Last month, representatives from Brazil, Indonesia, and dozens of other countries met in the Republic of Congo in Africa for the Three Basins Summit. The conference was focused on rainforest conservation, an appropriate topic given that the attending countries are home to the majority of the world’s rainforests.

The participating nations signed on to a collective Declaration that outlined key challenges facing the world’s rainforests. Critics argue that the declaration, while well-intentioned, is effectively toothless.

Today’s newsletter will explore:

• What are the Three Rainforest Basins?

• Why do the rainforests matter so much for global biodiversity and the climate?

• How do deforestation, mining, and development threaten the rainforests?

What are the Three Rainforest Basins?

The three rainforests basins are:

• The Amazon Basin, which covers much of Brazil and eight other South American countries

• The Congo Basin in Africa, which is home to the second-largest rainforest in the world

• The Borneo-Mekong and Asian Basin, a tropical environment spread across much of Southeast Asia that is home to over 680 million people

The Three Basins are home to 80% of the world's tropical forests and two-thirds of its species.

The Three Basins Declaration that came from the recent Summit outlines the following details about the rainforested area covered by the three basins — and the shared threats they face:

The Three Basins: Protecting Biodiversity and Stabilizing the Climate

The Amazon Basin:

The Amazon is home to an estimated 390 billion trees from ~16,000 species. Those trees form the architecture for one of the world's most complex ecosystems, where scientists are still finding undiscovered species of plants and animals.

The Amazon, along with other rainforests is a massive carbon sink. The trees and plants that compose the Amazon absorb CO2 and turn it into oxygen while storing carbon in their biomass, helping to regulate the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

The Congo Basin:

The Congo Basin plays a crucial role in regulating rainfall patterns, not only in Africa but around the world.

The dense vegetation of the rainforest influences the water cycle by releasing water vapor through a process called transpiration. This moisture is then transported by wind currents, contributing to the formation of clouds and precipitation in distant regions.

The interconnectedness of ecosystems means that disruptions in one area can have cascading effects globally. The Congo rainforest absorbs over 1.5% of the world's annual carbon emissions, meaning that it serves as a major carbon sink in addition to maintaining global climate stability.

Plus: Try out a 3D Tour of the Congo with information about the rainforest and the countries it spans.

Borneo-Mekong Asian Rainforest:

This is the smallest of the three rainforests, but it also covers some of the most densely populated parts of the Earth. Over half a billion people from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea live in this rainforest basin, as do iconic animal species like the orangutan and Sumatran tiger.

Southeast Asia is home to nearly 15% of the world's tropical forests and 17% of global wildlife. Over 380 new species of animals were discovered in the Southeast Asian rainforests in recent years.

Extractive industries like logging and mining are the primary threats to rainforests in all three basins. The allure of fertile land for agriculture, valuable timber, and urban expansion has led to vast swaths of pristine rainforest being cleared.

The discovery of oil or minerals like nickel beneath rainforests has also led to further destruction of rainforests across South America, Africa, and Asia. Beyond the immediate loss of biodiversity, mining introduces a host of pollutants into ecosystems that can negatively impact soil, water, and air quality.

The infrastructure associated with mining, including roads and extraction facilities, opens up previously inaccessible areas of the rainforest to further exploitation. This increased accessibility often leads to a surge in illegal logging, poaching, and land encroachment, compounding the environmental degradation caused by mining operations.

This rampant destruction has severe repercussions for biodiversity. Rainforests are home to an estimated 80% of the world's terrestrial species. As their habitats vanish, countless plant and animal species face extinction.

The removal of trees also disrupts the water cycle, leading to altered rainfall patterns and increased susceptibility to droughts and floods. Local communities that depend on rainforests for their livelihoods face the direct consequences of these changes, with disrupted water supplies, diminished agricultural productivity, and increased vulnerability to extreme weather events.

LEARN MORE: If you’re interested in the ways that local communities from across the Three Basins are fighting back against deforestation and mining, check out the Environmental Investigation Agency’s Three Basins, Three Battlegrounds report.

ART OF THE DAY

Thank you for reading. Please reply to this email if you have any thoughts or feedback.

Yours,
Dan