What is Deforestation: effects, causes and solutions

Forests are fundamental to our Earth. Trees clean our air, filter our water and act as a buffer against environmental change. They offer a home to plant and creature species while also giving regular assets, for example, medication, food, timber, and fuel. We all realize that sometime in the past we would love plants, now we cut them ruthlessly. Become educated and be aware of common reasons for deforestation, how and why it is influencing our planet. We have gathered some main deforestation effects, causes and solutions.

What is deforestation?

Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land accessible for different uses. And deforestation means chopping down the trees to a huge extent be it forests, any infertile land or trees we see on our way each day. Natural forests are being destructing to utilize the land for development, building houses, processing plants, logging, factories, making space for cattle grazing, extraction of oil, mining, construction of dams or to get wood for making furniture and utilizing it as fuel.

Deforestation is most severe in numerous countries like the Amazon, Borneo, Congo Basin and also the Russian region. Over 10,000 years, they have destroyed over half the world’s forests, the bulk in precisely the last fifty years. Deforestation has even been brought about by broad war since the beginning flame has frequently been utilized to deny the enemy of necessary resources. If they’re not reforested, they certainly end up as wastelands straightforwardly from soil dissolving and desertification.

Effects of deforestation

One of the contributing factors to global climate change is deforestation. The deforestation of trees not just decreases the measure of carbon stored, it additionally discharges carbon dioxide into the air. This is because when trees die, they discharge the stored carbon. Some of the dangerous effects of deforestation are as follow:

1- Greenhouse gases

Gases, for example, methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in Earth’s environment, driving change in atmosphere. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide and discharge oxygen and water into the environment and this contributes to a dangerous global warming. Trees help to mitigate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. But they become carbon sources once they’re cut, burned, or otherwise removed.

2- Loss of species

Seventy percent of the world’s plants and animals live in forests and are losing their habitats to deforestation, according to National Geographic. Deforestation change land and so that many of the plants and animals do not survive. Orangutans, giant pandas, rhinos, and the Asian elephant are just a few of hundreds of endangered species due to deforestation. We lost about 50 to 100 species of animals each day. Many animals, insects, and plants lose their habitats and may become endangered.       

3- Acidic oceans

Trees are essential to the water cycle. They absorb rain fall and produce water vapor. Trees additionally reduce the pollution in water. The oceans are becoming more acidic with an expanded supply of carbon dioxide from deforestation and consuming petroleum products. Oceans are also 30 percent more acidic since the Industrial Revolution. And putting sea species and ecosystems at an extreme dangerous.

4- The disturbance of native people

Numerous native tribes live in the rainforests of the world and their destruction is the destruction of these people groups’ homes and lifestyle. A huge number of individuals on the planet rely upon forests for hunting, small scale farming, medication and drug. In Southeast Asia, deforestation has contributed  to social clash and movement. From Brazil, poor people baited from their towns to soy plantation where they abused and forced at gunpoint to work.

5- Floods and soil erosion

Deforestation leads to land erosion because the trees maintain the surface of the mountains. The water level of the rivers increases suddenly, causing floods. When it rains, trees absorb and store a large amount of water with the help of their roots. Chopping down trees damage the flow of water and leads to floods in certain areas. Rain washes the soil surface and erosion takes place. Large amounts of soil wash into local streams and rivers and cause damage to hydroelectric structures.

Causes of deforestation

The main causes of deforestation are:

1- Overpopulation

Because of overpopulation, people expected more land to establish housing and settlements. With more people that come with a huge requirement for food and farmland to develop on. And raise domesticated animals resulting in deforestation. 

2- Urbanization

Increasing population directly affects forest as with the expansion of cities. There is a need for more land for housing and settlements. As the population grows, the needs of people increases which further leads towards deforestation.

3- Logging

Illegal logging activities are extremely common that destroy the livelihoods of the population relying upon woods. Wood based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture need a substantial amount of wood supply. And wood is commonly used as fuel and so large amount of trees are cut down for fuel supplies. They used firewood and charcoal as fuel.

4- Mining

Oil and mining of coal require a lot of forest land. Development of roads leads to deforestation as they give the best approach to remote land. The waste that turns out from mining pollutes nature and effects the nearby species.  These projects are often accompanied by large framework construction, such as roads, railways, and power systems.

5- Forest Fires

We lose countless trees every year because of fires in the forests in different parts around the world. This occurs because of extreme summers and winters. The flame caused by man or nature, brings about huge loss of woods spread.

6- Agricultural Activities

A major cause of deforestation is agriculture plantations. Due to overgrowing demand for food products, many trees are chopped down for crops and for cattle grazing. There is a lot of demand for timber and so deforestation increases.

Solution for deforestation

Trees assume an important role in securing our environment in a few different ways so we ought to ensure the woods: 

• Prohibition on cutting trees and new trees and planting more. 
• By educating your friends, family, and community of the facts, by cause and effect you’ll increase awareness 
• Eat Less Meat.
• The most ideal approach to stop deforestation is replanting. 
• We can plant trees as a source of wood or use wood from second-growth forests.
• Arrange educative campaigns about the impacts of deforestation.
• Reduce Paper Consumption.
• There ought to be guidelines of laws at authoritative and administrative levels because of deforestation.

Conclusion

Forests are cutting step by step only for our domestic needs. Harvesting, forest fires, and insect infection don’t consider deforestation affected areas will in the end develop back. The land is then often changed over into farms, roads, housing, and other city uses. Soil erosion, floods, and wildlife extinction increase in global warming. Each year the size forests are lost. Financial profits are the main reason for deforestation. If purchasing items from virgin forest fiber, ensure it bears a seal from a reliable forestry certification system.

Here are some good reads about pros and cons of deforestation.

• Deforestation (Development or Destruction?)
• Animals and Deforestation (Animal 911: Environmental Threats)
• Global Deforestation
• Dear Children: A Call to Action: Ousted Orangutan and the Deforestation Crisis
• Second Growth: The Promise of Tropical Forest Regeneration in an Age of Deforestation