At the global conference Rio+20, several groups pledged to make strides in reforesting the Amazon, improving forestry technology, creating forestry policies to fight global warming, and using more responsibly sourced timber.
Arborem, a private company, has entered into an agreement with the Instituto GenĂ´mico de Recursos Florestais, Brazil's leading land reform group, to help small holder farmers reforest at least their minimum legal requirements. Arborem pledged to assist in reforesting the first 24,700 acres and attracting public, private and corporate supporters around the world to assist with a further 222,400 acres. If these two goals are met, Arborem will sponsor another 24,700 acres with matching support.
In a second pledge, Arborem, again partnering with the Instituto GenĂ´mico de Recursos Florestais, pledged to develop software and technology for identifying, mapping and monitoring biodiversity in virgin and degraded forests. "When fully developed, we will be able to preserve the integrity of bio-reserves and detect unwanted interventions," Arborem wrote in its online pledge. "We are currently using this for the mapping of areas of land reform, but the aim is to apply the technology as a tool in the regeneration, reforestation and remote monitoring of all Brazil's native habitats." (For background on the challenges Brazil's native habitats face in agriculture, mineral extraction, highway expansion and charcoal production, see this photo project by Mario Tama posted on Boston.com.)
Deutsche Gesellschaft fĂĽr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), which assists the German government in achieving international objectives, pledged to help adapt forest policy in the Middle East and North Africa to mitigate climate change. To reach that goal, GIZ has partnered with forestry ministries in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey.
Kingfisher, Europe's largest home improvement retailer, committed to using 100 percent responsibly sourced timber and paper in all if its operations by 2020. In its online pledge, Kingfisher said it uses timber from an area the size of Switzerland each year, which is approximately 16,000 square miles.
