Deforestation Today

The causes of tropical deforestation have changed in the twenty-first century, which has required changes in the policies necessary to protect tropical forests. For many years, tropical deforestation was attributed largely to growing numbers of subsistence farmers moving into forests and cutting trees down to plant food crops such as corn, beans, and cassava. But several recent scientific studies show that large commercial agricultural and timber enterprises—not subsistence farmers—are the principal agents of tropical deforestation, which is responsible for about 10 percent of global warming pollution worldwide.

Preserving forests is therefore not at odds with the needs of poor farmers. This new understanding should guide what we do to protect tropical forests and prevent catastrophic climate change—for example, by changing the practices of the industries now responsible for most tropical deforestation.