More on Smithsonian Symposium & debate on is it climate or is it deforestation?

A symposium hosted by the Smithsonian Institution set to debate the
threat level posed by deforestation to rainforests, shifted topic
slightly near its end as scientists discussed which is the most
significant threat to tropical forests and their species: habitat
destruction or climate change? Prominent biologist Joseph Wright, who
has come under fire for saying that warnings about habitat destruction
in rainforests are exaggerated, passionately argued that climate
change is the greatest threat to rainforests.

Tropical biologist
William Laurance did not disagree with Wright about the dangers posed
by climate changed, but repeatedly emphasized that scientists,
conservationists and leaders could only ignore habitat loss at their
peril. “I would argue that habitat destruction is what we should focus
on,” Laurance stated definitively. Other scientists, such as Gregory
Asner from the Carnegie Institute and Thomas Rudel from Rutgers
University, supported Laurance by showing that deforestation was still
on the rise and that the major drivers of deforestation had changed
from subsistence farmers to global corporate and industrial interests,
which level forests and keep them from re-growth with great
efficiency.

“Pressures on land are not going to diminish” Laurance concluded,
while not ignoring the threat of climate change. In fact, Laurance
argued that preserving habitat from deforestation would also be the
most effective way of combating climate change. By protecting habitat
one was essentially working toward two goals: climate change
mitigation and the preservation of vital ecosystems. Finally, Laurance
stated that large reserves of pristine habitat would be required in
the future to buffer species from the worst impacts of global warming.
Such preserves must continue to be established and monitored.
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0113-hance_climate.html

— Posted to http://forestpolicyresearch.com via gmail to posterous and
also to forestpolicyresearch@yahoogroups.com

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