Rainforest Rescue: Responding to Forest Biodiversity Loss
11/16/97
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Headline: Rainforest Rescue: Responding to Forest Biodiversity Loss
Source: For more information :
Rainforest Rescue International,
Chairman : Ranil Senanayake
100232.3435@compuserve.com
Date: 11/16/97
RAINFOREST RESCUE
for the life of the forest
Background:
A challenge to emerge from the considerations of the operation of the
Convention on Biological Diversity is the observation that over 99% of the
biodiversity of a forest is contained within its non-tree component. While
the ideal way of maintaining the original levels of forest biodiversity is
in the scheduling and managing of forested land for conservation, there are
relatively small resources available for the purchase or scheduling of
protected areas. The establishment of protected areas and private reserves
alone is not enough for conservation The conservation of standing forest is
priority, but given present population and economic trends the degradation
of biodiversity within the non scheduled areas of forest will reach
exponential rates unless directly addressed in the context of forest
biodiversity conservation. For instance, one of the greatest unrecognized
areas in tropical rainforest conservation and rehabilitation efforts is the
loss of diversity in the non woody plants and the subsequent loss of the
organisms dependent on these microhabitats. The loss occurs at the point
of forest degradation, as a consequence of the felling of well established
nurse trees, often containing epiphyte loads exceeding a hundred species
per tree and by the increase of sunlight to the forest floor resulting in
desiccation and destruction of the shade loving plants and animals.
Rainforest Rescue is an international program designed to address the
immediate need to respond to the loss of forest biodiversity as well as to
build up a public campaign that a forest has to be seen as more than trees.
Its policy objective is to provide data to support an argument that all
forestry budgets must carry a committed budget line that addresses the
non-tree component of a forest's biodiversity and to have reforestation
efforts recognize the fact that a forest is more than trees. It will work
towards the recognition of the fact that a forest requires many other
organisms than trees to maintain any meaningful level of biodiversity and
will work towards the inclusion of this component in the design and
execution of all the forestry programs
Rainforest Rescue seeks, through active intervention, to salvage or rescue
non-tree forest species threatened with imminent destruction by
anthropogenic activities; to maintain such collections and conduct research
on their conservation and microhabitat needs; to encourage forest
restoration, rehabilitation and other silvicultural practices; to promote
the inclusion the non-tree species in the tree planting regimes in order
to develop the biodiversity status; to include and encourage local
communities to appreciate elements of biodiversity of relatively low
traditional value; and to help alleviate the pressure on wild stocks
brought about through national and international trade.
Organization :
Rainforest Rescue is presently organized as an international network
serviced by a secretariat. Each country program is run independently by
country NGO's the operating principles and conservation needs forming the
common shared philosophy. At present the International Secretariat is
housed in Ecuador. The country programs function in Sri Lanka, Ecuador and
the Philippines.
Operating Principles:
1) All species of forest biota threatened with habitat loss will be our
subject of concren
2) the first line of response will be to relocate the species under concern
to a favourable local habitat.
3) All material will be taken only from situations where the host trees or
forest canopy has been cut or destroyed.
4) All material collected as wild stock will be held in trust, available
for national rehabilitation efforts only.
5) An audit trail, consisting of collection and deposition records, will be
maintained for all material held in trust.
6) All first generation material from the propagation and duplication of
material held in trust will be recorded and registered.
7) Breeding programs will only use genelines from rescued specimens or from
ex-situ collections with legal status.
For more information :
Rainforest Rescue International,
Chairman : Ranil Senanayake
100232.3435@compuserve.com