Farm Forestry generally refers to the incorporation of commercial tree growing into farming systems. Farm Forestry is as effective as it is because it takes the load off old-growth forests. Farm Forestry, along with Plantations, is very effective in preserving old-growth forests. The Combined Standing Forest Resource in Australia was 1.5 million hectares of planted trees. . In China, the law states that each and every citizen must plant at least 11 trees a year, every year.
Raising awareness and education are other important steps in rectifying the problem of deforestation. Raising awareness is most important because it ensures that people know the problem and it is this knowledge that proves to be the most effective step in rectifying the problem. Through educating local farmers, governments aim to teach farmer the Dangers of Deforestation and Slash-and-Burn. Apart from educating farmers, Governments could provide incentives to farmers, or give the High Yielding Varieties of seeds so that less land is cut down, and give farmers fertilisers so that they can use the same block of land for a longer period of time. Improvement of technology would also help as access to machinery would allow farmers to manage the land for a longer period before moving on.
World Wide:
The Tropical Forestry Action Plan was the first major international initiative to tackle tropical deforestation and was launched in 1985 by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Bank, the World Resource Institute and the UN Development Programme. It wasn’t very effective. It was based on the assumption that poverty and over-population are the main causes of Deforestation and it didn’t recognise the role of developed countries. In time donor countries became unwilling to fund the plan.
Regulating the Logging Industry is another world wide step to tackle deforestation. It is concerned mainly with commercial logging and aims at rhe regulation of the world wide industry in logging and other commercial uses of forests. This is done in the hope that it will lead to sustainable management of forests. It is not entirely appropriate because commercial logging only accounts for a maximum of one quarter of deforestation and so this approach is inadequate.
The International Tropical Timber Agreement of 1983, is an agreement governing the trade of tropical timbers which can be extended to tropical forests. It states that all forest products should come from sustainable managed forests, and is quite effective in ensuring that deforestation is kept to a minimum and what deforestation does occur is replaced by reforestation.
The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development of June 1992, is a brief statement of principles on sustainable development. It contains some goals and potential programs related to sustainable development.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Forests is trying to make considerable progress towards international consensus on all areas within its. The aim of this is that it will result in many things such as improved national forest policies and development strategies at the national level, better coordination and enhanced quality of international cooperation, new approaches to forest resources assessment including social and economic values of forest resources, and improved understanding of environmental implications of harvesting and trade of forest products.
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development is another important and effective step towards the rectification of Deforestation.
Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) play an important, but in some cases, inappropriate role in rectifying the problem. NGO’s like Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund are two such NGO’s. The Australian Rainforest Memorandum, which recognizes the rights of traditional land owners is endorsed by over 40 NGO’s.
Working Towards an end to foreign debt is yet another crucial role to ending deforestation. The condition imposed by the International Monetary Fund often forces heavily indebted countries to sell their national resources far in excess of sustainable exploitation.