Blaming Floods On Deforestation Can Hurt World's Rural Poor

Recent floods in Central America, China and Asia have captured considerable media attention. Almost invariably journalists quote a conservationist, NGO representative or government official blaming the floods on upland deforestation.

No one questions the good intentions of these claims, but it's time we questioned their scientific rationale. If we don't, governments may continue to force farmers away from their forests - and from their efforts to fight poverty - while doing nothing to prevent flooding.

In a new report titled " Forests and Floods: Drowning in fiction or thriving on facts?", the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) say there is no scientific evidence linking large-scale flooding to deforestation.

"Government decision makers, international aid groups, and the media often blame flooding on deforestation caused by small farmers and loggers," said FAO's Patrick Durst.

Although the report acknowledges forests can help reduce runoff that causes localized flooding, it says tree loss does not significantly contribute to widespread flooding. According to Durst, even at the local level the flood-reducing effects of forests are heavily dependent on soil depth and structure, and saturation levels, not exclusively on the presence of the trees.

"Protecting forests can have many benefits, but won't stop large scale floods," said CIFOR'S David Kaimowitz. "If deforestation causes floods, you'd expect a rise in major flood events paralleling the rise in deforestation. But the frequency of major flooding has remained constant the last 120 years, going back to when lush forests were abundant."

The report says the sharp increase in the economic and human losses attributed to flooding is caused not by deforestation but mainly from population growth and increased economic activity. Cities have long been established on flood plains because the benefits of living near water outweighed the risk of flooding. People originally settled the higher areas close to flood plains. But as towns have grown, housing estates and commercial zones have been built on flood-prone areas. As a result, what were minor floods are now often major disasters.

The report says Political expediency may explain why the conventional wisdom about forests and floods remains unchallenged. The myth allows governments to implement logging bans and thus appear to be trying to stop flooding. But in China, Thailand and the Philippines, logging bans have put millions out of work. In Romania, over 1,000 people were recently prosecuted after the country was devastated by flooding.

Several major international teams also contributed to the FAO-CIFOR report, "Forests and floods: drowning in fiction or thriving on facts?" including ICRAF - the World Agroforestry Center, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

According to World Agroforestry Centre's Dr. Meine van Noorwdijk "We need to stop blaming people who work near forests for floods that affect entire river basins, and instead consider land-use issues, including poor logging techniques and urban development issues. Policy makers and development agencies should pursue solutions based on the best available science. This is just one example of why agricultural research is vital to reducing global poverty."

Many people had to hire carts to rescue their motorbikes and other posessions from the 2002 Jakarta floods that displaced more than 360,000 people and caused scores of deaths. Floods in Indonesia are often blamed on deforestation.

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