SOLOMON ISLANDS (April 16, 2018) – Globally, remaining tropical forests are being rapidly cleared, particularly in countries like the Solomon Islands where commercial logging accounts for about 18 percent of government revenue, and at least 60 percent of exports while providing the largest number of formal sector jobs.
A team of researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and other groups have found that increasing land clearing for logging in Solomon Islands-even with best management strategies in place – will lead to unsustainable levels of soil erosion and significant impacts to downstream water quality.
Combined, these impacts will compromise the integrity of the land for future agricultural uses, interrupt access to clean drinking water and degrade important downstream ecosystems.
The researchers published the results of the study in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
Loss of the upland forest will compromise local access to clean water essential for drinking, bathing, and household washing," said Wenger.
Findings of this study are being used by KIBCA to communicate to island residents the potential impacts that could occur as a result of logging if the forest was not protected.
"Predicting the impact of logging activities on soil erosion and water quality in steep, forested tropical islands," appears in Environmental Research Letters.
WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature.
To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually.
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