Japan's forests will account for up to 3.8 percent of the government's 6 percent greenhouse gas reduction goal under implementation rules agreed at the Kyoto Protocol over summer.

The reduction was included because forests are said to absorb greenhouse gases.

Another 1 percent of that reduction goal can be covered through reforestation projects abroad. Considering that carbon dioxide emissions in Japan will likely increase in future, the percent figure mentioned above is no small amount.

Reforestation projects abroad have a high benefit-to-cost ratio, due to lower costs in personnel and other expenses. It is also important for Japan to expand its international cooperation through the Kyoto mechanism. However, the picture is flawed when one looks beyond the figure of 1 percent and at the people and regions that will be affected by the measure.

Large reforestation projects bring more than a mere reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. By focusing only on the negotiations over target figures at international conferences, one tends to overlook the problems that result.

First, on whose land should reforestation be conducted? In many regions of Southeast Asia, for example, land that has been designated for reforestation is already inhabited and used by villagers. But no one is willing to abandon their homes for the sake of the global environment. Many people have been forced to resettle without sufficient compensation.

On the other hand, there are cases where natural forests with little economic profitability have been replaced by "profitable" forests. Oil palm, used to make palm oil, has been exported to Japan because it is considered environmentally friendly. However, development of palm farms and the creation of industrial forests have destroyed the natural environment in the exporter nations and is considered to be one of the causes of massive forest fires of Indonesia in 1997.

Secondly, who profits from the forests? I have visited regions in Thailand where absentee landlords have acquired land from local farmers to plant fast-growing eucalyptus. The farmers receive a provisional payment for planting the seedlings. But they do not share any of the profits from harvesting and marketing the trees. Eucalyptus is processed into paper, then exported to Japan. The resulting profits go to landlords and those who manage the forests.

Discussions regarding reforestation usually are focused on technical aspects, such as the selection of species to plant and their survival rates. But on closer inspection, sensitive property issues may arise.

Reforestation is simple if one can ignore its political dimensions. However, if the goal of sustainable development is to seek not only a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, but also protection of biological diversity and social justice, the region's ecology and people in question cannot be dismissed.

Otherwise, it will be difficult to obtain cooperation from local residents for the maintenance of the forests, and reforestation projects will lose sustainability.

Exclusively focusing on negotiations between nations often results in the neglect of diversities within any one nation. Because environmental issues attract public attention, it can be manipulated to serve those in power. Large reforestation projects in Asia inevitably will involve some form of sacrifice. That sacrifice may mean the loss of biological diversity or the welfare of local residents. In discussing reforestation, we must take into consideration the balance between such diverse values.

Our imaginations must go beyond the international conference and reach local regions. To simulate the imagination of those who may not have the opportunity to visit and see for themselves, the media has a duty to provide information from diverse perspectives, including the opinions of nongovernmental organizations. Such efforts should allow people to see beyond the 1 percent figure.

There is still scientific uncertainty as to what extent forests will serve as sinks for greenhouse gases. However, there is almost no uncertainty on the question of who will profit by planting trees in certain regions. Awareness of these political issues should bring the environmental boom in Japan to a more mature stage.