End of forests nigh – report

Sydney – The South Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands is felling its tropical forests at nearly 20 times a sustainable rate, according to research by an environmental group published yesterday, driven by insatiable Chinese demand for its lumber.

Export volumes of the archipelago’s single largest export commodity leapt more than 20% to just over 3 million cubic metres in 2017, central bank figures show, worth three billion Solomon Islands dollars (R5.3 billion).

Environmental and rights group Global Witness said this was more than 19 times higher than sustainable levels and if continued, could denude the country and soon exhaust the single biggest contributor to the Solomons’ economic growth.

Deforestation also removes wild fruits and vegetables that are a local food source and destroys the habitats of animals.

Global Witness’ analysis of import data found that the overwhelming majority of the lumber was sent to China.