170 Million Hectares of Forest to be Lost by 2030

This week we’d like to draw your attention to a report sent to us by the WWF which holds devastating news. Up to 170 million hectares of forest could be destroyed by 2030, and more than 80% of the deforestation could take place in just 11 places around the globe.

These areas have been identified as “deforestation fronts” and include the following beautiful places on this planet: Borneo, Sumatra, Eastern Australia, East Africa and large forests in South America including the Amazon, Cerrado and Atlantic Forests. These places contain some of the richest wildlife in the world, including endangered species such as orang-utans and tigers. All are home to indigenous communities.  Alarmingly, if current deforestation trends continue, a quarter of the Amazon will be treeless by 2030.

Do these bleak facts make your heart sink? Research like this can often leave people feeling helpless to the extent of rampant deforestation which is changing the planet and putting not only wildlife at risk, but the future of human beings. You may think that it’s only big businesses and governments with influence who can change the future and reduce the amount of forest which will succumb to deforestation. But every little helps, and by supporting these vital organisations and charities, such as the WWF, we can help put an end to this devastation.

Rod Taylor, Director of WWF’s global forest programme said in the release, “We’re looking at how we can tackle that risk to save the communities and cultures that depend on forests, and ensure forests continue to store carbon, filter our water, supply wood and provide habitat for millions of species.”

The report builds on WWF’s earlier Living Forests report analysis showing that more than 230 million hectares of forest will disappear by 2050 if no action is taken, and that forest loss must be reduced to near zero by 2020 to avoid dangerous climate change and economic losses.

Empatika puts the environment at the very heart of what we do, and founder Tristan Titeux is an avid environmental activist. The company recently signed up to WWF’s #SaveForests campaign, and it regularly donates to The Woodland Trust and The World Land Trust which are leading organisations in the fight against deforestation.

In line with the new research has been released, we’ve also come across a wonderful and inspiring video which we just had to share with you. Prince Ea, an American rapper and activist is known for making intelligent music which raises socio-political and environmental issues. His most recent work is titled ‘Dear Future Generations: Sorry’ and describes the future which we will be leaving for generations to come if we don’t save our planet’s forests and resources. Watch the powerful and moving video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRLJscAlk1M

Hopefully Prince Ea can convince you that each and every one of us can make a difference. You can start by investing in eco furniture and make sure that every timber product you buy is made out of F#C certified wood. Check back to the Empatika blog for more environmentally friendly tips for eco living.