Six milliom hectares of natural forest lost in 5 years: FAO

Dehra Dun, Apr 21 (UNI) The forest area lost in Asia -Pacific region during the last five years is equivalent to the size of Sri Lanka, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).

''More than six million hectares of natural forests were lost in the Asia-Pacific region since 2000, mainly because of sowing agricultural crops and through wild fires,'' said Wulf Killmann, FAO Director for forest products and economics at international meeting on forestry held here yesterday.

He further added FAO was vigorously developing new mechanism to carry the fight against forest destruction.

Dr R K Pachoury, Chairman of the inter-governmental Panel on Climate change cautioning more than 200 delegates from 35 different countries participating in the meeting said human responses to ecological threats would be the most determining factor for the future planet. ''The human ecological footprint has become unbearably heavy in many areas'', he added.

The delegates in the meeting expressed strong concern at the incidence of illegal logging and illicit trade of forest products.

They urged Asia-Pacific countries and FAO to improve enforcement of forest laws and governance to combat de-forestation.

UNI LPT DKS DS1218