Earth Day Pictures: Ten Most Threatened Forests

Amazon Rain Forest
Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic
Workers clear a road through Brazil's Amazon rain forest—one of the world's ten most threatened forests, according to an international conservation group.
This weekend, people around the world will plant trees in their neighborhoods as part of Earth Day celebrations. (See pictures of quirky Earth Day stunts.)
But Earth Day efforts won't be enough to replace the trees in forests like the Amazon, which are disappearing due to human activities, said Richard Donovan, vice president of sustainable forestry at A Rainforest Alliance.
"We're very supportive of tree planting, but tree planting by itself is not enough—we need to conserve forests, not just trees," Donovan said.
(Explore an interactive map of the embattled Amazon in National Geographic magazine.)
While the rate of Amazon deforestation has slowed somewhat in recent decades, it's still among the highest of any forest in the world, he said.
Large tracts are being cleared annually to make way for cattle ranches and cash crops such as soy beans and, more recently, palm oil.
Another concern are the growing number of roads through the rain forest, which are aiding loggers and serving as entry points for everyone from farmers and developers to oil and mineral prospectors.
—Ker Than
Published April 20, 2012
Madagascar Rain Forest
Photograph by Raul Touzon, National Geographic
This panther chameleon is one of thousands of species found nowhere else than in the rain forests of Madagascar. Such species are at risk of becoming extinct if the island's moist tropical forests and dry forests disappear.
The greatest threat to Madagascar's forests is the country's widespread poverty, Donovan said, which drives many of its citizens into logging.
(Related blog: "Madagascar's Logging Crisis: Separating Myth From Fact.")
"Madagascar has precious hardwoods including ebony and rosewood, which are in high demand in the marketplace," he said.
"The government has tried to establish protected areas, but it's been extremely challenging."
Published April 20, 2012
Island Forests, The Philippines
Photograph by Tim Laman, National Geographic
A river flows through a rain forest in the Philippines' Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park.
Island forests such as this one are typically very sensitive, and many worldwide are under pressure from tourism, invasive species, and sea level rise triggered by global warming, Donovan said.
Another worry for forests is a growing middle class in developing countries, he said.
"The higher your income, the more you consume"—and that includes more wood and paper products such as furniture, he said.
"Hopefully these growing populations will not follow the lead of their European and U.S. neighbors, but will consume responsibly from the start."
(Get the facts on deforestation.)
Published April 20, 2012
Mesoamerican Forests
Photograph by Tom King, Alamy
The La Sierra Madre Oriental mountains in northeastern Mexico are seen from a distance.
Increasingly, the forests of Mesoamerica—a region that stretches from Mexico to Costa Rica (see map)—are being cleared to make room for agriculture, cattle ranching, and tourism resorts, Donovan said.
Eastern Atlantic forests in the region are also home to mahogany—one of the most prized tropical hardwoods in the world.
Another concern for Mesoamerican forests is the region's thriving drug trade.
For example, the drug trade "makes the region more unstable. When you lack stability, you're unable to protect forests. Your priorities are elsewhere."
(Also see "Mexican Resorts Destroying Mangroves, Dooming Fisheries.")
Published April 20, 2012
Congo Rain Forest
Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
A western lowland gorilla orphan named Bangha pauses in the Republic of the Congo's Tchimpounga Sanctuary.
Second in size only to the Amazon, the Congo rain forest—which extends across six African countries—is disappearing as a result of intense logging activity and farming, specifically for crops such as cassava and oil palm.
"Of all the endangered forest regions we're talking about, [the Congo Basin] probably has the most challenging state governance anywhere," Donovan said.
"There is violence in the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and difficult challenges for virtually all the other countries in the region."
(See "Marijuana Trade Threatens African Gorilla Refuge.")
Published April 20, 2012
Sunderland Forest
Photograph by Dee Mohamed, My Shot
A stream cascades over rocks in Malaysia's Nuang Recreational Forest.
The moist tropical rain forests of Malaysia, Indonesia, and parts of Papua New Guinea are sometimes collectively referred to as the Sunderland forest.
As with many endangered forests, the trees of the Sunderland forest are being stripped for agriculture.
(Read more about rain forest threats.)
Published April 20, 2012
Coastal East African Forests
Photograph by Ariadne van Zandbergen, Alamy
A forest near the ancient city of Gedi, Kenya, ranks among the world's most threatened, according to Donovan.
Parts of Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania—together known as the coastal East African tropical and subtropical forests—are being converted to farmland to help feed the region's growing population.
But Donovan does see some hopeful trends in forest conservation. For example, South American conservationists have been experimenting with a community-driven, bottoms-up approach to protecting forests.
The idea is that small groups of people will do a better job caring for their local tract of forest than a government will in protecting the forests of an entire country, he said.
"Brazil, Mexico, and the Americas have been the vanguard for this. Now there are exciting new initiatives trying to do the same in Africa and Asia."
(See "Tigers, Elephants Returning to War-Torn Cambodia Forest.")
Published April 20, 2012
Himalaya Moist Forests
Photograph by Andrew Wheeler, Alamy
Sunlight clears away the morning mist in Nepal's Kali Gandaki River Valley.
The Himalaya tropical and subtropical moist forests stretch from Nepal, through Myanmar (Burma) and northern India, and into Laos.
These forests are under "enormous pressures," Donovan said.
For example, the forests are being cut to meet both the needs of locals and those of the exploding middle classes in China and India.
(See "Himalaya Forests Vanishing, Species May Follow, Study Says.")
Published April 20, 2012
Savanna Forests, South America
Photograph by Frans Lanting, Alamy
Brazil's Cerrado Woodlands (pictured) is one of the largest savanna environments in the world.
While Africa's famous savannas are home to animals such as elephants and lions, eastern South America's savannas contain lesser known species such as the maned wolf and the greater rhea, a flightless bird.
Dangers to the Cerrado incude agriculture, charcoal production, water projects, and cattle ranching, Donovan said.
(See savanna pictures.)
Published April 20, 2012
Atlantic Dry Forest
Photograph from Imagebroker/Alamy
Flat-topped mesas dominate southeastern Brazil's Chapada Diamantina National Park, part of the Atlantic dry forest.
"This is a forest that has been under threat for a number of years," Donovan said. "Agriculture conversion and development are the big threats."
Overall, people don't have to live in countries with endangered forests to make a difference, Donovan said.
"Look at where things come from," he suggested.
"Whether it's at the grocery store or when you go to Home Depot, you can make a positive contribution with every ... buying decision you make."
(See "The Big Idea: Saving Forests" in National Geographic magazine.)
Published April 20, 2012
More Pictures of Forests in Danger >>
Photograph courtesy Sitha Som, Conservation International
Published April 20, 2012