20 percent of Carpathian forest could disappear by 2050

Deforestation causes huge problems in the Carpathian mountain range. Despite nature protection measures, illegal tree felling is still prominent. Aggressive logging practices need to stop and to make this happen Greenpeace turned to the European Commission. If the current logging rates keep up, 20 percent of the forests could disappear by 2050.

Illegal logging is still prominent in the Carpathian mountains. In a recent report, Greenpeace found that aggressive tree felling was still ongoing. Based on satellite images, the organisation calculated that about 7,350 square kilometres of forests have disappeared from the Carpathians in the past 20 years. For comparison, this is the size of Paris, Berlin, Rome, Budapest and Brussels combined according to hvg.hu.

Illegal logging

The woods of the Carpathians store a lot of carbon, retain a lot of water and mitigate extreme weather effects. At a first glance, the importance of forests might not seem obvious, but they provide more than just green space. Forests help to control the climate, thus they help to avoid flooding or even droughts. As such, these woodlands are important, not just for environmentalists but also for local communities.

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According to calculations from Greenpeace, if the current logging rates do not mitigate the damage will be immeasurable. Compared to forest coverage measured in 2000, by 2050 20 percent of the forests of the Carpathians can be lost. The organisation also initiated an international campaign and a petition to help save the forests. They called on governments and international authorities to urgently do something against illegal practices. To stop illegal practices an international action plan is needed. They also called on the European Union to provide the necessary funding to carry out this plan.

Irresponsible and illegal logging needs to stop, says the organisation. A ban should be implemented on new routes for forestry for about 10 years. This would allow the plan to be implemented and it would help preserve untouched, contiguous woodlands that are not crossed by any roads.

The forest of the Carpathians

The Carpathian Mountains are the second-longest mountain range in Europe. They have one of the most unique ecosystems in the world. Outside of Scandinavia, the Carpathians is the largest area covered by old-growth forests. It has an area five times larger than the territory of Belgium. Despite receiving Natura 2000 status, logging practices did not change. This will have a profound effect on the European ecosystem and the biodiversity of the region could easily collapse. The forest needs time to regenerate, therefore, non-intervention areas are being proposed by Greenpeace.

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Source: greenpeace.at, hvg.hu