Causes of deforestation.
There is no one easy answer as there are many causes at the root of deforestation. One is overpopulation in cities and developing countries. Population is continually growing in the third world. Some had land until increases in population forced them off it and they became landless peasants that are forced to look for land in the untouched forests.(
http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm)
Such as human activities .
Causes of Deforestation,for the most part, human activity is to blame for deforestation, though natural disasters do play a role. So let's take a look at how and why humans deforest areas.
-
Logging, or cutting down trees in a forest to harvest timber for wood, products or fuel, is a primary driver of deforestation.
Since trucks and large equipment need to get into the forest in order to access trees and transport timber, loggers must clear large areas for roadways.
Selective logging -- where only the most valuable trees are felled -- doesn't help matters, as one falling tree can bring down dozens of surrounding trees and thin the forest's protective canopy [source:
Butler].
-
Agriculture also drives deforestaton.Farmers clear the land for crops or for cattle and often will clear acres of land using slash and burn techniques -- cutting down trees and then burning them.
Migratory farmers clear a forest area and use it until the soil becomes too degraded for crops. Then they move on and clear a new patch of forest. The abandoned land, if left untouched, will eventually reforest, but it will take many, many years to return to its original state.
-Hydroelectric dams are quite controversial because while they help to power communities, they also contribute to deforestation.
To build a
hydroelectric dam, acres of land must be flooded, which causes decomposition and release of greenhouse gases.
Local people can also be displaced by dam projects, causing further deforestation when these people resettle elsewhere.
-
Fires, both accidental and intended, destroy acres of forest very quickly. Areas affected by logging are more prone to fires due to the number of dried, dead trees. Milder winters and extended warm seasons due to global warming also fuel fires.
-
Mining also results in deforestation. Digging a coal, diamond or gold mine requires the removal of all forest cover, not just for the mines but also for trucks and equipment.
-
Palm oil is another cause of deforestation.
Palm oil has been receiving attention lately for its potential as a biofuel and is used in many packaged foods and beauty products. Its rising prices make it more valuable, and, in response,
Indonesian and
Malaysian farmers destroy acres of trees to harvest it.
As cities grow larger to accommodate more people, trees are cut down to make more room for houses and roads. This urban sprawl deforestation is occurring worldwide, now that 50 percent of the world's population lives in cities
(
http://science.howstuffworks.com/deforestation1.htm)
History of deforestationDeforestation has been used as a method of means to earn a living. From small to bigger profits, deforestation has been used by humans in all class types and races. For whichever ways it served them, there is truly no excuse of destroying the forest and harming the nature that brings a heap of better and bigger possibilities for the world. Our forests offer a permanent life source, and it shouldn't be exchanged for the temporary joys of human gain and profit.
Fire was one of the popular methods of balding a forest to be turned into an agricultural area. Grazing animals also became a lead to major deforestation in area locales.
Woods were used in constructions and pottery; and whenever forests were depleted of these essential businesses, men flew from place to place in search of a new and fresh source of timber. On and on the process continued until visible barren land areas came to view. Since then, it became difficult to put a stop to deforestation, and men only grew with greed for their sole profits.
If people try to go over the history of deforestation then and now, it can virtually be seen that our untouched land areas are slowly disappearing. The means of reversing could still be probable; but it needs great deal of human effort to finally bring a change into our world.No matter how unreachable goals may seem, there can still be ways to achieve it if followed with utmost sincerity and unconditional love for nature.
(
http://www.barryharmon.com/Deforestation/index.php)
Effects of deforestation-Societal and enviromental problems.
The immediate and long-term consequences of global deforestation are almost certain to jeopardize life on Earth, as we know it. Some of these consequences include: loss of biodiversity; the destruction of forest-based-societies; and climatic disruption.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation#Rates_of_deforestation)
-LOSS OF BIODIVERSITYReduced biodiversity is another deforestation concern.
Rainforests, arguably the biggest victims of deforestation, cover only about 7 percent of the world's surface. However, within this 7 percent live almost half of all plant and animal species on
earth. Some of these species only live in small specific areas, which makes them especially vulnerable to extinction. As the landscape changes, some plants and animals are simply unable to survive. Species from the tiniest flower to large orangutans are becoming endangered or even extinct. Biologists believe that the key to curing many diseases resides within the biology of these rare plants and animals, and preservation is crucial [source:
Lindsey].
-DESTURCTION OF FOREST-BASED-SOCIETIESSoil erosion, while a natural process, accelerates with deforestation. Trees and plants act as a natural barrier to slow
water as it runs off the land. Roots bind the soil and prevent it from washing away. The absence of vegetation causes the topsoil to erode more quickly. It's difficult for plants to grow in the less nutritious soil that remains.
Because trees release water vapor into the atmosphere, fewer trees means less rain, which disrupts the water table (or groundwater level). A lowered water table can be devastating for farmers who can't keep crops alive in such dry soil [source:
USA Today].
On the other hand, deforestation can also cause
flooding. Coastal vegetation lessens the impact of waves and winds associated with a storm surge. Without this vegetation, coastal villages are susceptible to damaging floods. Deforestation also affects indigenous people, both physically and culturally. Because many indigenous people actually have no legal rights to the land on which they live, governments that want to use the forest for profit can actually "evict" them. As these
populations leave the rainforest, they also leave their culture behind [source:
Plotkin].
- CLIMATIC DISRUPTION,Global warmingScientists are finding more and more links between deforestation and
global warming. The
carbon footprint created by four years of deforestation is equal to the carbon footprint of every single air flight in the history of aviation up to the year 2025 [source:
Kristof].
Let's break that down into simple logic: Trees absorb carbon dioxide. So fewer trees means more carbon dioxide is loose in the air. More carbon dioxide means an increased greenhouse effect, which leads to global warming. Deforestation removes the forest canopy, which can result in soil erosion.
(
http://science.howstuffworks.com/deforestation2.htm)
