Deforestation
What is Deforestation?
Forests cover about 31% of the land area on our planet. In order to make land available for human use, permanent destruction of forests is done. This process is called deforestation. Deforestation is typically done to produce timber for housing, and make more land available for urbanization, cash crops at a large scale and for the ranching of cattle.
Deforestation has been practiced throughout history and has been rapidly increasing over the past 50 years. Since 1600, 90 percent of the indigenous forests in The United States of America has been destroyed. An estimated amount of 18 million acres (of forests) are lost each year due to deforestation.
Deforestation occurs all around the world, especially in areas where there are tropical rain forests. Significant deforestation is currently happening in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, parts of Eastern Europe. The Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa.
Causes of Deforestation
Agricultural Industry
As the human population is continuing to grow there is an increase of need for food and huge amount of tress taken down to graze cattle and to grow crops. These rising incentives have caused the conversion of forests and once these forests are lost to agriculture they are usually forever gone.
Illegal Logging
Illegal logging is when wood is taken from protected areas of the world. People are harvesting more than is permitted and this is happening all around the world. Wood is can be used as fuel both directly and indirectly. Therefore, trees are being chopped down for their supplies. Firewood and charcoal are examples of wood being used as fuel.
Urbanization
trees are chopped to create roads. Overpopulation is a cause of this as cities expand, more land is needed to establish housing and such.
Desertification of land
Desertification of land occurs due to land abuse and therefore making it unfit for the growth of trees.
Mining
Oil and coal mining often require a considerable amount of forest land.
Fires
Fires are a natural process that take place in many forest landscapes. They are problematic especially when they happen in the wrong places, at the wrong time and with high severity levels. Millions of acres of forest around the world are degraded by these forest blazes and this happens due to extreme warm climates.
Effects of Deforestation
Loss of Biodiversity
About 80% of the world’s animal species can be found in tropical rain-forests which are most vulnerable to deforestation. Many species of plants and animals have been lost, and many others now remain endangered. It is estimated that about 50 to 100 species of animals are being lost each day as a result of deforestation which destroys their habitats. The animals become more accessible to hunters and poachers when their homes are taken away, which causes their population to decline as well. This is not only a biodiversity issue but it has negative consequences for medicinal research and the local populations who mostly rely on animals and plants hunting for everyday survival.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Plants absorb Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to produce food and give off oxygen. Destroying the forests means that massive amounts of Carbon Dioxide will remain in the atmosphere. Destroyed vegetation also gives off Carbon Dioxide as they decompose. Healthy forests help to absorb greenhouse gases and the carbon emissions that are caused by human activity and lessen climate change. Without trees, more carbon and greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere. Deforestation causes around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. This results in climate change of our planet. These greenhouse gas emissions contribute to rising temperatures, changing the patterns of weather and water so that there becomes an increased likelihood of extreme weather cases. Cool climates may get a lot hotter and hot places may get a lot cooler.
Disruption of Water Cycles
The trees that are being cut down also play a huge role in local water cycles. The trees are able to keep a balance between the water on land and the water that is in the atmosphere. In other words, trees ground the water in their roots and release it into the atmosphere. In the Amazon, more than half the water in the ecosystem is held within its plants. Without the plants, atmosphere and water bodies begin to dry out.
Soil Erosion
Without trees to anchor fertile soil along with an increased exposure to the sun, soil erosion occurs. The soil can dry out which leads to further problems
such as increased flooding and inability to farm. Scientists have estimated that a third of the world’s arable land has been lost because of the issue we call soil erosion ever since 1960. As fertile soil washes away, agricultural producers don't take into consideration of what they have caused and simply start to clear out more forests and this cycle of never ending soil loss continues.
Opinion-
Clearly, forest are more than just a collection of trees. These plants are integrated with our planet and ecosystem as a whole and they are homes to many species of life on Earth. We see that when forests are lost or degraded, their destruction sets off a series of changes that affect life all around the world. So why are we still doing it? Okay, so eliminating all deforestation is not possible. Yes, there parts of landscape that will need reshaping and alteration as populations grow and change, so maybe the true issue lies within overpopulation. But if we really do need to make these alterations, we can be doing so in a balanced manner. We can use sustainable forest management, and we can maintain protected areas. Some nations are already finding success. Paraguay, for example, reduced the rate of deforestation in their country by 85% in the years just following the announcement of Zero Forestation Law which was set in the year 2004. Securing forest ecosystems will preserve valuable animals and plants for future generations. The World Wildlife foundation has worked to create and continue support for protected areas in more than 100 countries around the world. I also think that promoting sustainable bioenergy would be a good idea. Bioenergy from scrap wood, oil, sugar and starch and algae can help to reduce the reliance on forestry and decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial to end or at the very least decrease worldwide deforestation and as a consumers we have the power to put pressure on companies that perform practices that harm the environment. If we were to buy recycled and only certified wood products, it would definitely send a message to these companies to embrace zero deforestation policies. So maybe the solution seems very far away but there are things we can do to make a difference. Start educating your friends and family and community about how our actions impact forests that are thousands of miles away! Buy only from companies that have a commitment to reducing deforestation and start making sure that the forest derived products you are purchasing are made up of one hundred percent post consumer material content.