deforestation

[heldengebroed]

I read somewhere that in the DR like in so many countries there is a problem with deforstation.

Here is an idea that may help against it:

During the past 12 years i have been gathering, in Belgium, seeds from indegious trees and scrubs. I have a space in the garden where i grow them and came, during those years, in contact with a number of landowners that are willing to give up a bit of thier land to "wildlife". In those years i planted about 10.000 trees and scrubs. I got a few persons interested and they have joined me in this effort.

It feels good when you go for a walk and you walk past a new forest or hedge planted by yourself and some friends.

Costs: some sweath and time
Benifits: less erosion, more clean air and every year a BBQ after the planting

Couldn't that be an idea for the DR. Not on a national level (wouldn't work) but on a barrio level. every person 1 tree a year?

Greetings

Johan

[Keith R]

Nice idea and post, Johan. How about it DR1ers? Anybody want to pull together some planting parties in your DR community?

[Mirador]

Although Heldengebroad's idea is commendable, in practical terms it will do nothing to assuage the problem. Deforestation is not caused by lack of planting trees, but by the unregulated and predatory use of forestry resources, including the existence of illegal sawmills, slash and burn agriculture, and extensive charcoal production in the rural areas. What we need is a moratorium on all forestry exploitation, say for about 30-50 years. Left alone, the land will restore by itself it's original pristine forest cover.

[Celt202]

Originally Posted by heldengebroed

I read somewhere that in the DR like in so many countries there is a problem with deforstation.

During the past 12 years i have been gathering, in Belgium, seeds from indegious trees and scrubs.

This is a great idea.

Your efforts remind me of Jean Giono's masterpiece story The Man Who Planted Trees.

Jean Giono - The Man Who Planted Trees

I heard it years ago brilliantly narrated on the radio in Boston by Robert J. Lurtsema. It's probably evn better in the original French.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES: Jean Gionos's eco-fable narrated by Robert J.Lurtsema, with music by the Paul Winter Consort

[Keith R]

Originally Posted by Mirador

Deforestation is not caused by lack of planting trees, but by the unregulated and predatory use of forestry resources, including the existence of illegal sawmills, slash and burn agriculture, and extensive charcoal production in the rural areas.

Very true. And such things will probably only stop with tougher enforcement, and perhaps finding ways to make keeping and caring for that vegetation more valuable than the wood, crop or charcoal production. Any ideas on how to make that so?

What we need is a moratorium on all forestry exploitation, say for about 30-50 years. Left alone, the land will restore by itself it's original pristine forest cover.

Yes, but how likely is a moratorium on forestry explotiation of any length in the DR? Not very, in my estimation. The Fernandez Administration can't even be counted on to respect the existing boundaries and use restrictions for protected areas...

[heldengebroed]

12 years ago we had a hard time finding people who wanted to "give up" land Luckily i had a few acres on a hillside with lots of erossion. We planted 157 meters of hedges. Now my land is about half a meter higher and much richer than the nieghbours who stubornly refusses to believe us. on the other side 3 local farmers have joined and have planted over 5 km hedges.

"Lead by excemple and they will follow"

Greetings

Johan

[Drugdog]

Johan,

Sounds like you would fit in where I live. North Central Ohio is Johnny Appleseed country. With a friend of mine we put in just over 20 acres of all hardwoods 12 years ago. With his fathers mill close by we plan on using it as retirement funds. Sure wish they would grow faster though.


Happy planting
Kevin

[George Holmes]

Contrary to popular opinion, deforestation in most areas or the DR is not driven by poor peasants but by the rich. Cutting for wood for sale is almost exclusively done by the rich who have transport for the stuff, and money to bribe Foresta (national forest police). Small holders cutting to build houses with is minimally damaging. Meanwhile clearing for smallholdings is less damaging than rich people clearing cattle ranches, just think of relative size. Charcoal is virtually not used since the gas subsidy - whilst many peasants where I live near Constanza use firewood over gas (free, and burns better), none of them would use charcoal over either wood or gas. Firewood is pretty sustainable here, where there is an ample supply of dry dead wood, although I would be hesitant about applying this to the rest of the country. The single biggest factor (in my opinion) in slowing deforestation has been the gas subsidy that meant that the urban poor turned away from charcoal.

With regards to the point about protection, the DR has some of the strictest laws on tree protection in the world - from 67 to the first Leonel administration all trees were legal property of the state, regardless of whose land they are on. These rules are less strict nowadays, due to the failure of the 67 law. These laws are enforced by Foresta, a bunch of (largely) violent and corrupt thugs, who are part of the military rather than ministry ofagriculture or environment. As one of my neighbours described the are "nessio" - obsessed with bribes. In the past, when they entered the village, all the men would hide in the forest so they wouldn't be beaten up falsely arrested by someone looking for a pay off. The important thing about this, as several studies have shown, is that it has turned peasants away from doing what they did previously, which was to plant trees for shade for coffee, for fruit, for firewood or construction materials, whilst destroying any tree on their property. The rationale is simple - if trees are strictly protected, you don't want any on your property as it gives an excuse for various parts of the state to meddle in your affairs for their own profit. One of these studies is entitled "enemies of the trees", to reflect how campesinos saw trees as being against their own interest.

On the point of national parks, whilst I am horrified by the power of the tourism industry, many of the parks declared in 96 do not deserve to be parks - the DR cannot sustain 26% of its surface area in national parks. These parks do harm the poor, although the threats come from the rich. An interesting fact from a recently published PhD thesis is that whilst forests are expanding at a national level in the DR, they are shrinking in national parks, a reflection perhaps of the inability through lack of resources for the sub-secretaria de areas protegidas.

As someone once told me, national parks are the easiest and least effective option. Far better to produce a politics of environmental protection that encourages trees, such as making trees the friend of the campesino rather than the enemy as it was for so long.

In case you were wondering, I am busy researching a PhD on the politics of environmental protection in the DR.

[M.A.R.]

Originally Posted by George Holmes

Contrary to popular opinion, deforestation in most areas or the DR is not driven by poor peasants but by the rich. Cutting for wood for sale is almost exclusively done by the rich who have transport for the stuff, and money to bribe Foresta (national forest police). Small holders cutting to build houses with is minimally damaging. Meanwhile clearing for smallholdings is less damaging than rich people clearing cattle ranches, just think of relative size. Charcoal is virtually not used since the gas subsidy - whilst many peasants where I live near Constanza use firewood over gas (free, and burns better), none of them would use charcoal over either wood or gas. Firewood is pretty sustainable here, where there is an ample supply of dry dead wood, although I would be hesitant about applying this to the rest of the country. The single biggest factor (in my opinion) in slowing deforestation has been the gas subsidy that meant that the urban poor turned away from charcoal.

With regards to the point about protection, the DR has some of the strictest laws on tree protection in the world - from 67 to the first Leonel administration all trees were legal property of the state, regardless of whose land they are on. These rules are less strict nowadays, due to the failure of the 67 law. These laws are enforced by Foresta, a bunch of (largely) violent and corrupt thugs, who are part of the military rather than ministry ofagriculture or environment. As one of my neighbours described the are "nessio" - obsessed with bribes. In the past, when they entered the village, all the men would hide in the forest so they wouldn't be beaten up falsely arrested by someone looking for a pay off. The important thing about this, as several studies have shown, is that it has turned peasants away from doing what they did previously, which was to plant trees for shade for coffee, for fruit, for firewood or construction materials, whilst destroying any tree on their property. The rationale is simple - if trees are strictly protected, you don't want any on your property as it gives an excuse for various parts of the state to meddle in your affairs for their own profit. One of these studies is entitled "enemies of the trees", to reflect how campesinos saw trees as being against their own interest.

On the point of national parks, whilst I am horrified by the power of the tourism industry, many of the parks declared in 96 do not deserve to be parks - the DR cannot sustain 26% of its surface area in national parks. These parks do harm the poor, although the threats come from the rich. An interesting fact from a recently published PhD thesis is that whilst forests are expanding at a national level in the DR, they are shrinking in national parks, a reflection perhaps of the inability through lack of resources for the sub-secretaria de areas protegidas.

As someone once told me, national parks are the easiest and least effective option. Far better to produce a politics of environmental protection that encourages trees, such as making trees the friend of the campesino rather than the enemy as it was for so long.

In case you were wondering, I am busy researching a PhD on the politics of environmental protection in the DR.

SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT I see it myself in the San Jose de Las Matas road how these huge trucks carry the wood in the night past the Foresta, I don't even see them stopping them. The Foresta is just another corrupt branch of the government. The rich community is not educated on the importance of preserving the forest only greed moves them.

Like you said the campesino only works to sustain himself making small clearings, now they are afraid to make "conucos" "clearings for crops" because they might be arrested if they chop down any small tree. They don't want to plant trees in the land that they are not using in a particular year, because if they need it in a few years they won't be able to use it for crops. In the Sierras of the Cordillera is where they should pay attention, all these old trees are being chopped down and are being smuggled out of the Sierras and are not being replaced.

[palomitamia]

what a wonderful idea!

I hope I'll be able to plant lots of trees as well.........the forest is getting thinner every day :-(

Thank you for your idea. Take care,

P.