Overview of Deforestation Problem

Overview and History of Deforestation:

Deforestation is the clearing and/or thinning of trees of forests. It can happen from humans or it can happen naturally from forest fires or other natural disasters. It is one of the largest issues in global land use. The trees are removed for wood and for land. Deforestation has had long history in the world. The history of deforestation is different depending on where it occurs. For example, deforestion has been a thing ever since humans have been making fires. The destruction of forests has only became a concern in the 1950's. That is quite recent, especially compared to how old the earth is. Ever since the industrial revolution the need for resources like wood has increased which lead to deforestation rates going up.

How Deforestation affects the environment:

The destruction of forests has had a number of environmental and economic impacts. Many are interrelated. Deforestation has caused flooding, landslides, erosion, and it contributes to the extinction of animals. Many of the world's most endangered and threatened animals live in forests. Animals habitats are destroyed and some animals are killed. Deforestation also contributes to climate change. Fewer forests mean larger amounts of greenhouse gases. The water cycle is also majorly affected by Deforestation. With less trees, less water gets absorbed. Without deforestation the environment could be better. Some of the effects from deforestation could possibly get fixed like turning endangered animals into non-endangered animals and fix or relocate animals habitats. After the destruction of forests is stopped or slowed down we could plant more trees and preserve them.

Statistics and Regions/Areas:

Deforestation is a growing problem. About 4,500 acres of forests are cleared every hour by man/mahine or naturally. The three main causes of man-made deforestation are poverty, overpopulation, and unequal land access. The total world forest land loss till date is 7.3 million hectares per year. (1 Hectare = 2.47105 Acres) Approximately 18 million acres of forest are lost each year. There was a time when rainforests covered 14% of the world. That number has dropped to 6% today. Russia has the largest amount of forests of any country on the world.

Future and Solutions to Deforestation:

Deforestation is rising and it is raising concern for the future. If deforestation continues at the rate it is at now, rain forests could possibly be gone in 100 years. Even 1 year after the Save the rainforest movement amazon deforestation has unexpectedly risen. If deforestation rates continue to grow like this forests could possibly go extinct. That is why people from the government and people in general are trying to come up with solutions to stop deforestation. Hopefully and possibly there will be a solution to successfully slow down or even stop deforestation. Deforestation needs to be stopped. Ending deforestation is our best chance at at conserving wildlife and defending the rights of forest communities. The government has made multiple proposals to stop deforestation. These efforts can not work without the public's help and cooperation. In local areas governments and non profit organizations have been trying to educate people on helping the environment. There has been a Save the rainforest movement But deforestation is still rising.

Causes and Effects of Deforestation:

The causes for deforestation can be a natural occurrence of man made. Things like forest fires and flooding can destroy forests and trees. Some man made causes are to make land available for housing or urbanization, to get wood to make items like paper or homes. Some effects of deforestation are extinction of species, loss of species habitats, climate change, soil erosion and the water cycle gets affected.

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