Pros And Cons Of Deforestation: Forests For The Future

Introduction

Deforestation is a complex interconnected global issue which presents many detrimental consequences for society, the global economy and the biological community. Despite the damaging effects of deforestation society and the economy will always place demands on the forests resources (Lambin and Mayfroidt, 2011). Thus to curtail the environmental burdens of deforestation we need to educate citizens for a sustainable future. As individuals begin to understand the interdependent relationship between their actions and their implications globally and locally, current trends of outsourcing forests and land internationally will begin to change. This report will firstly explore the implications of deforestation locally in the City of Edinburgh

Forests for the Future

The Scottish Forestry Commission in cooperation with other small national organisations set up an educational initiative aimed for upper primary school children called ‘Forests for the Future’ (FFTF). The initiative comprises of eight units as demonstrated in Figure 1. Forests for the Future (2011) aims to explore the local and global issues surrounding deforestation; it touches upon climate change and sustainable development with a focus on the role that forests and people play in mitigating any negative effects.

Global Interdependency

It is imperative for learners to develop an understanding of the interdependency that exists around deforestation between our environment, society and our economy (Scottish Government, 2012). The introductory unit Our Wood Culture explores the value of the world’s forests and the many benefits we as a society gain from its resources such medicinal properties and timber products. The initiative encourages children to investigate where wood products in their home, school and community originate from (FFTF, 2011). Through such investigation FFTF highlights to children some of the root causes of deforestation (as explored in part 1), an element which Stevenson (2007) argues is crucial to environmental education developing attitudes towards change. Bloomfield (2003) supports this view stressing the role of citizenship education is to highlight our interdependency on the world’s resources, by doing so he believes we will move away from apathetic western attitudes towards behaviours for positive