Around the world, the deforestation of natural forests progresses at an alarming rate. According to the FAO, around 13 million hectares of forests globally are converted to other uses or lost each year, and this figure is still very conservative, since the FAO also considers tree plantations to be forests and doesn't register the negative impacts of conversion from natural rainforests into industrial tree plantations. One of the biggest worries is the rapid expansion into the global market of paper products linked to deforestation in Indonesia.
Two major paper conglomerates and their fibre suppliers are estimated to be the single largest source of rainforest destruction in Sumatra and are pushing three highly endangered species - the Sumatran tiger, elephant and orang-utan - closer to extinction. Several reports show how these companies has also impacted the livelihoods and violated the rights of indigenous and traditional commaunities. Indonesia's rainforests are some of the most biologically diverse forests on the planet. Unfortunately the country, and in particular the island of Sumatra, has one of the fastest rates of deforestation in the world. Moreover, the rapid destruction of Sumatra's natural rainforest - much of which grows on carbon-rich peatlands - releases huge quantities of greenhouse gases. This contributes significantly to the position of Indonesia as the world's third largest global greenhouse gas emitter, behind the U.S. and China.
A further increase of the demand for products lnked to deforestation, would inevitably lead to further conversion of valuable peat-forests into pulp plantations in Indonesia.
Two major paper conglomerates and their fibre suppliers are estimated to be the single largest source of rainforest destruction in Sumatra and are pushing three highly endangered species - the Sumatran tiger, elephant and orang-utan - closer to extinction. Several reports show how these companies has also impacted the livelihoods and violated the rights of indigenous and traditional commaunities. Indonesia's rainforests are some of the most biologically diverse forests on the planet. Unfortunately the country, and in particular the island of Sumatra, has one of the fastest rates of deforestation in the world. Moreover, the rapid destruction of Sumatra's natural rainforest - much of which grows on carbon-rich peatlands - releases huge quantities of greenhouse gases. This contributes significantly to the position of Indonesia as the world's third largest global greenhouse gas emitter, behind the U.S. and China.
A further increase of the demand for products lnked to deforestation, would inevitably lead to further conversion of valuable peat-forests into pulp plantations in Indonesia.
