What is deforestation?

Deforestation is when humans remove or clear large areas of forest

lands and related ecosystems for non-forest use. These include
clearing for farming purposes, ranching and urban use. In these
cases, trees are never re-planted.
Since the industrial age, about half of world's original forests have
been destroyed and millions of animals and living things have been
endangered. Despite the improvements in education, information
and general awareness of the importance of forests, deforestation
has not reduced much, and there are still many more communities
and individuals who still destroy forest lands for personal gains.






Why do humans clear forest lands?
Trees are cut down (deforestation) for many reasons including
To be used, sold or exported as timber, wood or fuel
(charcoal). This is called logging.
To be used for farming purposes (grazing fields for livestock, or
large scale farming activities)
To make room for human settlement and urbanization (these
include making space for shelter, industries and roads)
To make room for mining.








In all the reasons above, the trees cut are usually very well
developed trees that have taken many years to mature. When they
are cut, they break down many more younger trees as they fall to the
ground, leaving that area heavily degraded.

Deforestation in Kalimantan
Geography of Kalimantan
Kalimantan occupies two-thirds of the island of Borneo . The other
one-third is occupied by two other countries - Malaysia and Brunei
Darussalam . The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy the
northeastern portion of Borneo while Brunei Darussalam lies
between Sabah and Sarawak .
With a total land area of 539 460 km , Kalimantan is approximately
780 times the size of Singapore . Divided into four provinces - East ,
South , Central , West - Kalimantan is rich in natural resources . For
example , the largest amount of wood products harvested in
Indonesia comes from the forests of the southern province of
Kalimantan , while minerals and precious stones are extracted from
its western province .













Causes of deforestation in Kalimantan
Kalimantan has been experiencing a rapid rate of deforestation for
the last 25 years . The World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF ) reported
that between 2000 and 2002 , deforestation rose to 12000 km a
year in Kalimantan . Together with Sabah and Sarawak , the total
forest loss in Borneo is 13 000 km a year . This rate of deforestation
is equivalent to 1.48million m of forests lost every hour or 25 000
m per minute .

Cause 1 : Increase in demand for agricultural landuse
One of the causes of deforestation in Kalimantan is the increase in
demand for land brought about by the increasing scale of agricultural
activities . The increase in agricultural activites is in turn a result of
population pressure in Kalimantan .
Population increase in Kalimantan was due to the Indonesian
government's population resettlement programme to ease
overcrowding in islands such as Java and Sumatra , which saw many
Indonesians resettled in Kalimantan .
One source of demand for agricultural landuse comes from the new
settlers who grow crops in small holdings . Many new settlers
permanently clear forests to establish small holdings , which are
small farms where crops such as rice , vegetables , coffee and cocoa
are grown . As some of the crops cultivated in small holdings are
grown for sale , some of the new settlers are motivated by profit to
extend their farmland by clearing more forested areas .
Another demand for agricultural landuse comes from plantation
companies . In Kalimantan , oil palm is commonly cultivated in
plantations as it is relatively cheap to grow and is highly profitable ,
bringing high export earnings into Indonesia . Over the years , the
growth of oil palm plantations in Kalimantan has resulted in the
clearing of extensive areas of the Kalimantan rainforests, usually by
the burning to make way for the plantations . Between 1998 and
2003 , about 10 000 km of rainforest were cleared and converted
into oil palm plantation .

Cause 2: Growth of settlements
In Kalimantan, as the population increases and settlement becomes
crowded, more land is therefore cleared for housing.
In parts of Kalimantan, people are moving from rural settlements
such as villages to urban settlement such as towns and cities to live
and work because there are no more opportunities for employment
in these areas. This has increased the population in towns and cities ,
which led to rainforests being cleared for the expansion of towns and
cities. This growth and expansion of towns or cities is known as
urbanisation
An example of the effect of urbanisation of the Kalimantan rainforest
is the growth of Balikpapan in East Kalimantan. Balikpapan is one of
he largest cities in Kalimantan and has a population of 400 000 in
2005. It is a business centre for many national and international
companies dealing with logging , mining and oil extraction, As a
result of the growth of this city, the settlement of Balikpapan has
expanded into a protected forest adjacent to it, known as the Sungei
Wain Rainforest. Despite the forest bring protected, its area was
reduced by a third from 98.7 square kilometres in 1997 to about 35
square kilometres in 1998.

Cause 3: Improved transport networks
Transport networks like road and railway tracks are constructed to
link settlements in Kalimantan. For example, the Trans-Kalimantan
Highway, which is 230 kilometres long, cuts through rainforest to
improve accessibility between the two cities of Banjamasin and
Balikpapan. The transport network also allow access to previously
remote forested areas in Kilimantan. Unfortunately, the improved
accessibility has made it easier for people to destroy even more
areas of the rainforest.

Cause 4: Growth of industries
In Kalimantan, parts of the rainforest have been cleared to support
industrial activities. Forest are rich in natural resources such as wood
and minerals, and the demand for such resources has led to the
destruction of the forests.



Cause 5:Forest fires
Forest fires are deliberately set by people to clear large forest areas
for oil palm plantations and agriculture.
This is cheaper than employing labour to cut down trees and is the
traditional agricultural method for shifting cultivators.




















Advantages & Disadvantages of Deforestation
Deforestation is the process of converting forested lands into non-
forest sites that are ideal for crop raising, urbanization and
industrialization.

Advantages:
1. Deforestation provides the materials for various industries, such as
logs for the logging industry and trees for the paper industry. The
forest products industry is a large part of the economy in both
developed and developing countries.
2. It opens more job opportunities for people in the lumbar industry
besides Wood cutters , there are those who work in processing
plants to make glue from wood sap, process pulp into paper, and
others.
3. Cutting down trees provides charcoal, a source of energy.
4. For every patch of forest cut down, arable land becomes available
for farmers.
5. The land can be used as an area to place urban living sites like
apartments, houses, and buildings.
6. The number of people employed by such a construction project
are many and varied.
7. If the city/government mandates replanting trees to replace the
lost ones, then jobs are also provided for those people who do the
seeding after a patch of forest is stripped.
8. The arable land provides the much needed additional food source
for man.
9. Some places with heavy forests are home to iron ore, mineral, and
even oil deposits which can be used for man's needs. These natural
resources can be accessed only by deforestation.
Disadvantages:

1. Deforestation destroys the habitats of millions of species of plants
and animals that will need the areas of forest to survive. Thus, it may
lead to the extinction of these species, causing havoc in the
biological food chains and the delicate balance of the ecosystem of
these areas.
2. Deforestation leaves the soil bare to erosion and leaching (the
depletion of nutrients in the soil). Thus, over time the soil will lose its
fertility, and eventually desertification may occur in the area that
was once covered by trees.
3. The removal of trees adds to the high levels of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere, as trees are needed to absorb carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere.
4. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and when there is too much
of it global warming results.
5. When there are more carbon monoxide atoms going to the
atmosphere, the volume of oxygen would decline. Such is the case of
ozone depletion.
6. The water cycle is also affected by deforestation, Deforestation
reduces the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as
atmospheric moisture.
7. Deforestation results in declines in biodiversity.




Effects of deforestation
Looking at the importance of forests and trees in the previous pages,
you can deduce the massive effects of deforestation and tree-cutting
activities. Let us see a few below:

Soil erosion destruction.
Soils (and the nutrients in them) are exposed to the suns heat. Soil
moisture is dried up, nutrients evaporate and bacteria that help
break down organic matter are affected. Eventually, rain washes
down the soil surfaces and erosion takes place. Soils never get their
full potential back.

Water Cycle
When forests are destroyed, the atmosphere, water bodies and the
water table are all affected. Trees absorb and retain water in their
roots. A large part of the water that circulates in the ecosystem of
rainforests remains inside the plants. Some of this moisture is
transpired into the atmosphere. When this process is broken, the
atmosphere and water bodies begin to dry out. The watershed
potential is compromised and less water will run through the rivers.
Smaller lakes and streams that take water from these larger water
bodies dry up.

Loss of Biodiversity
Many wonderful species of plants and animals have been lost, and
many others remain endangered. More than 80% of the world's
species remain in the Tropical Rainforest. It is estimated that about
50 to 100 species of animals are being lost each day as a result of
destruction of their habitats, and that is a tragedy.



Many beautiful creatures, both plants and animals have vanished
from the face of the earth.

Climate Change
Plants absorb Carbon Dioxide CO2 (a greenhouse gas) from the
atmosphere and uses it to produce food (carbohydrates, fats, and
proteins that make up trees). In return, it gives off Oxygen.
Destroying the forests mean CO2 will remain in the atmosphere and
in addition, destroyed vegetation will give off more CO2 stored in
them as they decompose. This will alter the climate of that region.
Cool climates may get a lot hotter and hot places may get a lot
cooler.