Is this oil palm plantation a forest? According to the UN definition of forest it could be. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler, 2009.
However, a new resolution from the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation urges the UN to redefine forests based on natural forest biomes, and not ‘tree cover’, thereby closing a loophole that could allow even monoculture non-native plantations to receive monies under forest protections schemes like REDD.
To read more: Rainforest scientists urge UN to correct “serious loophole” by changing its definition of ‘forest’.
