Papua New Guinea's rainforest may be gone in 13 years
2008/06/27 20:03 51 (GMT) Hisayo TakadaAuckland, New Zealand
From the analysis of satellite photographs of rainforests across Papua New Guinea from the past 30 years, researchers have come to the conclusion that if rapid destruction should continue as it has done in the past, 83% of the forest accessible to man (or 53% of the total forests area) would be destroyed or seriously damaged by the year 2021.
According to the research report created by the University of Papua New Guinea and Australian National University, in 1972 rainforests covered 82% (38 million hectares) of land in Papua New Guinea, but in the photographs taken in 2002, this had decreased to 71% (33 million hectares) due to logging for timber export , etc. This means that in just 30 years 15% (5 million hectares) of rainforests disappeared.
Six to seven percent of the world's species of plants and animals live in the bountiful forests of Papua New Guinea. This is the first clear evidence of such ongoing destruction and the nation's Minister of Forests, Belden Namah states that "Over the past decades we have imagined that our forests are limitless. If this report is the bitter pill that we need to swallow to ensure that we maintain our forests into the foreseeable future, so be it. "
Hisayo Takada
Auckland, New Zealand
Had worked for a not-for-profit organization Zero Waste New Zealand Trust and enjoyed ‘clean green New Zealand? for in total of four years. Currently working for an international environmental organisation as well as an environmental consulting firm in Tokyo. Interests include rubbish (!), sustainable living, walking, and finding good coffee shops and restaurants. (NZ is the only country that has adopted the target of Zero Waste to landfill as a nation, and the Zero Waste NZ Trust is a leading group in the waste minimisation sector encouraging the people towards the Zero Waste goal.)
