International Forestry Regulation and the Forest Stewardship Council

Abstract

For decades, forests and the forestry industry have been at the epicenter of global environmental politics. During the 1990s the world’s forests disappeared at a rate of around 13 million hectares per year, with tropical forests in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia especially hard hit.¹ This pattern continues in the new millennium: the countries with the largest net forest loss per year in 2000–2005 are concentrated in tropical Africa, South America, and Asia.² Today, less than four billion hectares of forest remain on the planet, much of it concentrated in northern temperate areas in Russia, Canada, and the United States. Since 2000 the rate of forest loss worldwide has declined, largely due to the expansion of forest farms in Europe and Asia. In recent years total forest area has grown in Europe, East Asia, and North America, but this growth is offset globally by continued rapid deforestation in South America and Africa.³ As the availability of naturally grown tropical hardwoods declines, the value of this wood increases, driving the axes and bulldozers deeper into these forests. The great majority of tropical rainforest that remains on the planet lies within the borders of nations with poor records of environmental protection.