Global Citizenship magazine for schools

Forests and trees sustain us and protect us, providing clean air and water, safeguarding biodiversity and acting as a buffer against climate change and desertification. For many people, they also offer food, shelter and employment. Destruction of the world’s forests doesn’t just destroy our environment it also destroys people’s communities and livelihoods. The interdependence between people and forests is crucial, yet maybe in the developed world we take this for granted and have become disconnected from the trees which sustain and protect us.

Vanishing forests

The Earth was once covered in forest butconservationists estimate that up to 80% of these trees are now gone or have been degraded.  Half of that has been in the last 30 years. Countless species are being lost and entire communities are being displaced. Illegal logging, industrial-scale farming and climate change all pose a threat to the remaining tracts of forest around the world.
5.2 million hectares of forests are lost each year; equivalent to the size of a football field every second. Most of this disappearing forest is in the tropical rainforests, the Amazon basin and Congo basin being the 2 largest remaining tropical rainforests.

Whose forest?

Tropical rainforests are found predominantly in the Global South where the economic pressures to develop and provide for ever increasing demand is great.  The challenge is to use these forests in a sustainable way which enables countries to generate sustainable income from the forests,while protecting people’s homelands and maintaining diverse habitats.
Some of the issues can be exemplified in the Congo Basin rainforest which is rich in wood, minerals and oil; potential sources of significant income.  However, these natural resources have been the source of conflict and civil war which have done little to improve the lives of those who live there. With greater stability in the region, land has been allocated to logging and mining companies and areas protected with National Parks status with scant regard for the rights of the indigenous communities who live there. Access to their land is frequently denied to them and with it the means of providing the basic needs for themselves and their communities.

A number of organisations are working with these communities in participatory projects to help them map their forest lands, connect with other communities and claim their rights to live there.

Consumer power

The natural resources which are extracted from these forests find their way into the products and technology that we consume every day. Our lives and lifestyles are connected to people, forests and environments all over the world,oftenin ways we are unaware of.

Take, for example, mobile phones; they contain very specific metals and minerals such as tantalum, cobalt and tungsten. These minerals are found in the Congo Basin rainforest where trees are cleared to allow mines to be created. In addition, frequently the working conditions of miners are dangerous and their working rights non-existent.

Palm oil, leather, beef and many other products lead us back to the forest and therefore to the people and environments that depend on them.

Into the classroom

An enquiry into forests provides a rich and stimulating context for Global Learning. Whether you start from a tree or a mobile phone, there are many global connections to unpack from climate change to technology. Through exploring these connections, young people can reflect on the rights and responsibilities they have as consumersand that their actions have an impact on the lives of others globally.

Learning for Sustainability

The new GTC professional standards place Global Citizenship within the context of Learning for Sustainability, complemented by Sustainable Development and Outdoor Learning. Teaching about global forests provides opportunities for bringing these 3 strands together through interdisciplinary learning. Forest Schools is a UK wide organisation promoting and supporting outdoor learning in woodland areas. Within Science there are links to biodiversity and interdependence strands; values and issues in RME and climate change and deforestation in Geography, are just a few examples. Viewing these diverse topics through the lens of sustainable development and social justice provides a coherent framework for the learner.

Our Forest, Our Future

A new resource, Our Forest, Our Future, produced by Scotdec in collaboration with the Scottish Forestry Commission, provides a useful starting point. It provides a variety of classroom activities which facilitate an exploration of the interdependence between people and forests which are exemplified through case studies from Scotland and the Congo Basin. It also encourages reflection on the possible futures for the world’s forests and ways to take positive action for a future where people and forests co-exist in a sustainable way.
View the resource at www.ourforestourfuture.org.uk