During the world’s 4.5 billion year history there have been five occasions when the vast majority of life on the planet has been rapidly wiped out. These mass extinction events, the most famous of which included the disappearance of the dinosaurs, were probably caused by meteorite impacts, super-volcanoes, or other rare non-biological factors. It has been suggested that humans are currently in the process of causing a sixth mass extinction event. While such an apocalyptic statement seems quite sensationalist, the rate at which species are currently becoming extinct has been estimated at 100,000 times higher than normal. Approximately half the large mammal species have become extinct in the last 50,000 years, and amphibians are declining at an even faster rate. Conservation biology aims to stem this trend by preventing species extinctions, and maintaining a high abundance and distribution of biological diversity.

Biodiversity has many tangible benefits for humans, including providing vital products such as foods, fuels or medicines; maintaining natural processes to regulate the climate through carbon storage and sequestration; as well as less quantifiable benefits like aesthetic value of natural environments. Despite the fact that an economic valuation of biodiversity will by nature be a crude approximation and overlook some non-material benefits, it has been estimated that the financial benefits of having biodiverse ecosystems are ten to 100 times greater than the costs of maintaining such biodiversity. Mainly due to the work of numerous conservation organisations, such as the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, appreciation of this enormous value of biodiversity has increased. This has led to internationally recognised conservation initiatives, including the 1992 UN Convention on Biological Diversity, one of the most widely ratified treaties in the world.  In 2005 this helped ensure the incorporation of conservation targets into the UN Millennium Development Goals.

However, despite the multitude of conservation measures being taken, the world’s biodiversity continues to decline. This year a positive step was taken to rectify this situation: the UN declared 2011 the “International Year of Forests”. Forests are declining at a rate of approximately 200 square kilometres per day, and only 7.7% of forests are under sustainable management. This is extremely concerning: forests are key to the environmental stability of our planet due to the diversity of life they contain. Although forests now cover less than a third of the land’s surface, they are by far the richest habitat for terrestrial species, containing over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Furthermore, forests produce over 40% of the world’s oxygen, are inhabited by approximately 300 million people, and directly supply vital resources or services for around 1.6 billion people. In 2003, the total global value of forest trade products was estimated at US$327 billion (£209 billion) – nearly 4% of all traded commodities.

This UN declaration endorsing forest conservation is in contrast to the traditional perception of conservation of the “charismatic vertebrates”, such as tigers, pandas, or rhinos. Although conservation ventures may be promoted by flagship species that evoke particular interest and emotional responses in the public, conservation is most effective when implemented to maintain entire ecosystems, rather than focusing on a single species. For example, mountain gorillas are an emblem for conservation in Rwanda, but in reality ensuring the maintenance of gorilla populations requires extensive ecosystems to be protected, not just the gorillas themselves. Earlier this year, the Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative was set-up in Rwanda as part of a UN scheme. As a Rwandan minister accurately stated: “This is not just a gesture to placate conservation organisations trying to save the mountain gorilla. Rwanda has been forced to make this a national priority to end soil degradation and to safeguard our rivers and forests. Our population will double in the next 30 years, and survival depends on us maintaining and restoring our forests.”

Preserving forests has also been a topical issue in the UK this year, with the coalition government reconsidering their proposal to sell 258,000 hectares of publically owned forest. While government management of the forests through the Forestry Commission may be inefficient, this seems a price worth paying to avoid running the risk of private companies exploiting forests in search of short-term profits. Perhaps more importantly, the issue highlighted a strong public interest in conservation, with 84% of the British public opposing the proposal, according to a YouGov poll.

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an international UN initiative that illustrates the multiple benefits of forest conservation. REDD originally focused on reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, rather than conserving biodiversity in itself. However, REDD+ takes into account the added value that forests provide for livelihoods and biodiversity. By providing financial incentives to promote forest preservation, REDD+ treats forests as a public commodity. This commodification of forests must be carefully regulated, with appropriate institutions ensuring such a market delivers efficient and sustainable outcomes. Crucially, REDD+ operates above a national level, which is often necessary in order to be effective.

Conserving biodiversity is clearly imperative for the well-being of humankind. By focusing more on conserving forests, a critically important habit for terrestrial organisms, conservation is truly becoming a grassroots movement.  However, this should increasingly turn the term “grassroots” on its head, transcending a local emphasis in favour of a broader international framework for conservation policy formation and implementation.

The increasing loss of forests could have drastic effects on the global environment. Photo by Dru! via Flickr.