorldsupport Bank. than 30countriesareworking onrainforest protection with of Congo andGuyana arealsomakingprogress.Andmore deforestation further. Indonesia,theDemocraticRepublic the Amazon Fund, andgo toprojectsthatshouldreduce arechannelledthrough The contributionsfromNorway I am very optimistic.Theprospectsofsavingtheworld’sI amvery Another challenge is being able to check that forests Another challenge isbeingabletocheckthatforests The biggest obstaclewe arefacingisMONEY. Norway cant sumonthetable,butthisisfar REDD nd andapprehendpeople Forests 1 2 / 7

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1 4 : 4 1 : 3 0 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _ S serve forests. Here’s how. the world, young people are working onwaystohelpcon- tects soilfrom erosion andwaterfrom pollution.Allover E 8 FORESTS on ACTION T Environmental Envoy 2010,Kenya Mandarina Wambui Njoroge the project on site. cooperation. Ifall goeswell, mycolleagues andIwilloversee donor to fundequipmentandtraining, andthecommunity’s project independently from theClub.We must enlist a Fellow environmentalists andIare now working onthe also awayofprotecting thetrees. serve asguardians against illegal harvesting. Beekeeping is benefi product supportingreforestation. TheOgiek would still equipment. Thehoney would bepackagedasaneco-friendly fi training oncommercial-level beekeeping, harvesting, re- hanging beehives intheforest’s trees. Ourplanisto provide The Ogiekhave always produced honey for themselves, Ogiek to make alivingthrough honey production. which Ichaired, Ideveloped aproject thatseeksto allow the members oftheChiromo Environmental Awareness Club, being offered analternative meansofsurvival. Along with be given land,butwillhave to leave theirhomewithout extended families around theforest perimeter. They’ll The government plansto resettle thecommunity of80 for profi to theforest. TheOgiekdolog from theforest, sellingtimber and grabbed landfor agriculture, doingthemajorityofdamage are nottheonly people here: manyhave illegally settled, logged depend onitfor theirlivelihood, must beresettled. TheOgiek of people whohave always lived intheforest andtraditionally to reforest it.Unfortunately, thismeansthattheOgiek,atribe Recently, thegovernment hastaken thepositive step ofdeciding resulting insoilerosion andfl rivers thatonce ran year-round to become seasonal,and per cent oftheforest cover hasbeenlost since 1963,causing severely degraded through extensive logging andfarming: 37 n ning andbottling, while providing beehives andmodern g v 6 the country’s largest water catchment area. Ithasbeen he Mauforest, located inKenya’s RiftValley province, is TUNZA . i n d t from theforest withouthavingto log, andwould also natural biodiversity andforest cultures, andpro- dioxide from enteringtheatmosphere, promotes aving forests from destruc tion prevents carbon d

t, butnotonanexcessive scale.

Vol 9No 1 8 oods.

, 24,Bayer Young UNEP Bosques/126872527377361 On Facebook: Our website: help usspread theword. quite afew donors, butnotenough,soplease donate and are pledging to save 10square metres permonth. We have hectare equals10,000square metres, andmost people We’ve raised enoughmoney for onehectare sofar. One park andclosing theaccess road. a timeanddonate themto theprovince, addingthemto the As we receive money, we’ll purchase theproperties oneat coordinates. Amapshows how muchland hasbeensaved. on aparcel, pledge atleast $3,andreceive theparcel’s org, we show asatellite imageoftheforest. Donors click Urugua-I’s forests. It’s simple. Onwww.theforestbank. forests, givingpeople everywhere achance to helpsave website thatcollects donationsto buythethreatened 2008 mycolleagues andIlaunchedtheForest Bank,a We can only close itbypurchasing theproperties, soin great jaguarstill lives. of thepark,onelast areas where theendangered Unfortunately, thisroad leads poachers into theheart with cattle, smallplantations andanaccess road. the park’s 84,000hectares are four private properties all amphibiansandhalfofplantsare endemic.Within endangered rainforests, where more than90percent of the UpperParaná AtlanticForest, oneoftheworld’s most provincial parkUrugua-IinMisiones,Argentina, partof project, Banco deBosques(Forest Bank),aimsto save the I Environmental Envoy 2010,Argentina Diana Friedrich agriculture, while poachers killanimalsillegally. My n Argentina, forests are destroyed for industry and www.theforestbank.org www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Banco-de- , 19,Bayer Young 1 2

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1 1 Karunakar Rayker/CC-2.0 / 7 / 2 1 t from seed banks. We spotted a spotted seed banks. We in situ , graduate in environmental environmental in , graduate eld, such as that of regeneration. Long eld, such as that of regeneration. ora and fauna. They used to cover the Palani Palani the cover used to They and fauna. ora hola forests are evergreen forests found at higher found forests evergreen are hola forests growths dense in southern India, comprising elevations S Madhushree BN Madhushree Delhi University, at Teri management of trees interspersed with stretches of grasslands. Sholas of grasslands. with stretches interspersed of trees canopies; with large trees stunted broad-leaved are other for an ecosystem and provide endemic some are endemic fl over, took Ghats, but when the British Hills in the Western plantations. eucalyptus to converted were the forests depleting water, deal of water a good consumes Eucalyptus high water-holding the sholas’ while levels, groundwater aquifers. recharge helps to capacity (NGOs) are organizations non-governmental why That’s by planting forest the original regenerate to working Newly plantations. eucalyptus within the shola trees they because need the eucalyptus sholas actually planted ultimately quickly, grow of shade, but they a lot require Some shola the eucalyptus. and killing overshadowing and replanted, been successfully already have forests also pushing NGOs are department and the forest together status. sanctuary acquire Hills to the Palani for the NGOs, interviewed I and 32 classmates As researchers, the commu- well see how to and villagers rangers forest they and found biodiversity, the region’s nity understands needing is a unique ecosystem that theirs do recognize protection. in class discussed we’d concepts see It was thrilling to in the fi life to come left some seeds were cut down, ago, when the sholas were as among the eucalyptus couple of shola trees growing in unreplanted areas – the areas in unreplanted growing of shola trees couple trees. into and some had grown seed banks had survived, of shola regeneration aware community Making the local profi already they because important is extremely develop- about sustainable But when educated eucalyptus. in the replanting involved directly become ment, they directions. in new adapt their economy and actively process, out more carry soon to returning to forward I’m looking and manage development to advise on how and to studies, the environment. maintaining while tourists 47.1% Omega 3 cial. The deforested cial. The deforested 8.6% Other 9.8% Omega 9 ), a perennial plant native to the to plant native ), a perennial 34.5% Omega 6 avour and nutritional value – it is high and nutritional value avour , 21, Bayer Young Young , 21, Bayer

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grow illicit crops, particularly coca, causing environmental environmental causing coca, particularly illicit crops, grow an people local provide to In order and social problems. a a living, I am developing for coca growing to alterative sacha an oil made from and market produce to business inchi ( I Andrea Tobar Andrea 2010, Colombia Envoy Environmental n E _ 1 . 9 _

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Orion / 7 / 2 1 the support of our teachers, parents, UNEP and other adults. parents, the support of our teachers, a plays sites, social networking especially The internet, and Twitter, pages on Facebook fan have We too. crucial role, helpful. really are UniteForClimate like and online platforms can you where the Planet website, Plant for The student has been translated planted, you’ve many trees how register can in the pipeline, so we are many languages, and more into as possible. as many people out to reach than 3.9 more has planted initiative the children’s So far, and ambitious goal a new set ourselves We’ve million trees. represented each country – 1 million for of 131,000,000 trees at the our views present also hope to We in our network. on the Convention to of the Parties Conferences upcoming on Convention Nations Framework and United Biodiversity Change. Climate goal is a the Earth, the only for working to When it comes plant we Each tree generations. future healthier planet for and motivate aim to We justice. is a symbol of climate the young especially as possible, many people as involve political do not recognize problems ones. Environmental boundaries – blaming any one nation for or geographical one just all have is of no use. We problems environmental and share. for care Mother Earth to Children’s initiative, Plant for the Planet – Plant for initiative, Children’s www.plant-for-the-planet.org Campaign – Billion Tree UNEP’s www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign to 26), mainly from Singapore, to the village of Kampung to Singapore, from 26), mainly to the join with we As part of our work, in Terengganu. Mangkok banks of the Setiu River. on the plant mangroves to villagers starting in 2009, the village was just started When the project their help enlist to and visiting groups tourists out to reach to time, a wonderful have always We mangroves. in replanting year. visiting every to forward and look with the National Parks partnered we Back in Singapore, We’ve reserves. wetland in our own plant mangroves to Board in Malaysia and Singapore trees about 1,500 mangrove planted Orion Project year, our third into began. Now the project since the mangroves! like just stay, to is here rst spark rst c UNEP/ c sh and a food source for for source a food sh and , UNEP’s tree-planting campaign campaign tree-planting , UNEP’s , 28, Rover Scout, Singapore Scout, Rover , 28, 0 1 9 No 1 Vol

d angroves grow in coastal conditions where most other most where conditions in coastal grow angroves mud, oxygenated the poorly not survive plants would d n lant for the Planet lant for was Campaign, as the Billion Tree known popularly i

. TUNZA 6 v g n Tan Sijie Tan M the heat and the salt. To adapt, they developed some of developed adapt, they and the salt. To the heat above-ground such as systems, complex most nature’s in and salt out. Mangroves water keep that leaves and roots, fi for nurseries important provide On the shores of Terengganu, Malaysia, mangroves are part are Malaysia, mangroves of Terengganu, On the shores river endangered the critically home to of the Setiu Wetlands, marine for and a landing site terrapin, painted and terrapin a campaign I help organize turtles. green particularly turtles, and forests mangrove restore Orion to Project called Scouts by Rover Initiated in this area. sea turtles conserve in collaboration Association, Scout the Singapore from a team takes with WWF-Malaysia, the annual programme (aged 17 Scouts and Rover about 10 Venture comprising many animals, maintaining rich biodiversity. They even even They rich biodiversity. many animals, maintaining such as hazards natural against and lives property protect one of the are forests and tsunamis. But mangrove storms than more ecosystems: tropical threatened most world’s due to has been lost cover mangrove of Earth’s 35 per cent and timber harvesting pollution, unsustainable development, change. climate P Children plant 3.9 million trees! Children India, Asia-Pacifi Srivasvata, by Yugratna TUNZA Junior-Board representative 2008-2010 representative TUNZA Junior-Board Reaching out to so many young people with so many different with so many different people so many young Reaching out to had but we’ve has been a challenge, languages and cultures But the big turning point for the children’s initiative came at came initiative the children’s But the big turning point for when Conference Children’s the 2009 TUNZA International networks. student his vision of harnessing shared Felix joined 107 countries from children the conference, After Start Talking, and many also joined our Stop our network, holding taken get our photos we where Planting campaign, the mouths of politicians and celebrities. our hands over of a children’s initiative. I got involved in September 2009, in September I got involved initiative. of a children’s Achim Director UNEP Executive to a letter when I presented Tarumitra, my organization, committing York in New Steiner and helping our 1,600-school by motivating participate to plant trees. to network youth Young people have been key in this success. In 2007, Felix In 2007, Felix in this success. been key have people Young nine, made Germany, who was then only Finkbeiner, from in Germany, the fi plant 1 million trees to a pledge launched in November 2006. Backed by Prince Albert of Albert of by Prince 2006. Backed launched in November Centre Agroforestry and the World Maathai Wangari Monaco, individuals, communities, encouraged (ICRAF), the project The get out and plant. to and governments organizations indeed by 2009, in 2007; exceeded was easily 1 billion target than 11 billion more and now planted were 7.4 billion trees So UNEP 170 countries. across been planted have trees of planting 13 the bar and set us all the challenge raised as soon as possible. billion trees 10 E _ 1 . 9 _

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u T Campaigning for cork By Lea Keiper, 17, TUNZA magazine intern, 2011

ork has been the main material of wine stoppers since 1700. But in recent years, plastic stoppers Cand screw caps have gained a stake in the global market. TUNZA looked into the issues.

Natural cork stoppers Some 2.2 million hectares of cork oak forest – mainly in Mediterranean Spain and Portugal – produce an annual global harvest of about 300,000 tonnes of cork. The cork oak must be 25–30 years old before its bark can be collected and the ﬁ rst two harvests are usually of minor quality. But a mature tree can produce 40–60 kilos of cork every 10–12 years for the remainder of its 200-year life. The harvesting is done by hand and does no harm to the tree. In fact it is good for the environment as a whole: it triggers the tree to absorb more carbon dioxide as it re-generates its bark; it offers a sustainable livelihood to local people; cork products are easily recycled; and the cork oak forests are prime habitat for endangered species including the Iberian lynx. But real cork now accounts for only 60–70 per cent of wine stoppers, with synthetic stoppers and screw caps gaining in popularity. This is partly because they are a quarter of the price of natural corks, but also because there is less risk of the wine becoming tainted – or ‘corked’ – even though the risk is, in any case, quite low and the taint often minor.

Synthetic stoppers Available since 1993 and accounting for 5–10 per cent of the global market, synthetic stoppers are made from plastic compounds that are designed to look and ‘pop’ like a natural cork. However, while they carry no risk of tainting the wine, they offer less protection against oxidation. Although not biodegradable, they are generally recyclable, but the plastic is usually only accepted by recyclers in areas where demand justiﬁ es the recycling of this kind of plastic.

Screw caps These are made of aluminium and have a 15 per cent share of the world’s bottle stopper market. They form a tighter seal and therefore keep oxygen out of the wine for longer than either synthetic or natural corks, maintaining the wine’s quality and ageing capacity – but only for about 10 years, according to one study. They also contain a plastic seal in the top of the screw cap, and recycling is difﬁ cult.

Environmental impacts Studies on the environmental impact of the various stoppers fi nd that the benefi ts of cork outweigh the advantages of its aluminium and plastic alternatives in almost all areas (see table below). Regrettably, despite the efforts of manufacturers and recyclers, plastic stoppers and aluminium screw caps often end up in the sea, endangering marine life and contributing to the ever-growing islands of ocean garbage. In addition, synthetic stoppers threaten the conservation of cork oak forests: without the cork market, the forests are likely to degrade or even disappear. Photos: Clive Muir/www.grazalemaguide.com Clive Photos: The environmental cost of cork relative to aluminium and plastic wine stoppers Environmental indicator Cork Aluminium Plastic Non-renewable energy consumption 1.00 4.33 4.87 Water consumption 1.90 1.00 3.06 Greenhouse gas emissions 1.00 24.24 9.67 Contribution to atmospheric acidifi cation 1.00 6.15 1.54 Formation of photochemical oxidants 1.00 4.04 1.48 Eutrophication of surface water 1.00 1.10 1.52 Production of solid waste 1.00 1.99 1.57 Source: Amorim/PricewaterhouseCoopers

TUNZA concluded that it is time to take a stand. It is usually impossible to tell whether a bottle seal hides a synthetic or natural cork, and not always obvious whether it is a screw top, so companies should be asked to give this information on the label of each bottle. This would enable consumers to make an informed decision before buying, and give them the chance to actively support the environment instead of harming it.

Go to www.tunza/corks and sign up to our campaign! Forests 11

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 11 12/7/11 14:41:38 What makes a forest a forest?

We all know forests are hugely important places. But why exactly should we care about them? And what, in fact, are they? Oddly, the second question is rather harder to answer than the fi rst. Forests are home to a large proportion of the world’s biodiversity. They play a major role in regulating climate, both globally and locally; they contain huge quantities of carbon, stored in the wood and below ground, which might otherwise enter the atmosphere as greenhouse gas. They stabilize soils and help prevent erosion, and have a major infl uence on the water cycle, affecting the supply and fl ow of freshwater. They provide a wealth of material resources: timber, of course, but also other products including wild foods, rattan from palms, medicines, fuelwood and charcoal. And they create some of the most beautiful and www.lynxexsitu.es/CC-2.5

Cork oak forests, the basis of a traditional cork-harvesting industry, are home to the world’s most endangered cat, the Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus. Erin McKittrick/CC-2.5 Carsten Niehaus/GNU-FDL Carsten Temperate rainforests are a source of the cancer drug taxol, made from extracts of yew trees, including the Paciﬁ c yew Taxus brevifolia. Jason Hollinger/CC-2.0

Cloud forests are believed to be particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate Tropical moist change. Tropical dry Temperate broadleaf mixed Dirk van der Made/CC-1.0 Dirk van Temperate/boreal needleleaf Sparse trees/ parkland

The Amazon Basin contains the largest expanse of primary forest in the world: 2

M Watts/CC-2.0 more than 6 million km . Francisco Chaves/CC-2.0 Francisco

Tiny remnants of Atlantic Mangroves are the only forests coastal forest persist in that grow in salt water, providing southern Brazil, in close vital coastal defences and nursery proximity to some of the areas for many ﬁ sh species. largest conurbations on Earth. Specialist Stock Specialist 12 TUNZA Vol 9 No 1 UNEP/Topham

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 12 12/7/11 14:41:41 T u n z a _ 9 of thelandarea. now covers only around 20per cent species dependonforest, which unique andoften highly threatened Around 90percent ofMadagascar’s . 1

Jialiang Gao/GNU-FDL for sustainable timberproduction. managed, withahighproportion certiﬁ Virtually allEurope’s forests are actively _

E Scevenels/UNEP and morethan60countrieshave lessthanonetenthoftheirareaforested,with10thesehaving noforestatall. humans, andexistingforestsarevery unevenly distributed.Over halfofthetotalforestareaisfoundinjustﬁ 40 millionkm to beanywhere withmorethan10percenttreecover, butthat’s notvery much atall.Onthisbasis,therearejustover and how fasttheareaofforestischanging. The Food and Agriculture OrganizationoftheUN(FAO) considersforests turn meansthattherearemany differentestimatesofhow much forestthereis,bothgloballyandinparticularplaces, agreement onthissoit’s notsurprisingthatpeoplemay have very differentideasonwhat constitutesaforest. This in How many treesexactly? And what exactlyisatree?Doplantationscount?Parkland? Bamboogroves? It’s hardtoget inspiring landscapesonEarth.Butwhat isaforest?It’s aplacewithtrees,ofcourse.Butit’s never as simpleasthat. that would beforestedwithouttheimpactofpeople.Onlyabout14millionkm n g v 6 . i n d d

1 3 2 offorestintheworld –orabout30percentoftheEarth’s landarea,andit’s probablyabouthalfthearea UNEP-WCMC ed ed

Arnaud Gaillard/CC-1.0 frequent drought. forests are adapted to ﬁ continent. Manyofitseucalyptus Australia istheworld’s driest

LB Brubaker/NOAA hold immensestocks ofcarbon. relatively few speciesinthembut northern hemisphere have The vast boreal forests ofthe re and previously unknown species. and yieldaconstant stream of remain relatively little explored The rainforests ofNew Guinea In Chinanearly 300,000km planting trees inpreviously unforested areas. been created since 2000,muchofthisby other crops. cultivation ofpalmoiland areas are beingcleared for ecosystems onEarth.Huge may bethemost diverse Southeast Asianrainforests ecosystems. refuges for forest provide crucial in New Zealand National Park such asEgmont Protected areas 2 offorestremainslargelyunaffectedby

Ariel Steiner/GNU-FDL

NASA 2 offorest has

Marco Schmidt/CC-2.5 ve countries, ve Lipton Sale/GNU-FDL Forests 1 2 13 / 7 / 1 1

1 4 : 4 1 : 4 3 Sacred forests

How faith has helped conserve nature for millennia Bjørn Christian Tørrissen/CC-3.0 ll around the world there are sacred forests, woods were created just so that we could drive cars. If we reduce or groves that have survived because of their the forests to nothing more than economic units, we will association with the holy. In almost any country, kill them. Aand in almost any city, you will fi nd the sacred has protected trees and has done so for centuries. Churchyards, Instead, we need to honour, work with, perhaps even join, mosques, shrines, temple compounds – all have within the religious and spiritual beliefs and forces that for many them landscapes which have been protected because they hundreds of years have protected vital areas of forestry. It is are sacred. And it is here that many of the trees that have stories, legends and faith that have conserved these forests, survived in urban contexts are still to be found. so let’s continue to work with these – because they clearly succeed. However, many others have been destroyed, perceived as the superstitious remains of outmoded belief systems standing We need to be humble enough to recognize that long after in the way of progress. In pursuit of development, such sites the United Nations or conservation groups such as WWF are have been bulldozed to make way for roads, railways, offi ces, chapters in history books, and the current concerns of the factories and houses. The views of the local people have been environmental movement have become curiosities, the great ignored and the belief systems that helped preserve these faiths will still be protecting their sacred forests and groves, beautiful and environmentally important places dismissed as simply because they are holy, and will still be ensuring that old fashioned. the faith values that teach respect for nature are passed from generation to generation. Today, we have become much more aware in the environmental movement of how precious and, indeed, ecologically One of the core beliefs of the environmental movement is vital these sacred forests and groves are. Often they protect sustainability, and the oldest, most sustainable organizations key water sources or vital habitats for endangered species, or in the world are the faiths. They have outlived every empire, provide basic raw materials for health and healing. every dynasty, every ideology and every fashion. They will still be here hundreds of years from now and, if we work with But there is a new danger – that these sacred places them, so will the forests and groves that they protect. merely become classifi ed conservation areas or ‘sites of special scientifi c interest’. Such well-meaning attempts to What we must not do is take them over, wrap them up in protect them can be misguided, brushing aside or simply semi-scientifi c conservation-speak and cut off the roots of patronising the spiritual, historical and cultural meaning that their faith, which have enabled the forests to fl ourish. If we has survived all this time. But by ignoring the religious and do, then the forests will die when our civil organizations die, cultural reasons why these forests and groves which they will. have survived, we run the risk of killing off the very reason they are still there – and I remember at a World Bank meeting at which thus make it more likely that they will people spoke of three-, fi ve- and even 10- be destroyed. year plans, a monk from Tanzania saying quietly: ‘But we think in generations.’ It Alongside this is the risk that is this that has preserved the sacred REDD (Reducing Emissions forests of the world. And it is this from Deforestation and Forest view that will ensure they are here Degradation) will not even really in hundreds of years’ time. bothers about the biodiversity issue of conservation areas, and Martin Palmer simply values forests as carbon Director of the Alliance of Religions sinks – as if the Amazon rainforest and Conservation

14 TUNZA Vol 9 No 1

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 14 12/7/11 14:41:45 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _ E this isasacred place where nature ishonoured. trees have survived orhave beenplanted precisely because traditional religion ofJapan,butsometimesBuddhist. The T F there would benotrees either. there were nomosque,tombs, nosenseofthesacred, people have wanted to beburiedinthisbeautifulspot.If site isconsidered special.Asaresult, for hundreds ofyears, Prophet Muhammadispreserved andbecause ofthis,the of Muslimcemeteries. Inthemosquecloak ofthe The trees still stand because they grow inoneoftheholiest place for birds, has survived. a beautifulancientwoodland, whichisalsoamajorbreeding one place where itsurvives. OntheedgeofGoldenHorn layer uponlayer. Nature haslittle space here, butthere is the oldcitycentre, temples, churches andmosquesare piled managed woodlands. for faithstousepaperfromsustainably an opportunity year15 millionQur’ansand75Biblesevery – Faiths printaround slopes. degraded Kilimanjaro’s restore Mount over seven years to to plant8.5milliontrees of Tanzania plans Lutheran Church the Evangelical Diocese of The Northern forestry. cent ofcommercial Faiths ownabout5per Did you know? n g v 6 certain thatthere too isashrine–usually Shinto, the ravel into Tokyo andifyou spotanytrees, you can be of theRoman,thenByzantine,Ottoman Empires. In or more than1,600years Istanbul, Turkey wasthecentre . i n d d

5 Tom Velardi Tom

ARC A van Zandbergen/OSF/Specialist Stock I A tree isasymbol oflife, andsacred to Buddhists.’ enlightenment under thetree, anddiedunder thetree. Soa says: ’TheBuddhawasborn underthetree, attained forest to confer protection onthem.Venerable BunSaluth conservationists. They sometimes ordain thetrees ofthe dangerous forces, themonks have become powerful Armed withbelief,butlittle else,intheface ofoften- in Cambodia. the largest andbest-protected community-managed forests rare local lowland evergreen forest. Thisforest isnow oneof Saluth soughtofﬁ Seeing theextent ofCambodia’s forest destruction, Ven protect itfrom illegal logging andlandincursion. soon after dawnto patrol theMonksCommunityForest and if notmillennia, bylocal peoples. ancient traditional sacred forests respected for centuries, n Kenya, dozensofsacred groves survive, remains of and hisfellow monkshave setoutfrom theirpagoda lmost every morningsince 2001Venerable BunSaluth cial approval to protect 18,261hectares of Forests 1 2 15 / 7 / 1 1

1 4 : 4 1 : 4 6 IT’S UP TO US

S Turner/OSF/Specialist Stock

reat ape populations are declining at an alarming rate worldwide. The surviving great apes – gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans – all live in the Gforests of Africa and Southeast Asia. But the continuing destruction of their habitat by logging and conversion to oil-palm plantations – as well as the growth in the commercial bushmeat and pet trades – suggest that the majority of great ape populations will become extinct in our lifetime. The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) is an innovative and ambitious project led by UNEP and UNESCO to lift this threat. TUNZA spoke to biologist and GRASP Chief Consultant IAN REDMOND about the great apes, our nearest relatives in the animal world. YoG2009.org TUNZA: As someone who spent IR: If you have only known apes as so that everyone’s efforts would be time with great apes and formed frightening animals that sometimes pushing in the same direction – the relationships with them, can you tell destroy your crops, why would you care whole would then be greater than us why it is so important to save great about their survival? Every family that the sum of the parts, and every part apes from extinction? farms near ape habitat is likely to see would be strengthened by being apes as a threat, or possibly if they can part of the global effort. There is still IR: When I ﬁ rst studied gorillas with sell their meat or babies, as a source of a long way to go, but we have had Dian Fossey in the 1970s, the gorillas income. Our work to conserve mountain some notable successes and created came to regard us almost as honorary gorillas tells us that if you engage local a more cooperative framework for members of their group, and would communities, address their needs, and governments and non-governmental choose to sit near us during rest periods. create employment dependent on the organizations such as the Ape Alliance This allowed us close observation apes being in the forest, many of the or WWF to work together. of their family behaviour, but cross- traditional threats will be reduced and species friendships also developed. the apes survive. TUNZA: Conserving great apes is When poachers then killed members not just about the animals but also of our study group to sell their hands TUNZA: GRASP was founded in 2002, conserving habitat, isn’t it? Is this one and skulls as gruesome souvenirs, and but great ape conservation had been of GRASP’s main goals? captured infants for the illegal wildlife a concern for a long while, and there trade, our natural response was to step are many organizations working on it. IR: People usually understand that apes up anti-poaching to defend gorillas we Could you comment on the role of this need natural forests to survive, but most regarded as friends. In the wider picture, international initiative? people don’t realize the converse also though, apes are keystone species in applies – forests need apes, and other their habitat and many other species IR: At the turn of the millennium, it primates as well as elephants, toucans, therefore depend on their survival. became clear that ape populations tapirs – all the animals that eat fruit and were declining all across Africa disperse seeds. Most species of tropical TUNZA: Your work also concerns the and Southeast Asia, with the one trees have their seeds dispersed by people who live alongside great apes. exception of the mountain gorillas. animals – the gardeners of the forest. What are some of the most pressing This was despite years of heroic efforts Lose the animals and you lose the next issues around human/ape interaction, by individuals and organizations generation of trees and the health of and how can human needs be met operating independently. GRASP was the forest declines. Since GRASP was while protecting great apes? formed to develop a global strategy formed, a number of governments have

16 TUNZA Vol 9 No 1

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 16 12/7/11 14:41:47 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _ E forests. Ifwe get itright,we’llsave spurs tochange the way wemanage is, paradoxically, oneofthegreatest the fearofdangerousclimate change the battleagainstclimatechange.’ But against tropicaldeforestation, welose Charles hassaid:‘Ifwelose the battle of foreststoagriculture. As Prince bushmeat trade andtheconversion is fromlogging,thecommercial all speciesthatlive intropicalforests IR: faces? conservation movement ingeneral – lenges thatGRASP–andthegreat ape TUNZA: poverty andprotectingbiodiversity. and forestdegradation while reducing reduce emissionsfromdeforestation – such asREDD+,theUNscheme to to ﬁ recognized by governments working and theothergardeners. This isnow health oftheforestsdependsonapes depends ontropicalforests,andthe In anutshell,thehealthofplanet purify water ﬂ stabi rain throughevapo-transpiration; they and storingthecarbon;theygenerate carbon dioxide,releasingoxygen for globalclimatestability. They absorb ecological roleofapes–areessential America, where otherspeciesplay the Africa andSoutheast Asia –andinLatin in protectedareas. Tropical forestsin management offoreststhatarenot which isgood,butwealsoneedbetter created newnationalparksforapes, n g v ihe ufanGAPAlsDanielTO’Brien/UNEP/Topham Michael Huffmann/GRASPAtlas The biggest challenge toapesand 6 nd ways tobettermanageforests . i lize soilwiththeirroots,and n d d

What are thebiggestchal- 1 7 owing throughthem. forests, anddemandcertifi that ourmoneyisnotusedtodestroy maker. Thus, asshopperswecaninsist And every personisalsoadecision- forests orthecropsthatreplacethem. all comefromorhave linkstotropical buy insupermarketsandDIYstores– our aquifers,many oftheproductswe the rain thatwaters ourcropsandfi they know itornot. The airwebreathe, benefi our world. Every personontheplanet as anintegral part oftheecology as fascinatingintelligentbeings,and IR: help? young people,orreaders, candoto great apes,andis there anything that TUNZA: it right. go badlywrong…soweHAVE toget all theindicationsarethatthingswill and stabilizetheclimate.Ifwedon’t, form apartoftheforestecosystem, the forestsandallspeciesthat com andwww.unep.org/grasp. fi To solving theproblem. forests, sowecanallplay apartin the problemsfacingapesand tropical involved. We areallimplicatedin volunteers and/ordonations–soget on theseissuesthatwould welcome hundreds oforganizationsworking to achieve thisgoal. There arealso political leaderstomakebetterlaws etc. And wecanputpressureonour and sustainablepalmoil,soy, beef, Myhopeisthatapesarevalued nd outmore, visitwww.4apes. ts fromtropicalforests,whether What are your hopesforthe e timber ed lls

Ian Singleton/SOCP/GRASP Atlas D.W. Liggett/GRASP Atlas Tan Yik Yee/UNEP/Topham Tan Yik Yee/UNEP/Topham Forests 1 2 17 / 7 / 1 1

1 4 : 4 1 : 4 8 T u n z a _ 9 . 1

_ F Lemarchand/BIOS/Still Pictures E 18 wildlife habitat and4percent ofitsdrinkingwater. a metropolitan area, butprovides thecitywithspace for recreation, important remnants oftheAtlanticforest –isnotonly theworld’s largest tropical forest within The 5,000-hectare Reserva Estadual daCantareira inSãoPaulo –whichincludes wine ismade. eaten, andpalms, from whichpalm baobab, whoseleaves andfruitare medicines. Dakar’s citytrees include from Dakar, provides speciesusedfor while theMbaoForest, 15kilometres neighbouring cities,M’Bourand Thiès, provide fuelwood for Dakarandtwo the BandiaForest wasdeveloped to city’s coasts. Outsidecitylimits, planted inthe1940sto stabilize the of drinkingwater. Trees were also and providing animportant source marshlands, protecting theaquifer established to drain thesurrounding purposes. TheHannForest Park was managed forests servingvarious Dakar, Senegal,hasarange ofwell- n ‘The measure ofany great civilization isitscities;andthemeasure ofacity’s greatness isto g v 6 TUNZA . i n d be foundinthequalityofitspublicspaces—parklandandsquares.’ d

Vol 9No 1 1 8

Joi Ito/CC-2.0 its protection inthe1990s. Hayao Miyazaki, whocre outside Tokyo isa The 3,540-hectare Sayama Forest just ﬁ inspiration for thefamous animated encroaching development, wasthe which isunderconstant threat from native biodiversity. Thispopularforest, fuel andwater, while respecting managed to yieldsustainable food, streams andreservoirs traditionally forest, grassland, agricultural land, lm My Neighbour Totoro Neighbour My satoyama ated afundfor bydirector : mixed

Andre Seale/Specialist Stock urban The endangered species. home once againto manyendemic and protect the city’s springs. Now itis with native speciesinthe1850s to plantations andhadto bereplanted Atlantic forest was destroyed bycoffee there forever. Infact, theoriginal city, issodenseitlooks asifit’s been sculpture ofChrist overlooking the National Park, famous for itsmassive Rio deJaneiro’s 3,300-hectare Tijuca jungle John Ruskin C Ruoso/BIOS/StillPictures Allan Mertner 1 2 / 7 / 1 1

1 4 : 4 1 : 5 0 ooded areas and cities have always coexisted. Some Urban forests are now gaining recognition as a way to make 2,500 years ago, ‘hanging’ gardens were planted on cities – where up to 70 per cent of the world’s greenhouse WBabylon’s terraced walls, creating one of the wonders gases are emitted – more ecologically sustainable. They of the ancient world. Greeks and Romans built their temples perform many crucial services: sequestering carbon, fi ltering around sacred groves within their cities. From medieval to dust and exhaust particles from the air, and absorbing Renaissance times and beyond, royal and powerful families in carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Europe set aside tracts of countryside for their own purposes. Trees also absorb noise, protect streets from wind and help London’s 1,000-hectare Richmond Park, where deer and other keep buildings cool. Chains of greenery provide corridors, species still roam, is an old hunting ground connected to connecting plant and animal habitats that are otherwise England’s royal families since the 1200s. fragmented by buildings, roads and parking lots. Unpaved green areas are important for absorbing rain, helping to The 19th century saw a movement to create public parks for recharge groundwater and preventing fl ooding of streets and the newly emerging urban working classes of the Industrial sewers when weather is extreme. Revolution. When it was recognized that harsh conditions were affecting workers’ lives, public green spaces were opened in Urban forests can also function as water purifi ers: in Lima, industrial areas, and sport and recreation were encouraged by Peru, for example, they are watered with the city’s wastewater, private philanthropists. which cleans the water and replenishes the aquifers.

Impressed by the public parks of Europe, Frederick Law As cities grow, well-managed urban forests not only provide Olmsted and Calvert Vaux designed New York City’s Central Park the social spaces and ecosystem services every city needs, – 341 hectares of lush greenery in the centre of Manhattan – not but help provide building materials, food and fuel. In cities in just to promote the health and happiness of city dwellers, but Asia, Africa and Latin America, for example, the planting of also their morals. Central Park inspired similar developments fruit and fodder trees, and trees to provide fuelwood or raw in many more cities, including San Francisco and Seattle, and craft materials, is already common. But the next evolution Olmsted also went on to pioneer a linked system of parks and for urban forestry everywhere will be to apply its principles green spaces in several places, most famously Boston, where it systematically to help make all cities as green, comfortable forms a green belt called the Emerald Necklace. and sustainable as possible.

While Beijing has lost most of its deciduous broad-leaved forest, the city still has more than 40,000 trees that are more than a century old. In order to expand green cover, China initiated a tree-planting campaign in 1979, and an estimated 500 million trees and shrubs have since been planted in and around the city. About a quarter of Beijing is covered in green, and species include maples, elms, pines, gingko, and fruit trees such as apples, dates and persimmons. Transit/T Roetting/Still Pictures

What sorts of trees do best in cities? Urban forestry

This depends on the city, of course, but generally they must be resistant to A specialized branch of forestry toxins and able to live for a long time in severe environments. Popular city developed in the late 1960s in the species include the prehistoric gingko, which is highly tolerant of pollution, United States, urban forestry en- and London plane trees, which trap pollution in their bark and regularly shed compasses more than planning and it. Small ﬂ owering trees, such as cherry trees, provide spectacular seasonal care for the health of large forested displays, as do maples, which cope well with limited root space. areas. It includes care of all the green spaces in and around cities: the trees and other vegetation planted in smaller parks, along streets and even in private gardens. Managing trees in the context of urban planning poses a unique set of challenges, such as limited and fragmented space for growing trees, soil compacted by

G Martin/BIOS/Still Pictures human trafﬁ c or polluted with toxins, Stepping into the tiny but tranquil Bukit challenging conditions such as dust,

Lagong Forest Reserve, you wouldn’t Pictures Mark Edwards/Still heavy metals and toxins in the air, and believe you’re within Kuala Lumpur In Burkina Faso, natural forests near illegal timber harvesting. And as more city limits. The 11-hectare reserve Ouagadougou began to be managed and more people move into cities, is packed with wildlife, including for fuelwood in 1981, helping to planners must also keep in mind butterﬂ ies, macaques, white-throated meet the energy needs of the city’s urban forests’ role in protecting urban kingﬁ shers, rare orchids and ferns, as population while promoting community watersheds and wildlife habitats. well as pythons and monitor lizards. participation.

Forests 19

Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 19 12/7/11 14:41:52 Peter Hollingsworth/RBGE 25/7/11 17:52:35 By their nature, botanic gardens know By their nature, botanic gardens know uses of plants. about the various means they understand which This forest trees are more likely to provide communities with important medicines, fruits and other produce that people from need to make a sustainable living investment People’s their environment. them a much forests gives in living Planting the of survival. better chance right trees also contributes to forest enhancement, making them more bio- and productive. diverse very a Botanic gardens also play people in the important role in training key skills needed for REDD+, whether sur- cation, biodiversity species identifi GIS mapping, project plan- veying, other or techniques ning, horticultural skills. BGCI runs training conservation courses for botanic gardens – recent Asia taken place in Southeast ones have Africa – and the gardens in turn and for local communities training provide organizations. and non-governmental Botanic gardens also possess the actual materials needed for forest restoration, cally t other cation is very cation is very Botanic gardens are a major a natural progression a natural so it was simply a natural progression. simply a natural so it was between At this stage, the cooperation BGCI and the United Nations Frame- on Climate Change Convention work processes is still informal, because REDD+ is still being established. Mean- ideas about BGCI is developing while, botanic gardens can contribute, how and sharing them within our network with REDD+. In 2010, for example, we asked botanic gardens around the involved they were already how world specifi in forest conservation, activities aligned with REDD+’s aims. aligned with REDD+’s activities interesting ideas got some very We and thoughts that should benefi botanic gardens in forest countries and inspire them to get involved. can botanic gardens What TUNZA: contribute to REDD+? SO: in grows of expertise on what source forests. Species identifi important both in terms of maintaining and for carbon calcu- biodiversity means getting an initial lations, which carbon stocks. idea of a forest’s

orests cover a third of the Earth’s surface and play an essential role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmos- the from dioxide in absorbing carbon role and play an essential surface of the Earth’s a third cover orests and wood farming subsistence agriculture, – including through degradation and forest But deforestation phere. gases. fth of all greenhouse a ﬁ up to – release extraction It’s the difference between preser- It’s Botanic gardens have been Botanic gardens have TUNZA 9 No 1 Vol

tion and conservation. Rather than tion and conservation. va countries for halt just remunerating SO: extremely concerned about climate years, and forest issues for many change SO: TUNZA: between did cooperation How and REDD+ comebotanic gardens about? TUNZA: between the difference What’s REDD and REDD+? deforestation or forest degra- ing any happening, dation that is already in the REDD+ looks at conservation those who broader sense of rewarding includes This look after their forests. replanting and restoring degraded local people forests, and encourages to participate – enabling them to use their forests sustainably while local enhancing them. In other words, to communities are being empowered they manage their forests and get what making sure need from them, while is maintained and that forest cover improved.

F REDD+: SARA OLDFIELD, director of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), thinks that the world’s botanic gardens gardens botanic (BGCI), thinks that the world’s International Conservation Gardens of Botanic SARA OLDFIELD, director in 118 gardens of 700 botanic network its global encourage To its goals. help REDD+ achieve to placed well particularly are published a manual outlining some of the BGCI recently emissions, reduce to effort in the global get involved to countries as some of the exciting as well initiative TUNZA about this tells REDD+. Sara offer can gardens botanic skills and resources the world. around gardens happening in botanic already developments conservation forest The UN-led initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is trying to keep forests forests keep to (REDD) is trying Degradation and Forest Deforestation from on Reducing Emissions initiative The UN-led remain forests of the world’s most – where countries in developing owners forest to nancial rewards ﬁ by offering standing manage them (REDD+). to best how to approach a broader developing – and is now 20 Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 20 Tunza_9.1_Engv6.indd 21

BGCI can’t keeptrack ofeverything, butwe gardens. As asmallorganization, BGCI in for SO: aligned toREDD+? gathering andsharingdataon activities TUNZA: W poverty inthatregion. conserve theforestandtoreduce at potentialcarbontrading tohelp rubber production.Itisalsolooking forest degraded anddestroyed by to protectwhat remains of anatural Tropical BotanicGardenisworking destroyed. And theXishuangbanna where mostoftheforest hasbeen area ofprimaryforestinsouthChina the DinghushanNatureReserve, an South ChinaBotanicGardenmanages of medicinalplants.Meanwhile, the trees intheirown gardensasasource and traditional healers grow native primates live, andhelpingfarmers where thechimpanzees andother serve thetreesof theKibaleForest, Gardens inUgandaishelpingtocon- For example,the Tooro Botanical the forestsserve as carbonsinks. carbon cycling todeterminehow well and, ofcourse,alltheprojectsconsider serve forestsinall sorts ofdifferentways botanic gardensarehelpingtocon- sequestration. All aroundtheworld, to sustainablelivelihoods tocarbon varies enormously, frombiodiversity must belocallyrelevant, sothefocus SO: range ofissues. country? You mustdealwithawide vation effortsvary from country to TUNZA: To what degree doconser- and toolsforcommunitynurseries. such assuppliesofseed,young trees as adye andfoodcolourant. orellana) fromtropical America isused The pulpoftheachiota seed( mation with different botanic mation withdifferentbotanic We’ll doourbesttoshare Yes, andconservation solutions ill BGCI take the lead in ill BGCItaketheleadin Bixa Bixa

Sarah Dixon vital newrole. gardens, andgive themavery exciting, and plantmaterialsthatarein botanic work, high light theskills,expertise will reallygive global relevance totheir botanic gardensinvolved inREDD+ a prettyplacetogoforpicnic. Getting – peopletendjusttothinkofthemas hasn’t always beenfullyappre servation potentialofbotanicgardens It justgoestoshow thatthecon- just wasn’t readilyavailable. had donethesurvey, thisinformation recreate natural biodiversity. UntilBGCI trees forcarbonsequestration. We can when restoringaforest or plant back awhole range ofdiffe rent species anywhere else.Butwecannow put restoration, are probably notgrown which arevery, very importantforforest We’re fi threatened butnotyet ontheList. are very many morethatarelocally tree speciesrecorded. And there there weremorethan30endangered Democratic Republic oftheCongo,and gardens, startingwithUgandaandthe Species thatarebeinggrown inthese on theIUCNRedListof Threatened We didasurvey in2010oftrees growing in African botanicgardens. tree speciesthanwerealizedhave been discovering thatmany moreendangered cies allthetime.Butwe’re alsojust survey work, wediscover newspe- SO: excellent materialforfl mythology, andproduceskapok,an The ceibatreeisattheheartofMayan bene more involved withREDD+,have they TUNZA: certain botanicgardensaredoing. highlight casestudiestoshow what initia and poolinformation. As theREDD+ do have various databasesthatcollect Absolutely. Inforestbiodiversity fi tive takesoff,wewilllikely ted from more discoveries? nding thatallthesespecies, As botanicgardens become otation cushions. ciated ciated ing ing

Chris Loades/FFI Annie Lane Paul Mathew/FFI BGCI is prizedforitshigh-qualitywood. echinata ), thenationaltreeofBrazil, The paubrasil tree( where many speciesareunderthreat. of theecosystemsnorthernChina, Rhododendrons areanimportantpart Harvesting wildwalnuts inKrygyzstan. Baobabs, iconic African trees. Caesalpinia Caesalpinia Forests 25/7/11 17:52:36 21 T u n z a _ 9 . 1 _

E Fastily/GNU-FDL 22 primary tapia forests ( Malagasy silkworm feeds onthe In Madagascar, for example, the silkworm are gathered from forests. market, but many otherspeciesof mulberry trees still dominates the Europe inaround 550AD.Silk from the crucialknowledge only reached cocoons faced thedeathpenalty,and caught smugglingeggs,worms or from therest oftheworld. Anyone fed onmulberryleaves –asecret of production –from caterpillars trade insilkbykeeping itsmethod from it.AndChinamonopolizedthe that aﬁ of tea in2640BCanddiscovered a silkworm mothcocoon into her cup Chinese empress accidentally dropped It allbegan,Confuciustells us,whena Silk worms trees. logging, bushﬁ and even thisisunderthreat from only 50,000 hectares remain, however, of theAmoron’I Mani highlandregion; n g v 6 TUNZA . i n d d

Vol 9No 1 2 n ﬁ ne 2 bre could beunreeled res and invading pine Uapaca bojeri Uapaca )

USDA Agricultural Research Service insect ( A residue secreted bytheIndianlac insulating properties are invaluable. ﬁ of otherthings.Itsbinding,adhesive, gramophone records, andfor ahost glaze fruit,protect furniture, make long beenusedto varnish violins, Transparent buttough, shellachas Shellac continue to thrive. allowed asmall lac-basedindustry to and shellac’s uniqueproperties have quest wasnever totally successful, mand for thenatural product, butthe substitutes have greatly reduced de- in thelate 1800s,andmanufactured to attempts to make syntheticshellac plastics industry can betraced back origins ofthemodernpolymer and to leave atransparent resin. The dye wool andsilk – whichisextracted pigment –usedincosmetics andto host trees, italsoproduces ascarlet the sapofmore than160speciesof re- andwater-resistant andelectrical Laccifer lacca Laccifer 7 ) thatfeeds on wonders

MPF/GNU-FDL system-boosting properties. antioxidant, antiseptic, andimmune- is thoughtto promote wellness withits is still taken asaherbalremedy and help prevent cancer. Willow bark itself new research indicates this mayalso taken regularly insmalldoses,and prevent heartattack andstrokes when it hasrecently been found to help a stable form ofit.Patented in1900, in Germany,chemically synthesized and in1897Felix Hoffmann,atBayer by European chemists inthe1800s, inﬂ ingredient salicin,anatural anti- and Egyptianmedicine.Theactive and paininancientGreek, Chinese deciduous white willow tree ( Aspirin comes from thebarkof certainly oneofthemost useful. maceutical intheworld –andit’s It’s probably thebest known phar- White willow alba forest ammatory, wasisolated andreﬁ ), whichwasusedto relieve fever

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E C&S Smith/www.cokesmithphototravel.com destroying theswifl Illegal logging andforest fi birds don’thave time to recover. or take themsofrequently thatthe eggs hatch and thefl vesters remove thenests before the is leading to abuse:unscrupulous har- be sustainable. Butincreasing demand harvested correctly theprocess could come from Indonesian forests, and are eaten every year. They mostly and to boost theimmunesystem – thought to encourage tissue repair tonnes ofthenests –whichare In HongKongalone, more than 100 enjoyed for more thanamillennium. unique, gelatinoustexture has been the famous bird’s nest soup,whose they can beconsumed inminutes in the wallsoftropical forest caves, but their nests, usingtheirown saliva, on swiftlets ( It takes 45daysfor southeast Asian Bird’s nests but thenitwillyieldupto 50litres ofsapevery year for acentury. per cent water. It takes about40years for atree to mature enoughto betapped, This isatime-andfuel-intensive process requiring manyhands,asthesapis97.5 stands ofmaple groves withinmixed forests –where they could make thesyrup. learned theprocess from them,andbuiltlog-cabin shacksinthesugarbush–wild maple trees, drank it,cooked withitandboiled itdown into syrup.TheEuropeans northeastern United States andsoutheastern Canadacollected thesap from sugar zinc. Longbefore thearrival ofEuropean settlers, indigenouspeoples inthe sugars, containing manganese,ribofl Yes, it’s delicious…butmaple syrupisalsomore nutritiousthanotherrefi Sugar maple n g v 6 . i n d d

2 3 Collocalia ets’ habitat. edgelings mature, spp.)to build res are also avin, magnesium,potassium, calcium and

Paul Vlaar/GFDL/CC-3.0 for fertilizers. marginal land andwithouttheneed different climates andconditions, on frames, bamboo iseasyto cultivate in instruments, food, andeven bicycle mats, charcoal, textiles, musical other kitchen implements, sleeping ﬂ soil from erosion. Usedfor building, water intheground andprotecting services suchascleaning andretaining subtropics –itperforms ecosystem hectares mainly inthetropics and beautiful forests –covering 22million carbon for longer. Growing invast and particularly durable, itsequesters the the fastest-growing trees and,asit is carbon 7to 30percent faster than extraordinary 1.2metres aday. Itﬁ planet, withsomespeciesgrowing an most rapidly growing plantsonthe of grass. Bambooisalsooneofthe You wouldn’t thinkit,butit’s akind Bamboo ooring, furniture, paper,dishes and ned xes xes

Scott Zona/CC threatened species. on theIUCN Red List asanear- changes inlanduse,andnow features is decliningdueto overgrazing and shut down. Butthe an agentthatcauses cancer cells to recently discovered that itcontains pain andarthritis,scientists have skin, aiddigestion andrelieve muscle has long beenknown to rejuvenate harvested for thousandsofyears. It regions ofsouthernOman,ithasbeen Yemen, andthefoggy mountainous Ethiopia, northernSomalia,southern resin from thedeciduous and valuable than ever. Anaromatic – isproving to beeven more useful infant Jesus,along withgoldandmyrrh of thethree giftsthey brought to the to theirname,for frankincense –one The wisemenseemto have lived up Frankincense sacra sacra tree ofthedesertwoodlands of Boswellia sacra Boswellia Boswellia Boswellia Forests 1 23 2 / 7

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1 Dave Pape

1 4 : 4 1 : 5 6 A step at a time

ith soles cut from recycled rubber tyres and tops crafted from soft, hand-spun and woven organic cotton, soleRebels shoes are sustainable Wand stylish (http://solerebelsfootwear.weebly.com). No wonder the World Economic Forum named BETHLEHEM TILAHUN ALEMU, founder and managing director of soleRebels, a Young Global Leader of 2011. TUNZA speaks to her to ﬁ nd out the secrets to her success.

What was the spark for soleRebels? soleRebels was born as an idea to bring jobs to our community. In Zenabwork, Ethiopia, where I was born and raised, there were literally no jobs. I hit upon the idea that the creation of footwear and apparel could be a platform for inspiration and hope in our community and elsewhere in Ethiopia. We’d use indigenous materials and crafts fused with modern design and teach those without work how to create things that would give the wearer immense comfort and joy.

What resources did you see around you that you could use?

We grew up watching our relatives spin cotton with hand spindles and weave gorgeous fabrics with simple wooden handlooms, as our ancestors had for centuries. These craftspeople had skills that simply needed to be channelled. Ethiopia is also thought to be one of the birthplaces of cotton and is one of the last authentically organic environments in which cotton is grown. Most small-scale cotton farmers never use anything more complex than animal dung as fertilizer. We support their ability to grow their birthright crop in this manner, which has a meaningful impact on the local and global ecosystem. We saw that by combining all these local resources, we could create footwear that would showcase many of Ethiopia’s indigenous eco-sensible craft heritages and craft talents, while creating an export product made entirely from local resources.

Tell us about your ‘selate’ and ‘barabasso’ shoes. They have an interesting history.

These are shoes made from recycled rubber tyres, worn in the countryside as a work shoe as well as by the rebels who fought off invading forces in Ethiopia in 1991 – the original ‘sole rebels’. We also use recycled rubber for our other shoes, ensuring comfort and durability, while saving waste from landﬁ ll and preventing the harmful emissions from burning tyres. In Ethiopia, we’ve been recycling for years without ever calling it recycling. When you have limited resources, everything is valued and valuable; everything has a purpose.

You call your company ‘historically eco-sensible’ and ‘green by heritage’. What does this mean?

We embrace deeply sustainable and traditionally zero-carbon methods of production not because it’s the in-thing, but because these production metho- dologies and ideas are integral parts of Ethiopia’s cultural fabric.

What advice do you have for young eco-friendly entrepreneurs who are just starting out?

Have a clear vision of your goal and the path to get there. Then work extra hard. Seek counsel from diverse places – don’t just stick to one source. And never be deterred: setbacks and obstacles are part of life. It is how you overcome them that makes you a great person.

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