The protection of ancient forests

Publication date: May 2000

Summary
Ancient forests are among the greatest living expressions of three billion years of evolution of life on earth. They contain as much as 90 per cent of the world's land-based species, literally millions of types of flora and fauna from owls to orchids, bears and beetles. Many of these species will not survive unless we protect large areas of the remaining ancient forests. Biologists generally agree that the rate of species extinction is now 100 to 1000 times as great as it was before the coming of humanity. Palaeontologists recognise six previous mass-extinction events during the past half-billion years. The last and most famous occurred 65 million years ago and ended the age of dinosaurs. Researchers of biodiversity agree that we are in the midst of the seventh mass extinction. Even if the current rate of habitat destruction were to continue in forest and coral reefs alone, half of the plant and animal species would be gone by the end of the 21st century.