Deforestation is a serious problem today, and has been for a long time. It is one of the greatest threats to nature on Earth, if not the single greatest. It is one root cause of soil erosion, the root cause of global warming, and the greatest contributor to the endangerment and extinction of so many species throughout the world. To understand deforestation though, one must know exactly what it is first. Therefore, deforestation is defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica Online as "The cutting down and clearing of trees from forests, usually causing ecological harm. The process has occurred as long as wood has been used as an energy source." Furthermore, "In the 1990's, the deforestation of tropical rainforests threatened to increase Earth's …show more content…
Furthermore, this destruction of diverse biological aspects could result in extinction of yet unknown species. These aforementioned species could yield yet unforeseen cures of many of today's illnesses. We have no idea what possible opportunities might lie hidden within the genomes of the world's forests. "There is a further dimension to the impoverishment that is overtaking the Earth's biota. Many species are losing entire sub-units, in the forms of races and populations, which greatly reduces their genetic variability. Even though these species are not being endangered in terms of their overall numbers, many of them, such as corn, rice and wheat, are suffering a critical decline in their genetic variety," (Myers 132). "Informed estimates tell us there must be at least five million (species); recent research suggests there could be as many as thirty million insect species in tropical forests alone. We also know that the distribution of species worldwide is far from even. At least two-thirds of them, and perhaps as many as ninety percent are concentrated in the Tropics." Recent research suggests there could be as many as thirty million insect species alone, in the tropical forests." Also, six percent of the Earth's land surface is covered by these tropical forests, which shelter approximately fifty percent of all species of the world. If this bio-depletion is allowed to continue there soon may
Deforestation is the process of cutting or burning too many trees. In deforestation, forests are completely cleared, and that land is used for other purposes. Major example of deforestation is in the Amazon rainforest in South America. Within last twenty-six years, it went form a thick layer of green forest, to empty clean area. Cutting these breathe in CO2 and breathe out oxygen. Trees are a natural way to controlling CO2 in the atmosphere. Once the forest is clean in deforestation, these no natural way left for balancing CO2 in the environment that leads to too much CO2 in the air. Also, trees are made 50 percent with CO2 in them which they use for energy. When deforestation takes place, the CO2 from tree is released in the air. As said before too much CO2 increases temperature of the planet leading to global
Deforestation occurs primarily as a result of agriculture, fuel use and production, firewood, charcoal, timber harvesting, pasture-clearing for livestock animals, and expanding human settlements. When deforestation happens to a country that you live in it can have a huge impact, "These deforested areas almost always end up as wastelands via the processes of soil erosion and desertification, if they aren’t reforested. Many of the areas of the world that were deforested thousands of years ago remain as severely degraded wastelands or deserts today." Currently, the world’s annual rate of deforestation is estimated to be about 13.7 million hectares a year, which is roughly equal to the total land of Greece. Half of the areas deforested gets reforested to some degree, but these new-growth forests don’t function in the same ways, support the same biodiversity, nor do they provide the many benefits that old-growth forests do cause many societies to eventually collapse if they cannot come up with a better
Deforestation has been a major concern in tropical rainforests, this is an act of destructing a forest for multiple reasons including wood supply, agriculture purposes or the extraction of minerals and energy. Forest loss till date is 18.03 million acres per year and it has been estimated that within 100 years all rainforests will be destroyed.
Deforestation is the cutting down of a large area of trees and the destruction of forests by people. Forests are what we call an exhaustible resource, one which can be used up if it is not used carefully. Over the last few decades, deforestation has threatened the rainforests with total extinction. To understand why deforestation is such an important issue, you first have to understand why trees matter. Trees improve in many ways the life of all species, including the human race.
Deforestation is a concerning issue that has come about within the past decade that hasn’t been getting much attention. Deforestation is defined as the clearing or removal of a forest or group of trees where the land is not used for forest use afterwards. The land could be used for urbanization, farms, ranches, extra land, or anything that the country needs that piece of land for. Deforestation has become more common and the industry for it has increased rapidly. Although so many people have increased the amount of deforestation, they don’t realize the effects that it can bring upon the world and its environment. Deforestation not only affects the United States, but effects countries all over the world in multiple ways. Each way that
What is deforestation? Deforestation is the process of cutting down and clearing trees to make room for human needs and developments. This act is usually done by the government. Deforestation, however, has become a major issue. In Europe and North America, deforestation has led to the damaging of many forests for industrial purposes.
Deforestation is the clearing of a forest and/or cutting down of trees for human benefits such as agriculture, wood exports, etc. Deforestation is the cause of numerous environmental impacts such as habitat loss, flooding and soil erosion. It can also cause climate change, by reducing the amount of rainfall and changing the amount of sunlight reflected from Earth’s surface and increases the risk of forest . Tree growth is important for biodiversity because they absorb carbon dioxide which is a harmful greenhouse gas . However, since deforestation reduces natural carbon sinks, it disrupts the balance between oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air causing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air to increase. This poses a serious
First off, what is deforestation? Deforestation, is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. In contrast, the destruction that is being done with the forest has a terrible effect on us. Most people, use the forest as a place
Environmental issues affect every life on this planet from the smallest parasite to the human race. There are many resources that humans and animal needs to survive; some of the most obvious resources come from the forests. Forests make up a large percentage of the globe. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species breath, determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. The wood from the forests are used everyday form many useful resources. Moreover, thinning the forests increases the amount of available light, nutrients and water for the remaining trees. Deforestation (forest thinning) is one of the most
Entire ecosystems are filled with unique species, and the frightening reality is deforestation takes the habitat out from underneath its inhabitants (Bradford 2015). Forests have been cleared at a rate so astonishingly fast, that over half of all known forests have been compromised. If this type of behavior continues, the natural world will have to be given a new name, because nothing left will be "natural". Rainforests clearly have an outward benefits, from cleaning the air we breathe, to different diversity among the species who inhabit this Earth. Organismal density around the equator is exceptionally high, yet humans feel the need to clear much of that land for different use. Urbanization and the need for more agricultural space play a critical role in how much land humans clear. What we as a species forget is how all of these trees and biomes impact the world on a grander scale. Water vapor is needed to complete the water cycle, but without trees constantly humidifying the air, the cycle becomes less fluid. Sturdy trees like the ones in much of the rainforest hold the soil and anchor it from eroding. Because deforestation completely removes all the
The rate of deforestation is increasing and the tropical forests are falling at approximately 140,000 acres per day (Miller & Tangley 1991: xvi). The forests are crucial to the environment. They are important in minimizing erosion, providing a stable habitat for many animals, and helping to keep the environment clean. Deforestation has devastating effects, not only on the biological dependents within the depleted forests, but also on the surrounding human-populated communities.
Ninety percent of the earth’s trees between three and four hundred years old have been cut down. The remaining ten percent is all we will ever have (Gallant, 97). The definition of deforestation by the Random House Dictionary of the English Language is "to divest or clear of forests or trees.” Deforestation is one of the most significant issues of our time; considerable measures must be taken to prevent further pillaging of our unique forest resource.
Deforestation is the destruction of a wide area of forest land into a cleared land that is used for a variety of reasons. The impact on the environment from cutting down, burning and damaging forests is very detrimental and there are severe consequences for the environment and future generations because of deforestation. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization approximately 7.3 million hectares of forests are being destroyed per year in the world (Bradford, 2015). In this essay, I will explore the impact that deforestation on the environment and I will also look at the actions that are being taken to prevent deforestation. There are various reasons why deforestation is occurring despite its negative effects on the environment. Deforestation can cause very serious environmental problems such as climate change, flooding, loss of habitats as well as others.
Deforestation is a major global problem with serious consequences to the planet. These consequences have a negative effect on the climate, biodiversity, the atmosphere and threatens the cultural and physical survival of life. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests and woodlands. It has resulted in the reduction of indigenous forests to four-fifths of their pre-agricultural area, so that now indigenous forests cover only 21% of the earth's land surface. The world Resources Institute regards deforestation as one of the worlds most pressing land use problem.
The world has changed a lot these past years. A lot of deforestation has occurred as humans increased their expectations for survival. This brings up a bigger issue as to over using resources and using things that we don’t need and turn them into waste. The key reason to this is to help humans grow and develop more.