This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel, construction. Deforestation, clearance, clearcutting or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land which is then converted to a nonforest use. Short essay deforestation is the clearing the forest lands in a massive level which in a slow pace reduces the quality of earth. The decreasing forest cover is limiting the habitats of many species due to which is forcing them to intrude with human welfare 36. Despite forest degradation representing a higher overall rate than deforestation, deforestation has a higher socioeconomic and environmental impact. Lesson 2 deforestation research assignment introduction. Topic 1 ok center for international forestry research. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to utilize the land or trees. Pakistans forest resources are shrinking at a rate of one percent which will have dreadful effects on the people of pakistan.
Why should anyone care if some plants, animals, mushrooms, and microorganisms perish. Indeed some 31 countries do not even make the list because they have already removed most of their forests and even if that remain are seriously fragmented and degraded. Deforestation can be done using machines, like slashing away clearings with a machete or logging with chainsaws, through planned or accidental fires, or by leaving cattle to heavily graze in a forested area. Deforestation is associated with negative effects as shown below. For one, it is not a commonly known fact, but trees start to degrade as they get older. Deforestation is the cutting down of trees in a forest for construction, development, lumber, etc. Although deforestation is an ongoing environmental issue which receives a lot of media and internet coverage, many people dont realize that it is happening on their doorstep. Causes and effects of deforestation global witness global. Deforestation meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Deforestation can be defined as the conversion of forested areas to something that is different. Researcher studies impact of climate change, deforestation. These concepts will be introduced through class discussion and independent research.
While the secondary data source involved the search into published and unpublished materials relevant to the subject matter. Tropical deforestation is widespread and accounts for 12%17% of the worlds greenhouse gas ghg emissions. Net deforestation accounts for afforestation the establishment of forests on land that has not been recently forested, reforestation the reestablishment of forests on land that was recently forested, and the natural expansion of forests. The first part of the chapter gives an overview of the extent of the problem of deforestation. Understanding the regional or global impacts of deforestation on climate, and ultimately on agriculture. As per the reports of natural conservancy, logging accounts for 32 million acres of earths natural forests every year. Marsfm working paper 5 2007 forestry department food and agriculture organization of the united nations manual on deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation using remote sensing and gis prepared by giri tejaswi rome, march 2007 strengthening monitoring, assessment and reporting on sustainable forest management in. Deforestation by a peasant farmer is often done to raise crops for selfsubsistence, and is driven by the basic human need for food. Deforestation is the cutting down of trees from an area with no intention of establishing a future stand of trees. Effects of tropical deforestation on climate and agriculture deborah lawrence and karen vandecar tower, groundbased and satellite observations indicate that tropical deforestation results in warmer, drier conditions at the local scale. Concluding remarks there is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change most deforestation is driven from outside forestry sector e. Nodeforestation and responsible sourcing guidelines 2 4 public 4 april 20 we will prefer suppliers who are actively implementing similar nodeforestation principles in all their operations. Rainforests are often hot and humid, difficult to reach, insectridden, and have elusive wildlife.
Deforestation means the cutting down of trees without realizing its manifold evils and destructive effects. However, studies of deforestation do not provide a clear picture of its causes and the causes seem to vary from place to place. The dark areas are forest, the white is deforested areas, and the gray is regrowth. Deforestation is the clearing of trees without the intent of replacing them or reestablishing a stand of trees. This workcauses of deforestation of the brazilian amazonappears in this context. There is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel. Our experience with plantation forestry as it has developed this century offers us an excellent platform for rising to these. Causes and effects of deforestation global witness. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
Trees also provide the required shade that keeps the soil moist. Understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change. Deforestation causes and effects your home teacher. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests. Tree castles and deforestation in the 1920s to 1940s 33 colonial concerns about overpopulation and deforestation in the 1950s 35 population growth in ovamboland 37 woody vegetation resources by the close of the twentieth century 40 3 conquest of nature. Causes, effects and control strategies 5 deforestation are maintained. We should put a full stop to deforestation as soon as possible. Deforestation and forest degradation impact the lives of 1. In our search for model solutions to the deforestation problem we first summarise the causes of deforestation, special attention being paid to the situation in. In many countries, people clear land to use it for other purposes, such as agriculture, pasture land, and urban development. Pdf consequences of deforestation and climate change on. The causes and consequences of tropical deforestation. Basically, many of the function s of tropical forests are not marketed and as such are ignored in decision making.
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries. Agriculture is one of the primary drivers of deforestation both in modern times and in ancient times. This absorption is the result of expanding forests in developed countries, the enhancement of. Another most noticeable impact of deforestation is the increasing humanwildlife conflict. Deforestation is one of the major causes to the environmental degradation which is affected by the agents like small farmers, ranches, loggers and plantation companies. Suppliers with credible longterm programs to improve the use of existing cultivation areas, e. Deforestation can also occur to produce the wood and organic materials needed for a variety of industries. Consequences of deforestation july 22, 2012 rainforests around the world still continue to fall.
Causes of deforestation of the brazilian amazon isbn. There is a clear linkages between deforestation and worlds demands of fiber, food, and fuel understanding the underlying or indirect causes of deforestation is crucial to address redd and climate change most deforestation is driven from outside forestry sector e. Not directly, according to a 2005 study by the uns food and agriculture organization fao and the center for international forestry research cifor. Boahene african society for environmental management, po box 2205, 3500 ge utrecht, the netherlands. Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest. This change may represent as much as 20% 30% of the total carbon flux due to humans, i. While the phenomenon is not new, the current scale and pace of. Global witness has also shown how logging bankrolls murderous regimes. Effects of tropical deforestation on climate and agriculture. Deforestation refers to the loss or destruction of naturally occurring forests, primarily due to human activities such as logging, cutting trees for fuel, slashandburn agriculture, clearing land for livestock grazing, mining operations, oil extraction, dam building, and urban sprawl or other types of development and population expansion. These changes are more challenging to observe and forecast from local effects, since they take place over a longer time scale and can be difficult to measure.
Environmental effects of deforestation from above loss of habitat. Soil erosiontrees performs an important role of intercepting. The central issue which it attempts to study is the role of cattle ranchingits dynamic and profitabilityin the expansion of deforestation. Deforestation is consequently an important potential source of carbon. Imperial political ecologies 44 the political ecology of insecurity 47 indirect. Shrinking forests can cause widereaching problems, including soil erosion, water cycle disruption, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity losses.
Lambin, eric iii landuse and landcover change lucc project iv. Deforestation deforestation regrowth undisturbed forest forest fragments figure 1. Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests and woodlands. Study on the evolution of some deforestation drivers and their. According to fao, deforestation is the conversion of. No deforestation and responsible sourcing guidelines 2 4 public 4 april 20 we will prefer suppliers who are actively implementing similar no deforestation principles in all their operations. This section looks at a deforestation definition, causes of deforestation, effects of deforestation, solutions to deforestation and deforestation facts. According to fao, deforestation is the conversion of forest to another land use or the longterm reduction of tree canopy cover below the 10% threshold. Pakistan is not selfsufficient in wood based products and spends billions of rupees on import of wood and wood based products. For example, international timber trade played a major role in. The destruction of natural forests because of cutting trees, logging, making space for cattle grazing, mining, extraction of oil, building dams and population expansion is known as deforestation.
We first exposed how liberias former president charles taylor currently serving a 50 year sentence for war crimes sold off liberias forests to logging companies, using the proceeds to buy arms and maintain his regime. Most deforestation is driven from outside forestry sector e. A virginia tech graduate student is living in one of the hottest and driest countries in the world this semester so that he can study how climate change, land management, and other humancaused. I actually think deforestation is okay to a degree. Oct 08, 2016 the scale of deforestation in the us greentumble deforestation october 8, 2016 although deforestation is an ongoing environmental issue which receives a lot of media and internet coverage, many people dont realize that it is happening on their doorstep. Deforestation and climate change congressional research service summary efforts to mitigate climate change have focused on reducing carbon dioxide co 2 emissions into the atmosphere. Deforestation also affects the climate in more than one ways. Harvesting, forest fires, and insect infestations do not count as deforestation because the affected areas will eventually grow back. In simple words, deforestation refers to the deliberate process of destroying the forests, so that the clear land may be put to other use. Deforestation causes, effects and solutions conserve.
The definition of deforestation is the removal of trees and plants by humans. Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation forest carbon. Deforestation has several negative effects on the environment and organisms. Deforestation can lead to adverse effects life global warming and extinction of rare animals. The vast oldgrowth forests that once covered much of the world have largely been cut and burned down because of agriculture. Trees release water vapor in the air, which is compromised on with the lack of trees. Deforestation is the process of cutting down trees and clearing land. As the concentration of carbon dioxide increases, a layer forms in the atmosphere that traps sun radiation. Lesson 2 deforestation research assignment introduction lesson overview this lesson will introduce students to the concept of deforestation, its effects on the environment, and how countries are working to save their forests.
Some of these efforts center on reducing co 2 emissions from deforestation, since. Deforestation can be defined as cutting down of trees. Do trees grow on money the implications of deforestation. One of the most dangerous and unsettling effects of deforestation is the loss of animal and plant species due to their loss of habitat. Why is deforestation a serious global environmental problem. Over the longer term, deforestation of tropical rainforests can have a broader impact, affecting global climate and biodiversity. A metaanalysis of proximate and underlying causes of deforestation based on subnational case study evidence. The groups found that the frequency and extent of major floods has not changed over the last century despite significant reductions in forest cover.
Deforestation is a growing global problem with farreaching environmental and economic consequences, including some that may not be fully understood until it is too late to prevent them. A citizens summary on deforestation european commission. Deforestation causes of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. New global concern about climate change, together with the realization that reducing emissions from forest deforestation and degradation redd can play a large role in climate change mitigation, makes it critical. Nov 02, 2017 deforestation can be defined as cutting down of trees. Dec, 2012 deforestation effects, causes, and examples. Atmospheric for global warming deforestation is the major contributor. Fires are a natural and beneficial element of many forest landscapes, but they are problematic when they occur in the wrong place, at the wrong frequency or at the wrong severity. The changes in area of forest by region and subregion are shown in table 1. Each year, millions of acres of forest around the world are destroyed or degraded by fire. There are increasing instances of invasion and animal killing. There is a broad consensus that expansion of cropped areas and pastures are a major source of.
Tropical deforestation contributes as much as 90% of the current net release of biotic carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Typically, deforestation is clearing a lot of trees without the intention of establishing future growth. Basic concepts of deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation 2. Deforestation, which is the loss of wild forest habitats due to human activity, has grown into a global problem as demand for wood climbs. But what is deforestation, and why is it such a serious problem.
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