Friday, 16 September 2016

A major concern: plantation-driven deforestation ramps up in Borneo

Poaching in Africa becomes increasingly militarized [09/12/2016]
- Due to skyrocketing consumer demand, particularly from Asia, todays wildlife traffickers have the resources to outfit their henchmen with weaponry and equipment that often outmatches that of the local park rangers.
- The poachers doing the most damage in Africa today are employed by professional trafficking syndicates, and they enjoy a level of support and financial backing unimaginable during earlier poaching crises.
- The poachers arsenal includes the expanding use of military-grade equipment like helicopters, machine guns, infrared scopes, and heavy armored vehicles.


Researchers analyzed satellite data and historical land cover maps to determine how much forest was cleared for plantations between 1973 and 2015.
 

 In total, they found 18.7 million hectares of old-growth forest was cleared between 1973 and 2015. Of that, they concluded 4.5 to 4.8 million hectares were cleared for plantation expansion mostly for palm oil production.

They found less plantation-driven deforestation on the Indonesian side than they were expecting, but a big jump from 2005 to 2015. Malaysia has remained relatively constant since the 1970s.

The researchers recommend their findings be used to increase transparency and accountability.


Culled from Mongabay Newsletter

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