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According to a new study, the old growth forests, peatlands, and mangroves must be preserved to prevent catastrophic climate change. All those ecosystems are inhabited by many plant and animal species that are threatened with extinction. Though these areas cover only around 3 percent of land, they contain vast stores of carbon that, if unleashed, could not easily be recovered.
Southeast Asia has less than half its forest remaining and has the highest rates of forest loss and degradation. Some countries, like the Philippines, have lost more than 80 percent of its rainforest. The rainforests of West Africa are largely gone, and the remnants are threatened by a dense, growing human population. Vast areas of rainforest still remain in Central Africa where Endangered Species International (ESI) has various conservation programs. Large areas of rainforest remain relatively intact in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo because the road and river networks there do not provide adequate access to loggers, commercial hunters, and landless migrants. Half the world’s remaining tropical rainforests, as well as the largest relatively intact forest blocks, are in the Amazon basin. Although percentage deforestation rates are lower than in Asia and Africa, the absolute quantity of forest loss is higher.
Endangered Species International (ESI) defends all those vital ecosystems and species. It is urgent to intensify our conservation in the following parts of the world:
The tropical forests and peatlands of the Amazon biome (31.5 Gigatonnes irrecoverable carbon storage); ESI actively supports the expansion of protection areas in the Amazon. Local people are both partners and beneficiaries in the conservation and protection efforts The Congo Basin (8.2 Gigatonnes of cardon storage); ESI has been working since 2008 to save endangered species and protect huge areas of rainforest in the Congo Basin by creating new and effective protected area throughout empowering the indigenous communities Islands of Southeast Asia (13.1 Gigatonnes); ESI has been involved in the island of Southeast Asia since 2007 protecting and restoring rainforests, mangroves, and ocean The temperate forests of northwestern North America (5.0 Gigatonnes). ESI will continue to push for strong protection of the forest of northwestern North America Mangroves, seagrasses and tidal wetlands globally (4.8 Gigatonnes). ESI has been restoring and protecting mangroves, seagrasses and wetlands since 2007 with thousands of acres being preserved and restored
With your generous support, ESI will intensify its conservation work in areas to be protected including old growth rainforests in the Amazon, the Congo, and Southeast Asia, as well as temperate forests. The highest concentration of irrecoverable carbon is contained in mangroves, wetlands, and peatlands, such as the peat bogs of the British Isles. Over the last decade, many of these areas have been degraded, with large swaths cleared to make room for farms and pastures, or otherwise lost to logging or wildfires. Humans have recently sped the extinction rate by about a thousand times compared to the fossil record.
Together, we can continue our single most important strategy for protecting rainforest communities, which is to establish and effectively manage protected areas. ESI works to support global animal and habitat conservation efforts on many different fronts. We work with the government and private owners to establish and protect natural lands, like national parks and wildlife refuges. We help enforce legislations which protect endangered species while working with law enforcement to prosecute wildlife crimes, like wildlife trafficking and illegal hunting (poaching). Thank you for supporting our work.
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