Earth & Sky

Logging roads spread across African forests

Researchers say the effects of commercial logging are spreading deep into remote areas of the central African rainforest.

They’ve been studying satellite maps that show the density of logging roads have dramatically increased in central Africa in the past few years. Currently, 6% of Africa’s forests are affected by logging. But up to 30% of the forest is open for future logging. Only 12% is protected. Nadine Laporte is the director of Africa programs at the Woods Hole Research Center in Massachusetts.

Nadine Laporte: It is changing fast and more and more forest seems to be converted to logging.

Central Africa is the second largest continuous rainforest in the world, and is home to some of the most diverse and remote ecosystems. Industrial loggers create roads to these areas and remove mahogany trees, which are a popular building material in Europe and Asia. But Laporte said both human and animal survival in the African rainforests hinge on keeping these ecosystems intact.

African governments have forest management plans and logging regulations in place, but they’re frequently unable to monitor large areas of forest. Laporte said that the satellite maps are a simple way of keeping track of how logging in Africa is expanding.

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