Conserving the Last Great Forests: A Meta-Analysis Review of the Drivers of Intact Forest Loss and the Strategies and Policies to Save Them

Jason J Scullion,Sophia Winkler-Schor,Bethany Drahota,Kristiina A Vogt,Makaila Lyons

doi:10.3389/ffgc.2019.00062

Abstract

The conservation of Earth’s remaining intact forests (IFs) is a global priority, but improved understanding of the causes and solutions to IF loss is urgently needed to improve conservation efforts. This meta-analysis examines 207 case studies of IF loss occurring since 1970 to identify the multi-scale drivers of forest change and proposed case-specific solutions to IF loss. The goal of this study is to build a portfolio of conservation best practices for retaining IFs. The most frequently reported direct drivers of IF loss were logging, agriculture, ranching, and infrastructure expansion. Mining and fire were also prominent threats to IFs in selected areas. Indirect drivers of IF loss varied between continents, with high demographic pressures driving forest loss in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, contrasting with North America and Europe-Russia. Indirect economic and socio-political drivers were most frequently reported at the national scale for all continents studied, indicating a central role for national institutions in IF loss and conservation. Decisive socio-political factors underlying IF loss worldwide include political failures, institutional failures, and pro-development policies. A wide range of conservation interventions were recommended in the case studies. The proposed actions were most frequently within the forest, finance, and education and science sectors, and also emphasized inter-sectoral activities. Based on the results of this study, three core approaches to IF conservation that can be combined at the landscape scale are identified: protected areas, payments for ecosystem services, and agricultural reforms. Related enabling conditions include cooperative landscape management, effective enforcement, and political advocacy. The success of IF conservation efforts ultimately depends on sustained political support and the prioritization of high-value forest landscapes. Such efforts should mitigate socio-economic pressures through policy mixes that are cross-sectoral and place-based. Key policy priorities for IF conservation include addressing the systemic failures of public institutions, increasing political support for IF conservation, and countering harmful development activities.

Highlights

Intact forests (IFs) are a global conservation priority because they provide ecosystem services and vital resources and cultural benefits to local and global societies, especially forest-dependent indigenous people (Finer et al, 2008; Olivero et al, 2016)
To inform the aforementioned gaps in knowledge and the design of IF conservation efforts, this study examined the following questions: (1) what are the drivers of IF loss with respect to the case study literature?; (2) what IF conservation policies and activities are recommended in the case study literature?; and (3) can the synthesis of the case study’s reported deforestation drivers and conservation recommendations inform the design of IF conservation policies and strategies?
The basic assumption of this research is that the long-term conservation of IFs depends on the integration of scientific knowledge and conservation efforts

Summary

Introduction

Intact forests (IFs) are a global conservation priority because they provide ecosystem services and vital resources and cultural benefits to local and global societies, especially forest-dependent indigenous people (Finer et al, 2008; Olivero et al, 2016). The loss of these relatively undisturbed native forests has both local and global consequences because human and natural ecosystems are dependent upon stable global carbon and hydrologic cycles and the ability of IFs to mitigate climate change impacts (Seymour and Busch, 2016; Watson et al, 2018). Current research priorities include improved understanding of the causes of IF loss (Heino et al, 2015) and the development of more evidence to inform the design of place-based forest conservation efforts (Puri et al, 2016; Min-Venditti et al, 2017)

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