Sustainable management of tropical rainforests

• Selective logging of mature trees in rainforests preserves the canopy and allows younger trees to grow with more space and sunlight
• Planned and controlled logging ensures that for every tree logged, another is planted
• Promoting the value and benefits of biodiversity associated with tropical rainforests is part of the education strategy for rainforest conservation
• Ecotourism encourages sustainable tourism that creates jobs for local people and ensures that the money generated is used to protect and conserve the tropical rainforest for future generations
• International agreements to protect tropical rainforests include debt-for-nature swaps, where a country cancels part of the debt owed by another country in exchange for an agreement to conserve its rainforests
• Sustainable management policies in Malaysia to conserve the tropical rainforest:

  • Public awareness increased through education
  • Local communities included in conservation projects
  • Encouragement of alternative timber sources like rubber trees
  • Selective logging of mature trees over a 40-year cycle (Selective Management System)
  • Promotion of ecotourism in tropical rainforest areas
  • Establishment of Permanent Forest Estates where no change of land use is allowed
  • Creation of National Parks to protect biodiversity