Managing tropical rainforests

Why rainforests matter

Rainforests have great value to people and the planet:

home to more species than any other land ecosystem.
Medicines: many come from rainforest plants. The rosy periwinkle of Madagascar gives drugs used to treat leukaemia.
Climate: forests store huge amounts of carbon, slowing climate change.
Water: trees return water to the air, helping make rain, and protect soils from erosion.
People: home to Indigenous peoples, such as the Penan of Sarawak, who depend on the forest.
timber, fruit, nuts and rubber can be harvested sustainably, and visitors bring income.

means using the forest to meet people's needs today without destroying it for the future.

Key terms

Managing rainforests sustainably

Strategy	How it works	Example
	Only some mature trees are cut, carefully; young trees are left to grow and new ones planted	Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah: certified as sustainably managed since 1997
	Areas protected as national parks; people taught the forest's value	Taman Negara national park, peninsular Malaysia
	Small-scale tourism that earns money from the forest standing, and employs local people	Lodges in the Danum Valley, Sabah

Key terms

International action

International agreements on tropical hardwoods:

Certification schemes such as the Forest Stewardship Council label timber from sustainably managed forests, so buyers can choose it.
Since 2013, EU law has banned illegally logged timber from being sold in the EU.

Debt reduction: some poorer countries owe large debts to richer ones. In , part of a country's debt is cancelled if it protects its forests instead; the USA has made such deals with Indonesia and Costa Rica.

Exam tip

For each strategy, say it is: who benefits, does the forest survive, and could it be cheated?

Key terms

How sustainable are they?

keeps the forest and its income, but only if rules are followed: illegal logging still happens.
protect the most forest, but need money and rangers, and may stop local people using land they rely on.
pays to keep the forest standing, but only a small area, and too many visitors can harm it.
Certification and bans reduce demand for illegal timber, but depend on checking where wood really comes from.
fund protection, but only in a few countries.

Judgement: no single strategy is enough. Forests are best protected when local people earn more from them standing than from clearing them.

Exam practice

Plan your own answer first, then open the model answers to see what each level looks like.

9 marks · about 9 minutes

Evaluate the strategies used to manage tropical rainforests sustainably.

Evaluate means: Judge strengths and weaknesses or successes and failures, then reach a conclusion.

Level 1 (Basic)· 3/9 marks (band 1–3)

Rainforests can be managed by national parks and ecotourism. These are good because they protect the forest.

Why this level: Two strategies named, described simply, with no examples and no weighing up. To reach Level 2: explain how each strategy works, with examples, and say how successful it is.

Level 2 (Clear)· 5/9 marks (band 4–6)

Selective logging only removes some trees, so the forest can regrow, as at Deramakot in Sabah. National parks such as Taman Negara protect large areas from logging and farming. Ecotourism earns money from visitors, as in the Danum Valley, so local people benefit from keeping the forest standing.

Why this level: Three strategies clearly explained with named examples. But they aren't evaluated: there are no weaknesses and no judgement. To reach Level 3: weigh the strengths and limits of each, then conclude which works best and why.

Level 3 (Detailed)· 8/9 marks (band 7–9)

Selective logging, as at Deramakot in Sabah, removes only some mature trees, so the forest regrows and keeps earning income, but it only works if the rules are followed and checked. National parks, such as Taman Negara, protect the largest areas from logging and farming, but need rangers to enforce them and can exclude local people who depend on the forest. Ecotourism, as in the Danum Valley, earns money from the forest standing and gives local people jobs as guides, but it only covers small areas, and too many visitors cause damage. International action helps too: certification and EU bans reduce demand for illegal timber, and debt-for-nature swaps fund conservation, but they depend on checks being made. Overall, no single strategy is enough. Each has strengths, but they work best together, especially when local people benefit, because then they have a reason to protect the forest.

Why this level: Each strategy is evaluated with strengths, limits and named examples, leading to a reasoned overall judgement. This is Level 3.

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