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SUNNY Temp: 57 °F Wind: NW at 4 mph Sunday, October 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 27, 2003 Photo by Dominick DellaSala Borneo as seen from the air; about 60 percent of Borneo has been logged, says environmentalist Dominick DellaSala. Growth in the ruins Activist: The logging — and protection efforts — in Borneo could apply to Oregon By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune For environmental activist Dominick DellaSala, a sliver in the side of those who would overcut public forests, the issues are all too familiar. Too much cutting of the biggest and oldest trees. Too little effort to preserve biological diversity. Too few concerns about long-term impacts on local residents. But the outspoken forest ecologist who directs the World Wildlife Fund’s Klamath-Siskiyou program isn’t talking about Oregon forests: He is referring to the tropical forests of Borneo. "It may be halfway around the world from us, but it has the same problems and challenges we are facing right here," observed DellaSala, who returned earlier this week from a research trip to the tropical island three times the size of Oregon. Advertisement "One thing that is becoming very clear is that local problems are global problems," he added. "We are all in this together." While the orangutans, glow-in-the-dark mushrooms and flying lizards he encountered aren’t found in Oregon forests, the same social, ecological and economical concerns over the battle for natural resources are, he said. "The situation seems more dramatic and extreme in developing countries," he said. "People are dependent on the resources but the ecosystems can’t handle the pressure they are getting." DellaSala, who was joined by his wife, LeeAnn, spent nearly three weeks in the jungle rain forest as part of the WWF’s effort to increase staff members’ global perspective on conservation priorities. Like Borneo, the Klamath-Siskiyou region has a unique biodiversity which the group has targeted to protect. In the past, DellaSala has made similar research trips to South America and Alaska. In Borneo, he was overwhelmed by biological diversity. The island has about 11,000 species of flowering plants, roughly three times the number found in the Klamath-Siskiyou region, he said. But it is the diversity of the tree species in unlogged areas that impressed him most: 700 species within 16 acres, compared to a mere 171 native tree species on the entire North American continent, he said. About 25 percent of all medicines are derived from plants, many of which come from the species-rich tropical forests, he said. There are also plenty of creepy, crawly species. "I definitely gave blood — there were a lot of leeches and a few mosquitoes," he observed. Yet about 60 percent of Borneo has been logged, he said. "If it continues, we may lose the rain forest and species that have been around for millenniums," he said, noting that the United States consumes about 40 percent of the world’s paper products yet only represents 5 percent of the world population. Yet he believes there is room for optimism as cultures, companies and countries become aware of the impact of overcutting and overconsumption. "There are partnerships emerging between conservationists and environmentally aware corporations," he said. He cites the nonprofit Forest Stewardship Council’s forest certification program, which documents where wood products come from and whether the practices used to cut trees are done in a way that is ecologically and socially sustainable. "A lot of companies and landowners are looking more towards management practices that are sustainable," he said. He applauded a recent announcement by the Boise Corp. that it would stop logging old-growth forests. "The conservation community is very supportive of their commitment," he said, although cautioning the proof is in the deeds, not the words. "We all need wood," he added. "My house is covered with FSC certified wood. We need to strike an appropriate balance." The point, he reiterated, is what happens in one part of the globe impacts another on the other side of the world. "We have to remember that everything we do here has consequences elsewhere," he said. "The globalization of the world economies is having an effect on the world’s ecology everywhere." Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times