Passed: Rainforest Protection Act [Complete] [Complete]

Sanctaria

Sanctaria

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sanctaria
Rainforest Protection Act
A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.


Category: Environmental | Industry Affected: Woodchipping | Proposed by: The Scientific States​

Description: The General Assembly

Recognizing tropical rainforests as are forests characterized by high rainfall, home to many unique ecosystems with a variety of creatures, flora and fauna

Aware that tropical rainforests play a crucial role in maintaining a stable climate by absorbing and encapsulating vast amounts of CO2

Believing that the preservation of tropical rainforests is beneficial because they absorb vast quantities of carbon dioxide

Further believing that tropical rainforests are home to millions of different species, and contain many beneficial aspects to help the planetary climate

Concerned that continued degradation will tip the balance and transform them from carbon sinks into carbon sources, thus increasing the rate of global warming

Further concerned that the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture destroys vast swaths of tropical rainforests each year.

Noting that tropical rainforests may contain as yet undiscovered plant species who's potential medicinal properties may lead to important advances in medical science.

Further noting that tropical rainforests are home to many non-industrial tribes who's lives and lifestyles are threatened by deforestation and contact with diseases that they have no immunity towards.

Further concerned that there has yet to be a WA resolution to tackle the issues generated by tropical rainforest deforestation, which include extinction of species, displacement of native residents, and drastic environmental consequences.

Defining the following terms:

a. Tropical rainforest – a forest ecosystem characterized by mean annual temperatures above 24 °C and annual precipitation greater than 800 cm;

b. Slash-and-burn agriculture – an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields.

c. Protected area – An ecosystem with an area of at least 1000 hectares of natural habitat, not altered by exploitation or occupation that is subject to special legal protection and restrictions to exploitation

Hereby

Mandates that tropical rainforest areas be given protected area status.

Bans the use of slash-and-burn techniques in rainforest areas of WA nations.

Also Bans the exploitation of mineral resources in tropical rainforest areas through any techniques that damage the surface ecosystem, in part or in full.

Exempts non-industrial tribes from those provisions that would lead to the destruction of their lifestyles.

Establishes the Tropical Rainforest Protection Agency (TRPA) to oversee exploitation and reforestation of tropical rainforest areas in WA nations.
Authorizes the TRPA to:

-(I)conduct inspections of national tropical rainforests in order to determine the state of said rainforests

-(II)establish, on a case by case basis, the quantity of timber that may be exploited from a nation's tropical rainforests.

-(III)monitor reforestation efforts and the effects mineral resource extraction for the purpose of establishing quotas and certifying compliance.

Prohibits WA nations from accepting imports of timber or mineral resources that are not obtained in a manner compliant with this resolution.

Strongly encourages nations to seek the development of new and more sustainable agricultural techniques that can improve the lives of farmers living in or around tropical rainforest areas.

Co-Author Grobladonia
Click to expand...

Please vote For, Against, Abstain, Present.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you change your vote, please do not edit your post to reflect this. Please post again clearly stating you are changing your vote. This is to ensure your updated vote is counted.

Tally: 0-0-0-0


Ministry of WA Affairs Official Review
by Minister Sanctarian WA Mission

The Rainforest Protection Act is an environmental resolution which, if passed, would effect the woodchipping industry of every WA nation. Its aims are basically what is says in the title, namely to protect tropical rainforests by mandating they be given special protection designations, and forbids any sort of damage to these area though industrial or agricultural means.

While this is a laudable resolution - it tells us that protecting tropical rainforests is necessary to help combat global warming (I'm going to accept this as a fairly reasonable premise, although it can be argued that NS is IC and is probably not comparable to RL so some nations may not be on Earth, or may occupy entire planets etc.) - there are some problems with it that I feel should be mentioned.

Firstly, its wide-ranging mandate that tropical rainforests should be given special protection status, and all the rules and responsibilities that come along with it, may be flawed in its wide-ranging application. It's entirely possible that these rainforests may engulf massive areas and, indeed, populations which may have adapted to it. Under further clauses in this resolution, these population centres would be forbidden to engage in the agricultural process unless they remain non-industrial.

This may seem fair, you say, but when you consider it further, this is actually a bar on populations and peoples developing naturally, and may see many cultures adversely affected and forever stuck in a pre-industrial age, with no hope of development. It, effectively, forbids any type of Industrial Revolution occurring in these population centres.

Secondly, the resolution not only bans the "slash-and-burn" technique from being used in tropical rainforests, but any rainforest. This could conceivable cover not just tropical rainforests, which are defined, to temperate rainforests, which remain undefined and not mentioned in the draft at all - until this blanket ban on "the use of slash-and-burn techniques in rainforest areas of WA nations". This is probably as it can be said that temperate rainforests actually occur much closer to urban and industrialised centres, in part due to the more liveable climate. This may be an oversight, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if it was done on purpose.

Finally, I would question some of the duties of the committee established. The resolution bans the exploitation of mineral resources i.e. lumberjacking/woodfelling, and yet tasks the TRPA to quantify how much timber one can get from one's rainforests. This to me seems like the TRPA will be parachuted in to tell you how much resources you have but can't use because the WA said so. A bit like a bully dangling some sweets over a wee baby who can't have it.

These reasons lead me to recommend an against vote. Nice idea, flawed execution. Try again next time.
 
My nation, as I'm sure you know, is a hippie commune. The citizens of Ashatwe would probably not be convinced by your argument, as they seek to live in peace and harmony with nature. That being said, the grammatical errors in the actual resolution rub me the wrong way, so I'll cast my vote accordingly. ;)

Against.
 
Voting on this resolution has ended.

Thanks to those nations who cast their votes. Your participation is a great help to the region.

This topic has been locked and sent to the Archives for safekeeping. If you would like this topic to be re-opened for further discussion, please contact the WA Delegate, a Global Moderator, or an Administrator for assistance. Thank you.
 
Voting on this resolution has ended.

Thanks to those nations who cast their votes. Your participation is a great help to the region.

This topic has been locked and sent to the Archives for safekeeping. If you would like this topic to be re-opened for further discussion, please contact the WA Delegate, a Global Moderator, or an Administrator for assistance. Thank you.
 
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