This takes away the habitats of several endangered species, such as the orangutan, the pygmy elephant, and the Sumatran rhino, pushing them even closer to extinction. While there are some efforts to harvest palm oil more sustainably, causing less harm to endangered species and their habitats, we can make the biggest difference by avoiding products with palm oil entirely.
The Rainforest Action Network offers several resources for avoiding products and businesses that contribute to palm oil-driven deforestation. Wildfires occur naturally in untouched forested land. While seemingly destructive, natural blazes actually promote the health of the ecosystem by clearing out dead organic matter and making room for new growth.
However, when humans start forest fires, forest ecosystems can suffer from irreversible damage. While some human-caused forest fires are accidental, farmers and other land developers sometimes intentionally start fires as a way to clear forested land.
However, these uncontrolled fires can do more harm than good. Fires can eliminate entire populations of plant and animal species in an area, throwing off ecological balance and decreasing biodiversity.
Research has shown that the biodiversity loss resulting from slash-and-burn agriculture can actually have the opposite effect on soil health, resulting in decreased crop yields and profits. A record number of fires turned the once vibrant, lush forests of the Amazon to ash in Investigators found that fires were three times more likely in beef-producing zones in the Amazon, pointing to the clearing of land for cattle ranching as one of the main culprits of forest fires.
Forest fires in the Amazon devastate animals and humans alike. The COVID pandemic disproportionately impacts the Indigenous peoples, as their immune systems may be less equipped to fight off the virus. In Brazil, the combined threats of COVID and air pollution from wildfires has led to increased hospitalization rates for their populations. Around the world, logging companies harvest timber and wood from fallen trees.
In some regions, national or international laws protect forested areas from logging operations. However, companies continue to illegally harvest and sell timber from these protected areas. Timber trafficking continues to harm forests, as countries fail to enforce the laws meant to protect the Amazon and other forested lands. Mining refers to the extraction of minerals and other natural materials from the earth.
The mining industry is notorious for subjecting workers to extremely dangerous conditions, while also harming forests and the environment. While mining causes deforestation at a much smaller scale than agriculture , it generates high amounts of air and water pollution that contaminate surrounding environments.
Paper is one of the most obvious culprits of deforestation—after all, paper is made from trees. In , the US paper industry produced 78 million tons of paper and cardboard.
Making one ton of paper requires 24 trees. A staggering As paper and other trash break down in landfills, they release methane—a harmful greenhouse gas that further contributes to climate change. In order to build structures for a growing population, urban developers turn to the logging and mining industries for wood and metals—encouraging these industries to cut down more forests for their operations. And, when people move from villages to cities, they consume more animal products and processed foods.
Large-scale industrial farmers convert surrounding forests for farmland in order to meet the new demand. Overall, the rapid, increased consumption and development associated with urban growth can spell disaster for forested ecosystems. Desertification occurs when land with fertile soil becomes an infertile desert.
Desertification can happen in response to natural phenomena, such as drought, but human activity can also play a role in accelerating the process. This happens when farmers over-cultivate land—excessively farming one tract of land to the point where the soil degrades completely. Trees maintain nutrient-rich topsoil by protecting it from wind, rain, or other harsh weather. Therefore, the removal of trees through deforestation drives desertification.
And, in a vicious cycle, desertification actually contributes to deforestation. When land is no longer fertile for natural vegetation, industries further encroach onto once-fertile areas and exploit them.
People who live near forests suffer the most immediate impacts of deforestation. These marginalized and vulnerable communities depend on forests for their livelihoods, as forested land provides resources like fertile soil for food and clean, fresh water for drinking. When humans destroy their forest habitats, animals and insects seek shelter in the populous villages surrounding forests.
This is because animals can spread pathogens to humans. These pathogens cause illnesses known as zoonotic diseases. A report from the Harvard School of Public Health cautioned that, in order to prevent the spread of zoonotic disease, we must change our agricultural practices and protect our forests. Sadly, zoonotic diseases are already more prevalent in areas experiencing deforestation. Mosquitos spread malaria to humans, and mosquito populations flourish when biodiversity drops.
Malaria is not the only zoonotic disease that arises from deforestation. If we want to avoid future pandemics caused by the spread of zoonotic disease, we must protect habitats from deforestation.
Forests provide surrounding communities with clean drinking water, food, and jobs. Indigenous peoples harvest food and medicine directly from plant species in the forest, or cultivate crops in the fertile soil.
When companies cut down forests, these communities lose resources to cultivate the food they need to survive, pushing them into food insecurity. Hundreds of millions of people rely on tropical forests for food, and the highest concentrations of food insecure populations live in regions with tropical forests. Deforestation perpetuates another vicious cycle when it comes to food insecurity. Despite industries still posing serious environmental problems, the media spotlight on this topic is beginning to shift the lines.
Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation. In fact, it experiences more deforestation than Asia: about 2 million hectares of forest disappear each year in Africa.
Woodcutting of forest reserves and the development of cocoa and palm oil plantations are among the main causes of deforestation in Africa, together with land cleaning for mining activities. Unconventional production practices that illegally take down trees and use dangerous chemicals threaten forests and wildlife.
In this way, exploiting crops such as palm oil, wood, coffee or avocados has side effects that affect the environment and the surrounding ecosystems. Some of the animals under greatest threat are:.
How can we stop deforestation? According to OECD , the human population is expected to continue to increase and reach over 9 billion people by At the current rate of consumption, and with more people inhabiting Earth, the need for more space to grow food and extract natural resources is only likely to increase — depending, of course, on tech development such as artificial foods.
As the demand for food or raw materials like cotton or minerals increases, so does the need to turn forests into farmland, pastureland, or mining spots.
Under this broader perspective, how can we stop deforestation? According to the WWF , livestock-caused deforestation is responsible for the discharge of 3. In this way, reducing your meat consumption is also a big step to stop not only deforestation but also global warming on a larger scale. Remember: a lot of space is needed to grow both animals and the food they consume, while other nutritious foods could be grown and result in larger food quantities using the same space.
Why not saving meat for important occasions only? As consumers we can choose to buy less industrial and transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil. Instead, we can go for a home-made approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet and our health.
However, if you are not willing to make such changes — because they are time consuming — you can still consume more responsibly while keeping your lifestyle. To this regard, you can buy products from brands adopting eco-friendly business practices.
When it comes to food, buying directly to small farmers using agroforestry practices is the best choice for the planet. Your smartphone, your laptop or your car, to name a few, are all made of aluminium, plastic and rare Earth minerals, among other materials.
To get these, just like foods like coffee or cacao land was clear to build mining sites, roads and factories and where built to transport and transform them, powerplants provide them with energy…. Since diesel and petrol are mixed with biofuels, choosing other transportation methods such as walking, cycling or car-sharing can be good ways of reducing palm oil importations and production and to help stop deforestation.
If you start adopting the behaviors mentioned above to help stop deforestation you can lead by your example. Teach your family, friends or colleagues what deforestation is and why it is happening, the causes and consequences of deforestation, and what solutions individuals, consumers and organizations can adopt.
What is being currently done do stop deforestation? Efforts to replant deforested areas are taking place every day. Unfortunately, some replanting is done with the goal of quickly growing trees to be exploited in the short-term by the logging industry.
These often consist of monotypic plantations less resilient, more appealing to harmful environmental management practices such as eucalyptus or pines. This is no small effort: there are 1.
Image credits to deforestation on Shutterstock , trees deforestation on Shutterstock and palm oil deforestation on Shutterstock. Log in and interact with engaging content: show how they matter to you, share your experience First Name.
Last Name. What Is Deforestation? Then you should find out some examples of how Life is interconnected: 2 — The Effects of Deforestation on Local People and Their Livelihoods Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1. Understanding Deforestation In Video To understand the challenges of deforestation, check this National Geographic video. Where Is Deforestation Happening? Countries Most Impacted By Deforestation Around the world, deforestation occurs mostly in the tropics where there are different types of forests are: from wet and hot rainforests to others that lose their leaves in the dry season and become woodlands.
Related: Is Palm Oil Sustainable? Deforestation In Africa Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation.
Some of the animals under greatest threat are: Orangutans — especially in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Borneo Elephants — especially in Sumatra and Borneo Indonesian tigers — the last surviving ones are struggling to do so on the island of Sumatra Many reptiles, amphibians and other vertebrates in Haiti How Can We Stop Deforestation? Solutions to Deforestation How can we stop deforestation? Show how useful this article has been. Creative Destruction Schumpeter: Definition.
If you have any questions regarding how does deforestation affect the environment? Read the points below. Reduction in greenery does not just increase pollution levels but also hinders the ecological balance on Earth.
Read below about some of the effects of deforestation. Loss of trees results in the extinction of wildlife. It also results in the loss of their habitat. Also, it results in the temperature imbalances in nature, as these trees act as a canopy regulating temperature, and a shelter for animals and birds. Therefore, deforestation in India and other portions of the Earth results in drastic temperature change.
Trees help to maintain water cycle balance in nature through evaporation, precipitation and condensation of water particles. In areas lacking greenery, there is less rainfall and an increase in soil erosion. It is because less water returns to the soil, causing dryness, and retarded plant growth. As you know, trees play a vital role in the generation of oxygen in the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide CO 2. The CO 2 is a greenhouse gas which increases if trees are cut down at a massive rate.
It hampers the balance of the environment resulting in global warming. Among the other effects of deforestation, soil erosion is the most common one. Without forest life, the erosion of soil becomes evident, and it further hampers the water cycle causing unexpected climatic imbalances. You may know forests are home to many dwellers along with plants and animals.
The indigenous people residing in such forest lands, depend on these resources to run their livelihood. Destruction of trees causes a threat to the people residing over there.
Due to industrialisation and construction projects, a large section of forests gets cleared every year. Due to such activities, not only animal life loses their habitat, but there is also a potential threat to the indigenous people who depend on these forests. Deforestation has put the entire ecosystem in a risk. However, governments have taken multiple measures to stop the removal of plant life.
Similarly, you should also spread awareness to discourage deforestation. You should learn about the ways to curb the removal of trees, as soon as you are aware of the consequences of deforestation. Reduction in the removal rate of trees can promote the balance on Earth.
0コメント