Focus On Planet Earth - ASIA & THE PACIFIC FORESTS.

ASIA & THE PACIFIC ECOSYSTEMS FORESTS

[ Social | Economic | Institutional | Environmental ]

The forest and woodlands in the Asia and Pacific region cover approximately 655 million hectares-some 17 per cent of the world's total (FAO/RAPA, 1993). About 33 per cent of this is found in South-East Asia , and just three countries- Australia , Indonesia , and China-account for 52 per cent of forest cover in the region (FAO/RAPA, 1993).

Most of the other countries have at least 20 per cent forest cover, with the least forest cover being found in South Asia and the small island developing states. Due to industrialization, agricultural expansion, and forestry product trade, deforestation remains one of the major environmental issues in the region.

Deforestation in the region increased from 2 million hectares per year during 1976-81 to 3.9 million hectares per year in 1981-90 (FAO, 1993). The countries experiencing the fastest deforestation are Bangladesh , Pakistan , the Philippines , and Thailand (FAO, 1993). (See Figure 2.7.) The average per capita forest area for the whole region is 0.21 hectares. Yet 13 countries have higher rates than the world average of 0.71 hectares per person (FAO/RAPA, 1994).

South-East Asia has a per capita forest cover of 0.48 hectares per person and also the highest absolute deforestation rates, with continental and insular South-East Asia losing some 1.3 million and 1.9 million hectares per year. Indonesia alone in the early 1990s had an average annual deforestation rate of 0.6 million hectares (equivalent to around 0.5 per cent of forest cover), while Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Thailand were each losing more than 300,000 hectares per year, representing 2, 1.3, 4, and 4 per cent of their forest cover, respectively, for the period 1981-90 (FAO, 1995). About 980,000 hectares of forest area had been depleted from 1989 to 1993 in Thailand alone (Government of Thailand, 1994). Cambodia , Lao PDR, and Vietnam each lost in excess of 100,000 hectares per year, representing 1, 0.9 and 1.6 per cent of their total forest cover, respectively, for the period 1981-90 (FAO, 1995). (See Figure 2.7.)

The lowest per capita forest cover is found in South Asia, at 0.08 hectares, while the Pacific subregion has the highest per capita forest cover (5.88 hectares) and the lowest rate of deforestation (around 130,000 hectares per year), of which about 113,000 hectares are removed in Papua New Guinea. This country also has the highest forest cover, at 9.4 hectares per person, in the entire region (FAO/RAPA, 1994).

From 1981-90, it is estimated that, within total forest area, tropical forests decreased by 6.7 per cent while temperate forest area increased by 5.2 per cent. The percentage decrease in the natural tropical forest area was 11.1 (the highest rate observed for this type of forest as compared with other regions). The figure for natural temperate forest area was 3.4 (the lowest rate) (FAO, 1995).

Rapid population growth has contributed to depletion of forests not only through land-clearing for cultivation but also through overharvesting of forests for fuelwood, roundwood, and fodder. At the current rate of harvesting, the remaining timber reserves in Asia may not last for more than 40 years.

United Nations Environment Programme