Forest is an essential source for pleasing people's desires and needs. Thus, certainly people would try to take advantages of forest resources. This process of utilizing forest is called deforestation. Human beings clear the forest in order to use it for their needs, this is known as deforestation. In other words, the process of deforestation is the clearance of forest by cutting down the trees for achieving several demands. Forest has a necessary role in meeting people's needs. Consequently people usually cut down the trees of the forest without having the ability to understand the real knowledge. Deforestation is the main cause of Desertification. Forest is the main source of vitality, raw materials, fodder, animal habitat, tourism and so on. These sources also supply some of the basic needs of human being. People who are jobless, take cutting trees as job opportunities. And also the weak policies, rules and regulations of government results in deforestation. Since the industrial age, about half of world's original forests have been destroyed and millions of animals and living things havebeen endangered. Despite the improvements in education, information and general awareness of the importance of forests, deforestation has not reduced much.
Deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues in global land use. Estimates of deforestation traditionally are based on the area of forest cleared for human use, including removal of the trees for wood products and for croplands and grazing lands. In the practice of clear-cutting, all the trees are removed from the land, which completely destroys the forest. In some cases, however, even partial logging and accidental fires thin out the trees enough to change the forest structure dramatically. In the early 21st century, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the annual rate of deforestation is about 1.3 million square km per decade, though the rate has slowed in some places due to the modern ways of deforestation such as the enhanced forest management practices and the establishment of nature preserves. Harvesting, forest fires, and insect infestations do not count as deforestation because the affected areas will eventually grow back. In some countries, such as Canada and America, all areas harvested must be reforested either by replanting or through natural regeneration.
Forests used to cover the earth before corporate interest. The history of deforestation started since late 1800 when people started to live in wood like lands. In order to create homes, fire, resources, weapons. before deforestation happened there were thousands of forests covering the earth. Now there is roughly about 30 % left of rainforest left. The problem with deforestation is that many use the “Slash and Burn” method in order to create space. What does that mean? It means that they cut down the trees and then burn down the land in order to create space. Space became an important part of collecting resources. Being in conditions where farming was in demand for production as the population started increasing land had to be created. Usually in spaces where trees were in abundance and usually created in poor communities. All of this created a huge problem as time passed by from having over 75% of rainforest in the world to 30% in about a century affecting us in great danger.
For as long as we lived in this beautiful world the human specie is and always will be the most dangerous species in mother earth. As humans, our greatest weakness is the inability to stop and reconsider the impact we have made, the thirst for more. Our principal is based on the idea that we as humans have to do everything to survive, nothing else matters. But if our principle is based on survival how is it that we are killing the one thing we cant live without? Mother nature has taken a catastrophic impact on its life source. Deforestation has been the start of our self-destruction. Many people have don’t understand the meaning of deforestation. To put it simply it is the massive destruction of wild forests by cutting down trees for human need. The desire for wood increased as humans found how useful it was. Nowadays massive corporations take the lead in deforestation. According to paperimpact.org “3.5 million cubic feet of wood is cut a year. It’s not something new, the idea of cutting down trees, killing everything on our path and not thinking twice is in our genes. But only recently people started to worry. Worrying about all the damage we as humans have caused to nature. The problem of destroying habitats, killing animals, and contributing to pollution is only ben seen by few. As the article written by globalchange.edu, it states“ it is impossible to overstate the importance of humankind's clearing of the forests. The transformation of forested lands by human actions represents one of the great forces in global environmental change. This means that or acts as humans and our needs have taken a critical impact on something as powerful as the weather. Weather that can extinguish us so easily, that without it the human specie wouldn’t have been so successful. As the climate changed the concern for answers increased. Scientist were pressured to find answers. They noticed that deforestation played a key part. As time passed the demand for wood increased exponentially. In fact “About one-half of the forests that covered the Earth are gone, according to globalchange.edu This made them notice that deforestation was a major problem. As the years pass the number of tress being cut increases only to lead to a bigger problem. But of coarse the trees can grow back but at the rate that deforestation is happening the growth of trees can not keep up. According to ARM.gov “ It has been estimated that the original area covered by forests was about 6 billion hectares. This means that almost half of the forests are gone. Only to feed our selfish ways. The problem of deforestation has been in our hands for too long. It will not go away but instead, get worse. It is time to change.
Mining. The increase of mining on tropical forests is furthering damage due to the rising demand and high mineral prices. These projects are often accompanied by large infrastructure construction, such as roads, railways, and power systems. This contributor to deforestation is putting additional pressure on our forests and freshwater ecosystems.
Multiple factors, either of human or natural origin, cause deforestation. There are natural factors such as natural forest fires or diseases from parasites that can result in deforestation. Nevertheless, it’s mainly human activities that are responsible for global deforestation. According to the World Forestry State report published by FAO, the expansion of agriculture caused nearly 80% of global deforestation. This phenomenon is remarkably strong in South America, Africa, and Asia. The construction of infrastructures like roads or dams, together with mining activities and urbanization. Paper. America, China, Japan, and Canada make up more than of the world’s paper production— 400 million tons a year. Approximately 640 million trees represent the paper that’s thrown away each year, according to the Environment Paper Network. If we recycled, we could save 27.5 million tons of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere. By using recycled paper, we allow the forests to remain as an ecosystem and wildlife habitat.
Overpopulation. Due to overpopulation, more land is needed to establish housing and settlements. As well as many, many more roads and highways are being built in order to accommodate a larger sum of people driving. With more people that come with a large need for food and farmland to grow on and raise livestock—resulting in deforestation. Logging industries will cut down trees for furniture, paper, building materials, and many more products. These are a direct result of growing human population and is why it’s important to purchase from sustainable companies which actively work against deforestation.
The current world population of 7.2 billion is projected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, according to a UN report. Agriculture Expansion & Livestock Ranching. A major cause of deforestation is agriculture plantations. An increasing supply-demand for products such as palm oil and soybeans are driving producers to clear forests at an unnerving rate. Farmers often clear the land for cattle by using slash and burn techniques (cutting down trees and burning them). Unfortunately, they will then use the property until the soil is completely degraded and repeat the process on a new patch of woodland. Eventually, it'll reforest, but it will take many years to return to its original condition.
Cattle ranching and deforestation are strongest in Latin America. Over the past 40 years, the forest area has reduced by almost an astounding 40 percent. During the same period, 40 years, pasture regions and cattle populations have grown significantly and rapidly Climate Change. Forests are essentially the lungs of our planet. All plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Trees are able to convert more carbon dioxide than a regular plant, though. Forest loss is often caused by climate change. Tropical rainforests are extremely humid due to the water vapor released along with the oxygen. But when a forest is cut down, the humidity levels decrease and causes the remaining plants to dry out. For example, drying out our tropical rainforests increases fire damage. Fires can be both accidental and intentional but destroy forests quickly. Logging. Wood-based industries such as paper, matchsticks, and furniture need a substantial quantity of wood. Lumber and charcoal are common examples of trees being used as fuel. Cooking and heating all around the world use these resources, and half of the illegal removal from forests is thought to be used as fuelwood. Large areas are also cleared to construct roads in order for large trucks to have entry to logging sites. Selective logging is where only the most valuable trees are felled, however, this doesn't help our problem as one large tree may bring down surrounding trees and thin the forest canopy. The forest canopy is extremely important to the ecosystem as it houses animals, protects plants and insect population, and protects the forest floor. Desertification Of Land. Some of the other reasons that result in deforestation is also part natural and part anthropogenic like Desertification of land. It occurs because of the land misuse making it unfit for the growth of trees. Many industries in petrochemicals release their waste into rivers which results in soil erosion and makes it ineligible to grow plants and trees. Fires. Another example would be forest blazes; Hundreds of trees are lost each year due to forest fires in various portions of the world. This happens due to extreme warm summers and milder winters. Fires, whether causes by man or nature results in huge loss of forest cover.
There are two main effects of the deforestation of tropical rainforests; environmental and economical. Each are devastatingly affected by deforestation, whether it be the Western World that feels the effects economically, the natives that show the effects in a produce or the animals that die as a result of deforestation, all are affected.
Depending on the location and density and species of trees in each rainforest, a different level of trees are cut down every year, however, there is a general list of effects from deforestation. Increased Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Trees help to mitigate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, but they become carbon sources once they’re cut, burned, or otherwise removed. It’s estimated that deforestation is responsible for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and 1.5 billion tons of carbon is released every year by tropical deforestation.
Loss Of Species. Orangutans, giant pandas, rhinos, and the Asian elephant are just a few of hundreds of endangered species due to deforestation. Removing trees thins the forest canopy which is meant to block sun rays during the day and holds in the heat at night. This damaging disruption leads to extreme temperature swings that are harmful to plants and animals. Many animals, insects, and plants lose their habitats and may become endangered and even go extinct.
Though a few species are killed directly in forest clearances, many will face a slower death sentence due to a lack of food and breeding rates decline. White-cheeked spider monkeys are endangered largely specifically because of the enlargement of farmland and road construction. Because of water pollution from mining operations and agricultural runoff the giant otter is now Flooding And Erosion. Without trees to secure fertile soil, erosion often occurs and sweeps sacred land into nearby rivers. Erosion also causes contaminants in the soil to leach into the water supply which will greatly decrease the quality of our drinking water. Trees are also crucial for our local water cycles as they assist in returning water vapor to the atmosphere.
Forests serve as nature’s water purification plants and as the rain water percolates within the soil and is held in place by intricate root structures of many layers of trees. When the protective forest canopy and roots have been destroyed, the soil will lose its proportions to retain water and is washed away into rivers and streams Climate Change. that deforestation affects the global climate both by releasing the carbon stored in the living plants and soils and by altering the physical properties of the planetary surface.
This happens because trees are storage for the carbon dioxide released by the human through respiration. Trees stored carbon dioxide to make their own food through the photosynthesis process. When the trees were all cut down, there are no more trees to absorb carbon dioxide that is released by humans. Carbon dioxide will then release directly to the atmosphere and temperature will increase. When carbon dioxide in the air increases severely, the temperature will increase severely too. This will result in a phenomena named global warming. When global warming happens, ice in the North Pole and the South Pole will melt. This results in the increasing of the sea level. The water will flood the country that has a lower sea level and they will disappear from the surface of the earth. Acidic Oceans. The oceans are becoming more acidic with an increased supply of carbon dioxide from deforestation and burning fossil fuels. Oceans are already 30 percent more acidic since the Industrial Revolution, putting ocean species and ecosystems at an extreme risk. endangered. It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species every day which equates to 50,000 species a year. It’s also been estimated that 40% of the animal and plant species in Southeast Asia could be wiped out in the 21st century. A recent study of the Brazilian Amazon predicts that up to 90% of extinctions will occur in the next 40 years.
Life Quality Decrease. Millions of people in the world depend on forests for hunting, small- scale agriculture, gathering, and medicine. Common materials we use every day such as latex, cork, fruit, nuts, natural oils, and resins are found in the tropical forests. Deforestation disrupts the lives of millions of people. In Southeast Asia, deforestation has contributed to social conflict and migration Disappearance Of Indigenous People. When desertification happens, it deadly affects the indigenous people, as it contributes to death, illness, poorness, and culture shock. This is because indigenous people live in the forest and their source of foods come from the forest. Logging activities have become one way to earn money. Therefore, all the companies have build their factory near the rivers. When they cut down the trees and bring it back the process, all the wastewater will flow into the river. Indigenous people drink water from the river. As a result, they will get sick because of the dirty water caused by the factories. It can even promote to death if it get serious. Besides that, the culture will soon vanished when the indigenous people becomes lesser and lesser. Cultural shock will happen and the history of the culture will soon be forgotten.