Deforestation is caused by humans and natural changes on earth.

On the natural side, as the tectonic plates have moved, mountains form and erode, rainfall patterns change, and forests respond to these changes over long periods of time. If a place was wet and warm enough for one type of tree, but the climate changed, such as during an Ice Age, those trees might not be able to continue to live in that place. Another tree might fare better, or none at all. Humans, termites, woodpeckers, forest fires, wood rot, fungus, competition with other plant life for sunlight, erosion, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and natural life cycles. Human causes of deforestation mainly include

cutting trees for using the wood, called timber harvesting or logging, and clearing forests to make way for agriculture of plants and/or animals. Forests may be cut down to make room for expanding cities, too. When people need to expand their space they tear down unused places, rip up trees from their homes, kill animals' habitats, and not even use the wood. building new roads, cattle ranching etc. Urban sprawl logging mining infrastructure plantation - crops wood or timber urbanization cultivation the reason behind is the metro cities are becoming bigger and bigger day by day. the people from villages are coming to big cities because they are not getting the facilities in the villages which they need. so to make houses the trees are been cutting down, so to make houses, malls, cinemas etc. for the people.

When people cut down trees to expand land, every tree they cut down is letting out carbon dioxide that has been stored when they have done photosynthesis. Every particle of carbon dioxide that is emitted into the air adds to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere: this results in global warming. Logging companies, acid rain, "global warming", and many more. Many things can be tied to causing deforestation, especially pollution. The reasons behind most deforestation is because of many things. each cause is equally as bad. Wood is cut down for furniture and fuels. Firewood and coal are things made from wood which are used for cooking/heating etc. Loggers have a great role in deforestation, illegal and legal. Loggers cut down the trees for more space and wood for anything whatsoever! The wood has many purposes and one of the most important ones is to help animals hide from poachers who intend to kill them! Don't take their habitat away from them. How would you like to live without a roof over your head? Some forests are cut down for the benefit of crops and cattle. The cattle aren't placed there to work

and gain, only to graze. The cheek! Over-population is another cause of deforestation because the more people and less houses = cutting down trees to build new houses/properties for people. The government sometimes cuts down trees to make room/space for roads, which means more cars and more pollution. forests are cut down because sometimes, big industries need the space for factories to be built. Mines are also built on empty forest scapes. However, although most of the causes are 'man made', deforestation can be caused by natural disasters. Sometimes, natural forest fires start up by themselves and burn all the trees to ash. Other times, people may set fire to the trees on purpose. the reason behind is the metro cities are becoming bigger and bigger day by day.the people from villages are comming to big cities because they are not getting the facilities in the villages which they need. so to make houses the trees are been cutting down, so to make houses,malls,cinemas etc.for the people. one should do something before it is too late. yeah you should Trees are one of the most important aspects of the planet we live in. Trees are vitally important to the environment, animals, and of course for us humans. They are important for the climate of the Earth, as they act as filters of carbon dioxide. Forests are known as habitats and shelters to millions of species. However, the trees on our planet are being depleted at a very fast rate. According to some estimates, more than 50 percent of the tree cover has disappeared due to human activity. This removal of forest or trees from a land and converting it for nonforest use is called deforestation. Although humans have practiced deforestation since ages, it was in the mid-1800s that forests began to be destroyed at an unprecedented rate. One of the most worrying factors today is the massive destruction of the rainforest of the world is affecting the biodiversity adversely, as well as being one of the major contributory factors to the ongoing Holocene mass extinction. What are the Causes of Deforestation? The deforestation causes include many factors. The destruction of the forests is occurring due to various reasons, one of the main reasons being the short-term economic benefits. Corruption at the government institutions, wealth and power due to harvesting of the riches of the forest, population growth and urbanization are some of the common causes. Urban Construction The cutting down of trees for lumber that is used for building materials, furniture, and paper products have a major impact on forest life. Forests are cleared to accommodate expanding urban areas. This results in loss of forest area and massive deforestation. Agriculture Forests are also cut down to clear land for growing crops, build farms, ranches and other food growing lands.

Grazing Land Forests are cut down in order create land for grazing cattle. Huge herds of animals require food and forests are cleared out to make way for grazing lands for these cattle. Used for Fuel Trees are cut down in developing countries to be used as firewood or turned into charcoal, which are used for cooking and heating purposes. Commercial Purposes Some of the other causes are: clearing forests for oil and mining exploitation, to make highways and roads, slash and burn farming techniques, wildfires, and acid rain. Forest fires can occur naturally or in most cases are deliberate attempts by man to clear huge forests. Most of the time, these forests may recover, but usually the cleared land is used for construction and agriculture purposes. This leads to loss of forests and loss of habitat for the local wildlife. Illegal Logging Many government agencies are fighting illegal logging to protect the forests. However, any type of logging legal or illegal leads to deforestation. Trees are cut down indiscriminately by logging companies, to fulfill the demands of the wood market. This does not give a chance to the local wildlife and trees to regenerate and sustain themselves. Thus, leading to loss of wildlife forever.

Deforestation is a consequence of over-exploitation of our natural ecosystems for space, energy and materials. The basic reasons for such extensive deforestation are: (1) Expansion of Agriculture: Expanding agriculture is one of the most important causes of deforestation. As demands on agricultural products rise more and more land is brought under cultivation for which forests are cleared, grass-lands ploughed, uneven grounds leveled, marshes drained and even land under water is reclaimed. However, this expansion is usually marked with more ecological destruction than rationality. Governments often distribute land under forests to landless people, instead of redistributing already established farm-lands, howsoever, wasteful, unequal and unjust the distribution of ownership of land may be. During the process of clearing the land precious timber is simply burned. Ghana's 80% forests have disappeared but only 15% timber was harvested. Similarly in Brazil, little timber was extracted before the forests were burned for clearing the land. Nothing is done to assess the fertility of the forest soil before clearing it for farming. In tropical regions of the world as much of the mineral material is lodged in the plant biomass, its removal takes away a large part of nutrients. The soil being poorer is unable to support farming for long durations. Once agriculture fails, the cleared land is put to use as cattle ranches which too is a hopeless business. The bared soil is subjected to massive erosion and degradation.

The Brazilian Government began the construction of Trans-Amazon Highway in 1970 in hope to colonize its largely empty Amazon basin which was covered with lush green tropical forests. But it was soon realized that apparent fertility of lush green jungle soil was an illusion. Crops after crops failed. Roads were washed away. Newly settled communities disintegrated and high hopes that the Amazon basin shall feed the hungry millions of the world were dashed (Skilling and Tcheyen 1979). (2) Extension of Cultivation on Hill Slopes: Outside humid tropical zone, in most of the third world countries, major forests often occur on hill tops and slopes. Though agriculture has nearly always been concentrated on plains and floors of valleys, farming on narrow flat steps cut one after another across the slope or terrace farming is an age-old practice. It has never been extensive because of the gruelling labour and low productivity. However, the ever rising human numbers and their necessities have forced many to go up to mountain slopes for cultivation. More and more slopes are cleared of plants, steps carved out and against many odds cultivation is attempted. After a few crops the productivity declines and torrential sub-tropical rains carry down massive quantities of precious top soils to streams and rivers. While denuding hill slopes, the silt and sediments settle further down raising stream bottoms and river beds aggravating the flood situation. (3) Shifting Cultivation: Shifting cultivation or Jhum is often blamed for destruction of forests. In fact it is poor fertility of soil which has given rise to such a pattern of farming. A small patch of tropical forest is cleared, vegetation slashed, destroyed and burned. Crops are grown as long as the soil is productive, after which the cultivation is abandoned and cultivators move on to fresh patch of land. The abandoned land was allowed to lay fallow for long periods during which regrowth of vegetation took place and natural ecosystem was restored. Shifting cultivators, therefore, worked in harmony with nature. However, the demands of growing population have shortened the fallow periods drastically. The soil is unable to regain its fertility before it is put to use again. This causes degradation of soil and failure of crops after crops. In Indonesia large number of people who have migrated from Java and other crowded islands have turned to shifting cultivation. Farming is attempted on cleared patch of soil before it is able to regain fertility. As crops fail more and more land is cleared of forests to be put to similar over-exploitation. The overall result is that lush green forests are being gradually replaced by barren waste land (Eckholm, 1991). The influx of shifting cultivators in water-shed around Panama Canal has caused extensive soil degradation resulting in large-scale erosion of the soil. Future utility of Panama Canal and the Panama City's water supply system are threatened by massive deposits of silt and sediments. The Government has launched massive programme of reforestation of the water-shed around Panama Canal (Lawrence; 1978). (4) Cattle Ranching:

Large areas of tropical forests in Central and South America have been cleared for use as grazing land to raise catties and cash in on the lucrative beef exports to USA. But | in these cases too, the problem of poor productivity of tropical soils makes the venture non-viable The soil degenerates within a short span of time due to over-grazing and massive soil erosion occurs, Cattle ranching has done much damage to the tropical forest cover in South and central America (Fearnside 1980, Parson 1976) (5) Firewood Collection: To majority of rural population and a large number of people living in small towns and cities of developing countries, the only fuel is wood which is burned to cook food and to provide heat in chilly winters. Firewood collection contributes much to the depletion of tree cover, especially in localities which are lightly wooded. Denser forests usually produce a lot of combustible material in the form of dead twigs, leaves etc. There is hardly any need of cutting down live trees in densely wooded localities. However, in the case of lightly wooded forests, where the pressure of demand is usually higher, a slow thinning of woodland occurs due to regular foraging of villagers. In Madhya Pradesh, India, a recent observation revealed that felling of small trees for use as firewood and timber exceeds fresh plant growth. In some places in the state, the Government! Allows people to collect head loads of dead wood from forests for personal use. However, deadwood is actually manufactured, trees are axed, and their barks girdled and live trees become personal head loads to find their way to local markets. If the present trend continues, within twenty years, it is feared that half of the State which has the largest area under forests in India, will become treeless (Tomarand Joshi 1977). Outright felling of live trees to meet firewood and charcoal requirement is common in lightly! wooded areas in many countries. In Upper Voltas, Sudan, Nigeria etc. well organized gangs exist which cut live trees in widening circles around towns and cities, illegally convert them into charcoal for sale in cities. In Sudan authorities have to use armed guards to protect live trees and armed clashes are common. (6) Timber Harvesting: Timber resource is an important asset for a country's prosperity. Commercial wood finds ready national as well as international markets. As a consequence of which natural forests are being mercilessly exploited. Logging or felling of forest trees for obtaining timber is an important cause of deforestation in third world countries. Live trees with thick and straight trunks are felled and transported to commercial establishments elsewhere, to consumers who are ready to pay. In the process large stretches of forests are damaged and the system which could have provided resources worth much more to the local people is disrupted. Ironically the profits from timber trade are enjoyed by Governments, large companies or affluent contractors. Local people get a tiny share in the benefits while axing their own resource base.

Commercial logging in tropical countries usually involves felling of trees of only selected species which fetch better prices. This process of creaming or removing a few selected trees amidst dense vegetation on rather a delicate soil causes much more destruction than the actual number of trees or the volume of timber taken out would suggest. In a study in Indonesia, it was found that the logging operations destroyed about 40% of the trees left behind. In many third world countries logging operations have been observed to lead to a permanent loss of forest cover. Loggers after removing a select group of trees move on to other areas. They are usually followed by others who move into the cut over area hoping to start farming and put down roots. The remaining vegetation is slashed and burned and agriculture is attempted. When cultivation fails it is replaced by cattle ranching or by useless tenacious grasses. The selective harvesting practiced by loggers leave many forests permanently deficient in valuable plant species. Much of the West Africa has become useless for commercial logging as important plant species required by the loggers are not available. In Philippines, the valuable groups of tall trees (Dipterocarpus sp.) have shrunk from original 16 million hectares in 1960, to about one million hectares left standing in remote regions. The practice of cutting down larger trees, of the selected species, leaving behind younger ones which can grow into fresh stock to be harvested later may appear rational. In theory such patch should become ready for reharvesting within thirty to forty years. However, in practice none of the loggers leaves the required number of younger trees and the notion that the woodland shall be ready for another valuable timber harvest in forty years appears to be a wistful thinking at its best. In East Kalimantan, the seat of Indonesia's lucrative timber trade logging firms are required to leave behind 25 select crop trees per hectare but in practice none does so and the entire logged out area degenerates into a useless waste land. Of 17 million hectares of rich tropical forests, about 13 million hectares were marked for logging in 1978 by as many as 100 licensed companies. In Brazil also the select fell system which leaves behind younger plants for natural regeneration is being tried with an intensive replantation drive. However, if we look at the recent history of tropical forest exploitation, it appears that most of tropical timber is being harvested like a non-renewable resource (Johnson and Dykstra, 1978).

Fire (1/10)
Indians from the Xingu National Park in Brazil inspect smoldering remains after trees were cleared and burned to make way for farming near their reserve. Fire releases carbon dioxide and clouds of soot that can prevent normal rainfall. Poor logging practices, population growth, and urban expansion make forests more vulnerable to escaped fires. (Source: Reuters)

Agricultural Expansion (2/10)

Workers harvest soybeans in Nova Mutum, Mato Grosso state in western Brazil. Brazil now supplies some 34 percent of global soya exports, many of which go into making animal feed. Large-scale agriculture is the main economic factor behind deforestatation. Additional profits can be made from timber thus driving agricultural expansion into forested rather than marginal lands.

Cattle Ranching (3/10)

Cattle graze amid the remains of a burned-out forest outside of Boa Vista, northern Brazil. Rising living standards have increased local and global demand for meat. In turn, the demand for grazing pasture and land to grow livestock feed has increased as well. Brazil has become one of the largest exporters of beef in the world

Palm Oil Production (4/10)

A truck drives through a palm oil plantation in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan province. Over the past decade, the area planted with oil palm in Indonesia has almost tripled. Indonesia and Malaysia now supply over 80 percent of the worlds palm oil. Palm oil grown on cleared peat lands and turned into biofuels has a carbon footprint five times as big as diesel, says the Global Canopy Programme

Shrimp Farming (5/10)

Workers load shrimps onto a truck at a shrimp farm west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Commercial farmers are clearing and draining mangrove forestswhich shelter coasts from storms and sustain many unique speciesto make way for shrimp farms. Coastal mangrove forests are peculiarly vulnerable to climate change impacts like rising sea levels and drought.

Logging for Timber (6/10)

Logging, especially illegal logging, is a major cause of deforestation. In Brazil and Indonesia some 80 to 90 percent of timber extraction is deemed illegal. According to the WWF, up to 28 percent of the EUs timber imports could be illegal. Well-regulated, selective logging, however, need not trigger deforestation. Expanding plantation forestry can also provide an alternative to illegal timber.

Mining (7/10)
A giant opencast gold mine dominates the landscape in Indonesia's rainforest Papua province. Many forested areas are rich in minerals and therefore vulnerable to deforestation. The Congo Basin, for instance, contains vast untapped reserves of gold, coltan (used in mobile phones), diamonds, uranium, manganese, and copper.

Road Building (8/10)

The construction of the Interoceanic Highway connecting Peru and Brazil cuts a swathe through the Amazon jungle. Road construction is the infrastructure development that contributes most to deforestation because roads encourage immigration and the spread of agriculture into forests, particularly in remote areas where property rights are unclear or poorly regulated.

Charcoal Production (9/10)

Charcoal bags stacked beside a traditional charcoal factory in the Ivory Coast. Charcoal production as a driver of deforestation primarily occurs in the forests of sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty drives many to cut down trees for fuel for cooking. Charcoal made from old-growth hardwood trees is the most valuable because it burns hotter and longer

Firewood Collection (10/10)

Boys gather firewood in Guinea. One third of the worlds population uses biomass fuels, mainly firewood, to cook and to heat their homes. Together with population growth, this can have a devastating effect on forests in poor countries. Wood meets 80 percent of all the Democratic Republic of Congos energy needs and has been the main cause of deforestation in the area.

Causes of deforetstion in india

Deforestation is a serious issue that most nations face today. India is definitely in the list. Deforestation is primarily due to urbanization. Most nations that are presently under the scanner for deforestation had immense forest stretch. The need for settlements and development has triggered such a scenario. India is emerging as a developing nation but sadly the country too faces immense issue of deforestation. Nearly 22.8 percent of forested area is slowly decreasing. These forests are the habitat for most endangered species and animals. There are over 2,300 species including reptiles, birds and mammals. India like most other forested regions had thick dense forests followed by rivers like Yamuna and Ganges. The Indus valley civilization had eventually led the way for deforestation. Civilizations in and around the rivers led to land reformation. India got its independence in the year 1947 and agriculture no longer remained to be the prime occupation. New developments led to new occupations and industrialization needed to be expanded. The new policies often dragged people from these forest lands and deprived them of their sources to survive. The need of growing consumerism has given rise to destruction of forests. The major deforestation took place at Andaman Islands, Uttar Kannada and Chandrapur district. The timber industry was the main reason for deforestation in Andaman Islands. Besides the timber industry, the British had already set up settlements on these islands. And with ever growing population, the mills kept expanding. Sometimes the Forest Corporation departments often take these things lightly and themselves violate the rules. Due to paper industry, power projects, plywood mills and mining the forests have already started depleting in most areas. Certain organizations have now started to oppose the cutting down of rainforest as eventually, the need for forests has been realized.

The basic reasons of deforestation are the followings:

(1) Expansion of Agriculture: With increase in the demands for agricultural products, more and more land is brought under cultivation for which forests are destroyed, grasslands ploughed, uneven grounds, leveled, marshes drained and even land water is reclaimed. Such an expansion is marked with more ecological destruction. In tropical regions of the world, as much of the mineral material is lodged in the plant

biomass, its removal takes away large part of nutrients. The soil becomes poorest thus is unable to support farming for long duration. (2) Shifting Cultivation: Shifting cultivation is considered to be another cause for deforestation. In fact shifting cultivation has occurred due to poor fertility of the soil. In this cultivation a small patch of tropical forests is cleared, vegetation, destroyed and burned. Crops are grown as long as the soil is productive, after which the cultivation is abandoned, and a cultivations move on to fresh patch of land. The abandoned land is allowed to lay as such for long periods during which regret of vegetation took place and natural ecosystem was restored, shifting cultivations thus worked in harmony with nature. The soil is unable to regain its fertility before it is put to use again. This causes degradation of soil and failure of crops after crops. As crops fail more and more land is cleared of forests to be put to similar over exploitation. The overall result is that green forests are being gradually replaced by barren waste land. (3) Fire Wood Collection: Majority of rural populations as well as larger number of people living in small towns and cities of developing countries, the only fuel is wood, which's burned to cook food and provide heat in chilly winters. Fire wood collection contributes much to the depletion of tree cover. Denser forests usually produced a lot of combustible material in the form of dead twigs, leaves etc. There is hardly any need of cutting down live trees in densely wooded localities. However in case of lightly wooded forests, where the pressure demands is usually higher, a slow thinning of wood lands occurs due to regular foraging of villagers. However, the dead woods is actually manufactured, trees are axed their barks girdled and live trees became personal head loads to find their way to local markets. (4) Timber Harvesting: Timber resource is an important asset for the prosperity of county. Commercial wood is found ready in national as well as international markets. According to natural forests are being exploited logging or felling of forest trees for obtaining timber is an important cause of deforestation. Live trees with thick and straight trunks are filled and transported to commercial establishments elsewhere to consumers. In this process large stretches of forests are damaged. The profits from timber trade are more enjoyed by Governments, large companies or affluent contractors, local people get a tiny share in the benefits while axing their own resource base. (5) Extension of Cultivation on Hill Slopes : Though agriculture has always been concentrated on planes and floors of valleys farming on narrow flat steps cut one after another across the slope or terrace farming is an age old practice. The ever

rushing human numbers and their necessities have forced many to go up the mountains slopes for cultivation. More and more slopes are cleared of plants, steps carved out and against many ads cultivation is attempted. After a few crops the productivity declines.