What is deforestation? Explain how we can fulfill the loss due to deforestation.
Answers
Explanation:
All of us know that there was a time when we would worship plants now we cut them brutally. These same forests are vanishing day by day just for our selfish needs resulting in deforestation. Have you ever given a thought to what will happen if deforestation continues? Let us study more about this.
Deforestation and its Effects
What Does Deforestation Mean?
Deforestation means cutting down the trees to a large extent be it forests, any barren land or trees we see on our way to school every day. Natural forests are being destructed to use the land for cultivation, building houses, factories, logging, making space for cattle grazing, extraction of oil, mining, construction of dams or to obtain wood for making furniture and using it as fuel.
Forest wood has been an essential need for us since the time of civilization and still continues to be the main source for many uses in our day to day life. Trees help to maintain the water cycle and give shelter to the organisms. It takes place in an area that is densely populated by trees and is mostly observed in a forest like the Amazon rainforest. Forests cover almost 30% of the earth’s land.
The extinction of the forest cover affects the biodiversity which in turn threaten peoples lives. Shrinking of the forests cause wide-reaching problems like soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, water cycle disruption, greenhouse gas emissions, changes in the climatic conditions, and loss of biodiversity.
Illegal logging activities are very common that destroy the livelihoods of the people depending on forests. Wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture need a substantial amount of wood supply. Wood is used as fuel most commonly and so large amount of trees are cut down for fuel supplies. Firewood and charcoal are used as fuel.
Agricultural Activities
The conversion of forests into agricultural land is a big reason for deforestation. Due to overgrowing demand for food products, many trees are chopped down for crops and for cattle grazing. Over 40% of the forests are cleaned to obtain land and meet the needs of agriculture and wood.
Mining
Oil and mining of coal require a large amount of forest land. Construction of roads leads to deforestation as they provide the way to remote land. The waste that comes out from mining pollutes the environment and affects the nearby species.
Forest as Habitat
Urbanization
As the population grows, the needs of people increases which further leads to deforestation. Forests shrink to a great extent to meet the requirements like for construction of roads, development of houses, mineral exploitation and expansion of industries. Increasing population directly affects forest as with the expansion of cities there is a need for more land for housing and settlements.
Timber Production
One of the primary cause of deforestation is the production of timber. There is a lot of demand for timber and so deforestation increases. It a source of raw material which is used for the production of paper and also for construction.
Forest Fires
We lose a large number of trees each year due to fires in the forest in various portions worldwide. This happens due to extreme summers and winters. The fire caused, by man or nature, results in huge loss of forest cover.
Effects of Deforestation
Some of the effects of deforestation are:
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Gases such as methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere, leading change in climate. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide and release oxygen and water into the atmosphere and this contributes to global warming. Cutting carbon dioxide adds to the environment and then this lack of the tree creates an absorption deficit. Deforestation leads to the emission of greenhouse gas.
Soil Erosion
Cutting down on trees leads to clearance of forests and so soil erosion occurs. Exposure of the soil to the sun’s heat dries up the moisture inside the soil. Nutrients evaporate and it affects the bacteria that help to break down organic matter. Due to this, rain washes the soil surfaces and erosion takes place. Large amounts of soil wash into local streams and rivers and cause damage to hydroelectric structures and irrigation infrastructure.