Deforestation: causes & effects

Deforestation definition: this is happening worldwide, but rainforests are suffering the most. NASA predicts that if current levels of Deforestation continue, tropical forests could disappear entirely in 100 years. Countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, the Congo, other parts of Africa, and Eastern Europe will be affected. The greatest danger threatens Indonesia. Since the last century, this state has lost at least 15.79 million hectares of forested land, according to the University of Maryland and the World Resources Institute.

What is Deforestation, in easy words? Deforestation is one of the major crises affecting the planet, at a point causing significant climatic changes dramatically affecting the world’s natural conditions that alter the growth of forest species. There are many examples of scientific works or essays on this topic. Essays on Deforestation allow you to understand more about the problem and how to solve it. Once the leading cause of the death of trees has been identified, the serious consequences they have on our planet should be highlighted.

Causes:

Deforestation refers to the loss or destruction of natural forests primarily due to human activities such as uncontrolled cutting of trees; burning forests for land use in agriculture (including growing crops and grazing); mining; building dams; increasing urban areas, or others.

However, not all Deforestation is intentional. It can be caused by natural processes (including forest fires, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, etc.) and by human interests. For example, fires burn large areas of forest resources each year, and although fire is a natural part of the forest’s life cycle, grazing after a fire can hinder the growth of young trees.

• Large plantations are created from cleared areas of rainforest. Crops such as oil, pineapple, and sugarcane are grown. Most of the permits for commercial farming have given way to soybean cultivation. As with livestock farming, the land can only sustain crops for a short period, leading to further Deforestation.
• As the world’s population grows, there is a constant need to cover more space, leading people to practice cutting and burning, wanting to urbanize a certain area and remove trees. We should highlight the constant need to expand all urban centers, which causes a continuous human search for cutting down trees to the point of Deforestation.
• New Constructions. This situation is caused by the growth of technology, education, and economy in countries that are leaving rural areas to move to cities searching for a better life, causing an imbalance in sectors and causing an industrial increase in demand for space and space by people who move to cities, all this motivates the destruction of forests as well as jungles.

Effects:

The forest is a complex ecosystem that affects nearly every species on the planet, and an essay has been written about this. Removing the forest from this chain is tantamount to destroying the ecological balance both in the region and worldwide.

• On Biodiversity. Scientists estimate that about 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity, including those species not yet discovered, lives in tropical rain forests. Deforestation in these regions destroys habitat for organisms, destroys ecosystems, and leads to the potential extinction of many species, including indispensable species used to make medicines.
• Soil Erosion. Tree roots anchor the soil, and without them, weathering or leaching of the Earth’s fertile layer can occur, impairing plant growth. Scientists estimate that one-third of forest resources have been converted to cropland since 1960.
• Climate Change. Deforestation also contributes to global warming, and tropical forests contain about 20% of all greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere and cause environmental and economic consequences worldwide. While some people and organizations may benefit financially from Deforestation, these short-term benefits cannot offset the negative and long-term financial losses.

Conclusion

The opposite of Deforestation is the concept of reforestation. Every college student knows this, let alone ecologists and scientists. However, it should be understood that it is not enough to solve all serious problems by planting new trees. Reforestation involves a set of actions that aim to:

• Restoring the ecosystem benefits provided by forests, including carbon storage, the water cycle, and the photosynthesis process;
• Reducing the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere;
• Restoration of wildlife habitats.

However, reforestation will not be able to undo all the damage completely. For example, forests cannot absorb all carbon dioxides that humans release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels.