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David B. Sandalow, Assistant Secretary Oceans, Environment and Science Remarks at the National Press Club Washington, DC, January 6, 2000

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Protecting and Conserving the World's Forests

I'm delighted to be here today to speak on the state of the world's forests. For me, this is a special topic.

I first learned to love the outdoors in forests. As a child, I spent summers in the woods of northern Michigan, entranced by the beauty of white birch trees and hoping, as I hiked, to see deer or other wildlife around the next bend.

Forests inspire poetry and passion. In 1802, Francois Chateaubriand described forests as "the first temples of Divinity." A century-and-a-half later, Rachel Carson wrote about a forest as "a cathedral of stillness and peace." Forests are home to the largest and oldest living things on the planet.

Today I'll address four topics: why we care about forests, how forests are faring around the globe, what has been done so far to protect and conserve them, and what more we can do. I won't offer easy answers. I hope to spark thought, discussion, and action.

First, why do we care?

In part, because forests cover 40% of the earth's land surface and are home to more than 70% of land-living plants and animals. An estimated 10-30 million species are found in tropical forests alone. The biodiversity that has sustained life through the millenia is found nowhere more richly than in forests.

Forests perform myriad ecological services. They are often called the "lungs of the world," absorbing carbon dioxide and exhaling oxygen. Forests pull water from the clouds and control the flow of water into rivers and streams. Forests protect water quality and stabilize soils.

Forests also help prevent disasters. When Hurricane Mitch dropped record rains on Nicaragua and Honduras, many villages that sat beneath barren, logged hillsides suffered terrible mudslides, with enormous loss of life. Villages that sat beneath forested hills were spared the worst devastation. And last month in Venezuela, the pattern was repeated. Amid the terrible devastation of some of the worst rains of the century, forests helped save lives.

Forests are a critical economic resource -- providing food, fuel, shelter, and jobs for millions of people around the globe. A world without forest resources is scarcely imaginable. Forests provide the raw materials for lumber, plywood, paper, and other staples of modern life. Around the world, more than 500 million people depend on forests for their livelihood. The United States is the world's #1 importer and #2 exporter of forest products -- with total trade valued from $40-60 billion a year.

Forests are also home to millions of indigenous people around the globe. And they are places for recreation, relaxation, and inspiration.

So we value forests for all these reasons: their rich biological diversity, their many ecological services, their role in disaster prevention, their many products -- so ubiquitous in our lives -- the habitat they offer, and the way they help our spirits soar.

What is the state of the world's forests?

Sadly, many are disappearing at record rates. In the past decade, the world has lost an average of 38 million acres of forest per year. This is a land area roughly the size of Georgia. Tropical forests are vanishing at the rate of 250 acres per minute. To put that in context -- a football field is roughly two acres. We are losing two football fields of tropical forest every second.

Such statistics are difficult to absorb. Perhaps most telling, we have now lost over half the forests that once blanketed the earth. Some countries have lost more than 90% of their forest cover in the past few decades!

Why is this happening? For many reasons: population pressures, subsistence farming and agricultural expansion, urbanization, unsustainable and illegal logging, large-scale industrial and infrastructure projects, and national policies that subsidize forest conversion.

But the clearing of forests is not the only challenge. Around the world, the health of forests is threatened by air pollution, increases in insect infestations, invasive species and disease, catastrophic fire, and other human-induced environmental hazards. Scientists warn that if global warming proceeds too rapidly in this century, there is a risk of widespread forest die-off as trees are unable to tolerate increasing local temperatures or climate patterns. Forest burning contributes 10% or more of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year.

In the long-term, forests are resilient ecosystems. With time, and under the right circumstances, forests may regenerate. But in the decades it takes for a forest to re-establish itself, that forest's contribution to the hydrologic cycle is diminished, that forest cannot help prevent natural disasters, and that forest cannot provide sustenance. Cultural values are lost, habitat may be radically altered, and species that depend on that forest may be gone forever.

Two additional observations about the state of the world's forests may be helpful.

First, roughly 75% of the world's forests are found in just 16 countries (Russia, Brazil, Canada, the United States, China, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, India, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Sudan, Australia, and Papua New Guinea). Indeed, roughly 50% of the world's forests are found in just the first four countries (Russia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States).

Second, forests vary greatly around the globe. Sugar maple stands in the northeastern United States, mangrove forests in west Africa, rainforest in the Amazon, the redwoods of California, and the taiga of Siberia are vastly different ecological systems. Forests are found within the sovereign territories of many countries, with different cultures, political systems, and levels of development. Any strategies to protect forests must recognize and respect these vastly different circumstances.

What has been done to date to conserve the world's forests?

In conserving the world's forests, we do not write on a blank slate. Many efforts have been made -- some more successful than others. To mention a few examples:

• In 1978, the U.S. officially recognized the crisis of tropical deforestation when the Foreign Assistance Act was amended to mandate more emphasis on the environment and natural resources like tropical forests as the basis for sustainable growth. Today, USAID continues to have a broadly defined portfolio of forest-related projects around the world.

• In 1985, the World Bank, FAO, UNDP and World Resources Institute (WRI) launched the Tropical Forestry Action Plan -- a "framework for coordinated action" to solve the tropical deforestation crisis. WRI later concluded that the initiative sought to do too much with too few resources, failing to make progress in part because of the breadth of its ambitions and the lack of involvement of local stakeholders.

• At the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, the largest summit ever held, leaders recognized the crucial link between environment and development and adopted the Forest Principles -- the first-ever global consensus on the importance of forests and policies for conserving them.

• In 1995, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development established the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests (IPF). The IPF identified 135 proposals for protecting and conserving forests.

• Also in 1995, 12 nations with 90% of the world's temperate and boreal forests came together under the Montreal Process Working Group to endorse a comprehensive set of "criteria and indicators" of sustainable forest management. Today, over 150 countries are beginning to implement such criteria and indicators.

• In 1997, the Government of Bolivia, The Nature Conservancy, and American Electric Power sponsored a carbon sequestration project in the ecologically rich Noel Kempff National Park, providing more than $11 million to expand the park and retire adjacent concessions. The project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by an amount equal to the lifetime emissions of 500,000 cars.

• In 1997, the Government of Suriname, Inter-American Development Bank, World Resources Institute, Conservation International, and others worked together to protect 4 million acres of primary tropical rainforest in Suriname.

• In 1998, the G-8 leaders adopted an Action Program on Forests that promotes protected areas, combats illegal logging, focuses on monitoring and assessment, and calls on nations to engage NGOs and the private sector in programs to protect forests.

• Also in 1998, Congress passed and President Clinton signed the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, which authorizes reduction of official debt owed the U.S. Government by countries with significant tropical forests in return for forest conservation measures.

• And just 2 months ago, President Clinton directed the Forest Service to devise plans permanently to protect an additional 40 million acres of roadless national forest lands in the United States.

  In addition, the U.S. forest products industry has adopted codes of conduct under the American Forest and Paper Association's Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Several states, which regulate private forest land in the U.S., have established best management practices.

  Have all these programs made a difference? Yes. Have they stopped the tide of deforestation and guaranteed forest health around the globe? No.

  But I believe these experiences teach us an important lesson.

  There is no one-size-fits-all solution to protecting the world's forests. The world's forests and their circumstances are too diverse. If we search for a single program, a single framework, or a single institution to comprehensively address this problem, we'll be disappointed.

  In particular, we should be wary of efforts to channel scarce resources into negotiation of an international "forest convention." Our most successful programs have been the most targeted. More than 100 environmental organizations from around the world have expressed concern that a convention would end up justifying a "lowest-common-denominator" approach to protecting forests. And we plainly do not need a convention to focus public attention on the plight of forests -- there may be no issue more closely associated with the environmental movement worldwide.

  Global approaches have their place -- as do over-arching, unifying frameworks. But, too often, the grandiose solution fails to produce results. Many of our most successful programs have been the most targeted.

  In considering how best to protect forests, I suggest we should be guided by one question: what would make a difference on the ground?

  What can we do to protect and conserve the world's forests?

  Today, I will offer a dozen suggestions.

  1. Move forward with the Tropical Forest Conservation Act. The U.S. Congress has shown great leadership by enacting the Tropical Forest Conservation Act. This statute authorizes reduction of official debt owed to the U.S. Government by countries with significant tropical forests, in return for conservation measures. I especially applaud Senators Lugar, Biden, and Leahy and Representatives Portman and Kasich for their leadership in this effort. A special tribute is also due the late Senator John Chafee and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, both of whom played pivotal roles in passing this legislation.

  Today, I am pleased to announce that the Administration will move forward swiftly in the new year under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act. Starting with a Board meeting next week, we will move quickly to open discussions with countries that have expressed interest in participating and make good use of the $13 million appropriated under the statute. We must use and build on this innovative program.

  2. Adopt multilateral standards for forest lending. Every year, national governments support forest sector investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars with export credits and investment guarantees. In doing so, governments should promote sound forest practices. Both the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EX-IM) and Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), for example, operate under rules that prohibit support for logging, mining, or infrastructure projects in primary tropical forests.

  Unfortunately, few other governments apply environmental standards when offering export credits or investment guarantees. This failure threatens a "race to the bottom" in export finance, with countries competing on the basis of their willingness to support unsustainable forestry practices. That situation is not acceptable.

  Last year, the G-8 leaders called for the development of multilateral environmental standards for export finance by no later than 2001. These standards should include standards for the forestry sector. As the United States pursues the work program called for by G-8 leaders, we will promote multilateral standards for forest sector lending. We will also work closely with the World Bank on revisions to its Forest Policy and Strategy, to help ensure that those revisions promote forest conservation around the globe.

  3. Fight illegal logging. Illegal logging and trade in illegally harvested wood is destroying forest ecosystems, robbing national governments and villages of revenues, distorting timber markets, and creating enormous pressures on forests. In Cambodia, for example, illegal logging is so pervasive that some experts fear forests will all but disappear within 5 years.

  Today, I am pleased to announce that the United States will work with other nations to host a conference on illegal logging in the Mekong watershed during the year 2000. We must shine a spotlight on this important global problem and find new ways to work together to stop it. While we are starting with one region willing to tackle the issue, we hope other regions will follow the example of openly discussing illegal activities, with a view to identifying and implementing practical corrective measures.

  4. Improve agricultural productivity in the developing world. Perhaps no area offers greater potential for reducing pressure on the world's forests than work to improve agricultural productivity in the developing world. Experts predict that world population will grow by more than 50% during the next 50 years. That population simply cannot be fed on current arable land with current agricultural practices. To slow or prevent the conversion of forests to farmland around the globe, we must find new and innovative ways to improve agricultural yields, especially for tropical crops. Where this requires capital, we must find innovative ways to channel funds toward these purposes. We should support the work of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which every day makes a difference in millions of lives around the world.

  5. Address subsidies. There is a need to address government subsidies that promote over-logging and distort trade. Such subsidies can skew resource decisions, cost tax revenues, and damage ecosystems. Some experts estimate that these subsidies total billions of dollars per year worldwide, but more information is needed. We should gather information about the scope and nature of subsidies affecting the forest sector that may be environmentally damaging and trade-distorting and develop appropriate responses worldwide.

  6. Invest in remote sensing. Satellite observation and new technologies such as the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are critical tools for assessing, monitoring, and managing forests. Remote sensing played a central role in almost all forest fire programs in Brazil, Mexico, Russia, and Southeast Asia during the 1997-98 El Nino. Last year, the G-8 agreed to a U.S.-proposed initiative to enhance the use of remote sensing as a tool in managing forests and responding to forest fires. We will actively pursue this initiative, with a view to creating and maintaining databases and facilitating access to such information around the globe.

  The United States is committed to using public domain satellite imagery for the greater good of forest ecosystems and those that manage them. NASA has just created -- and made available on the Web -- a global forest cover map using satellite data from the early 1990s. The successful launches of LANDSAT 7 and EOS TERRA satellites just 2 weeks ago should allow routine production of accurate forest maps, providing a valuable new tool for natural resource managers and scientists.

  7. Train forest managers, foresters, biologists and park guards. Of course we cannot protect forests from the air. Managing forests wisely requires expertise and training, which are too often lacking in forest-rich countries. We must invest in people and communities and we must train forest managers at all levels, including foresters, biologists, and park guards, who can make a difference in the long-term. We also must educate people about the benefits forests provide and the importance of conserving them. U.S. Government agencies from Agriculture to Interior to AID support training and education programs in countries around the world as do many environmental groups and businesses. But we need to see what more we can do, both bilaterally and internationally through organizations like FAO, ITTO, and the World Bank.

  8. Emphasize monitoring and assessment. One important success in recent years has been work on "criteria and indicators." The better we understand forests, the better we will be able to protect, conserve, and manage them. We should build on the important work underway in this area, bringing together stakeholders from governments, environmental groups, and industry. As recommended by the 11th meeting of the Montreal Process Working Group last November in Charleston, an international meeting on enhancing implementation of criteria and indicators around the world is timely.

  9. Promote protected areas. Protected forest areas are essential. No strategy for conserving biodiversity or other forest values can succeed without them. But to be successful, protected forests must be maintained and the rules governing them must be enforced. We do not need paper parks.

  For protected forest areas to make a difference on the ground, local stakeholders must be involved. Civil society must be engaged. Parks must help meet the needs of people living in and around them. We must work to give forest communities a stake in the success of protected areas. Innovative tools, such as computerized information networks that provide real, on-the-ground support, should be enhanced and explored.

  10. Use the power of the market. The marketplace can be a powerful tool for protecting and conserving forests. But too often, markets fail to value essential forest services.

  Certification and labeling programs, along with industry codes of conduct, can help correct this problem. Important strides in this area have been taken by the Forest Stewardship Council, U.S. industry, and others. Ultimately, the driver of these programs is the consumer, not the government. But the consumer who cares can help make a difference! Another important tool for valuing forests is carbon trading. Forests play a central role in the global carbon cycle; we must find new and innovative ways to value the carbon-absorbing services that forests provide.

  11. Focus UN discussion on practical results. Since 1995, governments from around the world have come together under the auspices of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to discuss approaches for conserving the world's forests. Governments have identified more than 135 proposals for action. In the years ahead, we should build on this work.

  When the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests meets next month, it should take the next step, which is to focus on implementation of what has already been agreed. We should move forward to shape a transparent, practical, results-oriented forum -- one focused not on talk but action. This forum should bring together key international players from around the world to address specific, focused agendas. Environmental NGOs, industry, and other stakeholders should be actively involved. We don't need to spend years negotiating a treaty; we need to make a difference for forests today.

  12. Cut innovative deals, forest-by-forest and tract-by-tract. There is no substitute for hard work on the ground. To protect forests, we must work together where opportunities arise, forest-by-forest and tract-by-tract. The Government of Suriname, together with the World Resources Institute, Conservation International and others, offers a shining example of how this can be done.

  Today, I am pleased to announce that the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development will prepare a joint strategic plan for targeted forest diplomacy. In doing so, we will work closely with partners in the NGO community and industry. We will focus our resources, working closely with countries that wish to work together in this area. Our work will be shaped, of course, by a profound respect for the right of all countries to manage their sovereign resources. But where countries wish to join together to protect forests, we are eager to do so. We are eager to pursue the tools I have discussed today: to use innovative financing authorities, to fight illegal logging, to promote protected areas, and more. We will roll up our sleeves, working country-by-country and forest-by forest where we can make a difference.

  When I grew older, I learned that vast forests in my home state of Michigan were destroyed in a few short decades at the end of the 19th century. (The tale of those days is told memorably in Bruce Catton's book, Waiting for the Morning Train.) The costs of that destruction were huge. Generations grew old without ever knowing the beauty of those forests. Land that supported families was barren for generations. And many species that once inhabited those northern forests are gone forever.

  Let us commit to learn from the past. Let us commit to roll up our sleeves.

  Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the most beloved passage by the most beloved American poets takes place in a forest. Robert Frost wrote:

  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I
  Took the one less traveled by
  And that has made all the difference.

  We can make a difference -- we can choose the right path for ourselves, for our children, and for the future. I hope the modest suggestions I make today can help. Thank you.

  [end of document]