Rainforests
once covered a much greater area in Asia. Today,
only
scattered fragments remain. They are full
of biodiversity, and they are
the biggest
carbon sink on the planet after the oceans.
Biodiversity & Deforestation in
Asia
• Hundreds of animals and plant
species, including the Sumatran rhinoceros,
tigers, elephants, and orangutans are on the brink
of extinction in Southeast Asia.
• Forests of
Jammu & Kashmir are home to a wide variety of
species, but many have been lost due to military
crackdown on residence groups, and the corruption
of the forestry department.
• Rainforests are
threatened by unsustainable agriculture, ranching,
mining, logging practices, and ‘slash & burn’
activities for fuel usage.
• As mountains are
cultivated, soils, trees, and sources of clean
water are lost.
• Though Asia’s forest cover
grew by 3 million hectares from 2000 to 2005 due
to China’s 1998 logging ban and afforestation,
forest loss persists at a high rate in several
countries, and new forests in Asia are man-made
plantations, which lack
biodiversity. |
