Deforestation beyond borders: Addressing the disparity between production and consumption of global resources

Abstract

AbstractAnalysis of production and trade data from 176 countries reveals that patterns of wood product consumption and harvest differ significantly across income groups. Poorer countries’ consumption consists primarily of domestic fuelwood, yet between 1972 and 2009, low‐income countries harvested >171 million hectares of forest products for export. High‐income countries were the only group to act as net importers, suggesting that rich countries practice preservation within borders but appropriate resources from poorer countries to sustain consumption. Harvests in poorer countries do occur at relatively low harvest efficiencies, implying that losses may be attenuated via technological improvement. However, efficiency does not mitigate the effects of high consumption. Despite exceptionally high efficiencies, high‐income countries are still responsible for just as much (or more) consumption‐driven forest loss as any other group. These findings highlight the importance of reducing consumption and suggest that neither technocentric solutions nor national‐level conservation policies are sufficient means to preserve global forests.