Causes And Effects Of Deforestation Essay

[Abigail Tyrie]

Deforestationrefers to the act of clearing trees without replacing them. This often happens when someone is creating land for uses such as settlement and cultivation, among others (Spilsbury 9). Currently, it is one of the biggest threats to human life, owing to the fact that forests provide a support system for all living organisms. Forests are a crucial element of the ecosystem, and human beings have an ethical responsibility to conserve them. However, due to natural occurrences and human activities, a lot of forest cover is lost every year. Deforestation is a global challenge that has caused a lot of pain in different parts of the world. Finding a lasting solution to the problem of deforestation is of paramount importance because its effects are unmanageable.

The challenge of deforestation has existed for centuries, leading to the loss of a huge percentage of forest cover across the world. One of the major causes of deforestation is the increasing need for fuel (Spilsbury 12). It also happens due to the need for more settlement land, the growth of the global timber industry that has increased the demand for commercial items such as furniture, as well as the scarcity of adequate land for cultivation. Wildfires are also a contributor to deforestation, albeit in small percentages compared to the other causes (Spilsbury 19). People should be more environmentally conscious because forest clearing is destroying the ecosystem.

Deforestation causes serious effects on the environment. One of the major effects is the loss of natural habitats for thousands of species. Forests are an essential support system for the livelihoods of many plants and wild animals. Climate change is also caused by deforestation (Spilsbury 27). Over the last century, global weather patterns have drastically changed. Deforestation has resulted in irregular and extreme climatic conditions that have rendered life unbearable. The global temperatures have increased, while the amount of rainfall received has greatly reduced (Spilsbury 32). The lack of trees increases the effect of greenhouse gases, which in turn affects the life cycle.

Deforestation also leads to a general decline in the quality of life. Trees are essential in maintaining the water cycles, reducing soil erosion, and regulating the effect of greenhouse gases (Spilsbury 41). They also help to prevent all types of pollution, which is crucial in maintaining a high quality of life. This element should not be ignored because trees play an important role in the ecosystem. Effective management of deforestation will require all the relevant stakeholders to come up with a strong legal framework.

Deforestation is a serious global challenge that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. It is important for people to understand the value of trees with regard to maintaining the life cycle. This will help in encouraging good stewardship. Several causes of deforestation, such as clearing land for cultivation and settlement, are influenced by human activities. These activities have led to serious effects such as climate change, whose effects are costly to address. Proper coordination between respective government authorities and their citizens can lead to finding a lasting solution to this challenge. It is very important to protect the forests in order to avoid the loss of biodiversity, plant and animal species, as well as manage the effects of climate change.

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Multiple factors, either of human or natural origin, cause deforestation. Natural factors include natural forest fires or parasite-caused diseases which can result in deforestation. Nevertheless, human activities are among the main causes of global deforestation. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the expansion of agriculture caused nearly 80% of global deforestation, with the construction of infrastructures such as roads or dams, together with mining activities and urbanization, making up the remaining causes of deforestation.

The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation. More specifically, 10% of deforestation can be attributed to new infrastructures that serve the current human lifestyle in four main ways: transportation, transformation and energy generation.

By destroying the forests, human activities are putting entire ecosystems in danger, creating natural imbalances, and putting Life at threat. The natural world is complex, interconnected, and made of thousands of inter-dependencies and among other functions, trees provide shade and colder temperatures for animals and smaller trees or vegetation which may not survive with the heat of direct sunlight. Besides, trees also feeding animals with their fruits while providing them with food and shelter they need to survive.

Today, 52% of all the land used for food production is moderately or severely impacted by soil erosion. In the long term, the lack of healthy, nutritious soil can lead to low yields and food insecurity.

Deforestation weakens and degrades the soil. Forested soils are usually not only richer on organic matter, but also more resistant to erosion, bad weather, and extreme weather events. This happens mainly because roots help fix trees in the ground and the sun-blocking tree cover helps the soil to slowly dry out. As a result, deforestation will probably mean the soil will become increasingly fragile, leaving the area more vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslides and floods.

Around the world, deforestation occurs mostly in the tropics where there are different types of forests are: from wet and hot rainforests to others that lose their leaves in the dry season and become woodlands. Some parts of the world have managed to protect their forests from deforestation while others have seen their forestal area decline.

Since the 1960s, the Amazon forest has been under threat, and nearly 760 000 km2 (around 20% of its original size) of forest area was lost. Before 1980-1990, large industrial projects such as dams, roads, or mines were the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon region, together with subsistence farming. However, for around thirty years, the causes of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest are changing. Why?

According to various reports on the subject (Greenpeace, FAO), livestock farming, including soya production, is responsible for about 70 to 80% of deforestation in the Amazon region. The development of intensive livestock production, combined with meat consumption increases in developed countries, is thus the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon forest.

Indonesia and the island of Borneo are emblematic symbols of the global phenomenon of deforestation. This region in Southeast Asia is naturally one of the richest reserves of forest and biodiversity in the world. But at the same time, it is also one of the regions that have been suffering the most deforestation in recent decades. According to FAO, between 1990 and 2012 alone, Indonesia lost about 9 million hectares of its forests, largely due to deforestation caused by palm oil.

Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation. In fact, it experiences more deforestation than Asia: about 2 million hectares of forest disappear each year in Africa. In Nigeria, for instance, over 90% of forests were lost because of practices that started in the colonial era. Woodcutting of forest reserves and the development of cocoa and palm oil plantations are among the main causes of deforestation in Africa, together with land cleaning for mining activities.

Some studies also show that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced by over 75%. In this way, reducing your meat consumption is also a big step to stop not only deforestation but also global warming on a larger scale. Remember: a lot of space is needed to grow both animals and the food they consume, while other nutritious foods could be grown and result in larger food quantities using the same space. Why not saving meat for important occasions only?

As consumers we can choose to buy less industrial and transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil. Instead, we can go for a home-made approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet and our health.

If you start adopting the behaviors mentioned above to help stop deforestation you can lead by your example. Teach your family, friends or colleagues what deforestation is and why it is happening, the causes and consequences of deforestation, and what solutions individuals, consumers and organizations can adopt.

What is being currently done do stop deforestation? Efforts to replant deforested areas are taking place every day. Unfortunately, some replanting is done with the goal of quickly growing trees to be exploited in the short-term by the logging industry. These often consist of monotypic plantations (less resilient, more appealing to harmful environmental management practices) such as eucalyptus or pines. This is no small effort: there are 1.3 million km2 of these plantations on Earth, according to FAO.

Deforestation in the Amazon is an environmental issue that continues to be a major concern across Latin America and beyond. Tropical forests play a critical role in both local and global ecosystems. They provide habitat for wildlife, sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, protect biodiversity, and provide valuable resources for nearby communities. It is estimated that over 20% of global rainforests have already been destroyed due to land clearing for agricultural production, logging, mining, and other human activities. In addition to its devastation of the natural environment, deforestation also contributes significantly to changing climates by releasing tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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