Introduced By: Jason Cheek
Representing: Zimbabwe
TITLE: TROPICAL DEFORESTATION AND THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
1 CURRENTLY tropical deforestation affects approximately 6% of the Earth's surface area, and,
2 FURTHER NOTING that tropical forests come in several varieties, all of which are threatened with deforestation and
3 degradation, and,
4 HAVING STUDIED that biologists consider the plight of tropical forests to be one of the world's most serious environmental
5 problems because these forests are home to more than 75% of the Earth's total stock of species, and
6 FURTHER NOTING that rain forests absorb soslar energy to help prevent global warming, and,
7 ALARMED by the fact that tropical rain forests are being cleared at a rate of 4,000 acres every hour, and,
8 EXPRESSING that it is estimated that by the year 2022, at least 20% of tropical forests species could be gone, and as many as
9 50% by the year 2042, and,
10 ALARMED BY THE FACT that no extinction of this size has occurred for 65 million years, and,
11 NOTING that these forests supply over half of the world's annual harvest of hardwood, hundreds of food products (i.e. coffee,
12 tea, cocoa, spices, nuts, chocolate, and tropical fruits) resins, dyes, and essential oils that can be harvested sustainably,
13 and,
14 HAVING DISCOVERED that the active ingredients for 25% of the world's prescription drugs are substances derived fromplants,
15 most of which grow from tropical area, and,
16 HAVING RECEIVED that 70% of the 3,000 plants identified by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as sources of cancer fighting
17 chemicals come from tropical forests, and,
18 ADDING that species of the animal kingdom greatly need these plants because of their ability to take in carbon dioxide and emit
19 oxygen for us to breathe,
20 DEEPLY DISTURBED by the fact that tropical deforestation results from a number of interconnected causes, all of which are
21 related in some way to population growth, poverty, and governmental policies, and,
22 HAVING RECEIVED that climatic and biological data suggest that mature forests once covered at least twice as much as
23 they do today, and,
24 NOTING that fewer then 1% of the estimated 125,000 flowering plant specias in tropical forests have been eximaned closely for
25 their possible use as human resources, and,
26 FURTHER NOTING that if we lose this plant, we will never find their potential, and,
27 EMPHASIZING that not all nations have tropical rain forests, but tropical rain forests affects us all, either directly or indirectly,
28 and,
29 FURTHER EMPHASIZING that after much deforestation, many species will lose their homes, and eventually become extinct,
30 braking many food webs, and affecting many more species, and,
31 HAVING FURTHER STUDIED that the burging of forests only leads to more problems, such as ozone depletion and global
32 warming.
33 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the United Nations stress the importance of rainforests to its member nations, and,
34 BELIEVES that a set of guidelines need to be placed on maintaining these forests, and,
35 RECOMMENDS that each country set guidelines similar to these:
36 1) For every tree cut down, at least two more be planted.
37 2) Trees are to be cut and not burned.
38 3) Each nation is to set a limit on how many trees may be destroyed.
39 4) The section of the forest that is being cut must be examined for any animals and if any are found, be put in a safe
40 place.
41 REALIZING that every nation does not have the same type of environment, and that each nation should shape these guidelines
42 to fit their circumstance.
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