Asia-Pacific Region - Net Loss Of Six Million Hectares Forest 2000-2005

BANGKOK, April 13 (Bernama) -- The Asia Pacific region lost more than six million hectares of natural forests, mainly converted to agricultural crops and oil palm plantations, during the past five years, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Thursday. Patrick Durst, the FAO's senior forestry officer for Asia-Pacific, said that this loss of more than one million hectares of natural forests each year was alarming.

While plantation forests are an extremely valuable resource and will undoubtedly supply an increasing portion of wood and fibre needs in the future, they should not be considered a substitute for the region's dwindling natural forests, Durst said in a statement released by FAO here.

However, the Asia-Pacific region recorded the highest rate of forest plantation in the world over the past five years and this helped the region reverse the 1990s trend of net loss of forest cover into a net gain during the period from 2000 to 2005, it said.

"From a net loss of 1.3 million hectares per year in the 1990s, Asia-Pacific boasted a net gain of more than 600 000 hectares per year between 2000 and 2005, making it, along with Europe, the world's only region with a sustained increase in forests." The FAO said the gain was primarily due to an increase in forest plantations.

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