DEFORESTATION

Prepared By:
Group 1
Class IX A

INTRODUCTION

Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive

scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land.
Forests still cover about 30 percent of the worlds land
area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and
every year.

The worlds rain forests could completely vanish in a

hundredyears at the current rate of deforestation.

Deforestation has many negative effects on the

environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of
habitat for millions of species. Seventy percent of Earths
land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot
survive the deforestation that destroys their homes.

Deforestation also drives climate change. Forest soils are moist,

but without protection from sun-blocking tree cover they quickly
dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning
water vapour back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fill these
roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren
deserts.

Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which

blocks the suns rays during the day and holds in heat at night.
This disruption leads to more extreme temperatures swings that
can be harmful to plants and animals.

Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases

that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of
greenhouse gases entering the atmosphereand increased speed
and severity of global warming.

The quickest solution to deforestation would be to simply stop

cutting down trees. Though deforestation rates have slowed a bit
in recent years, financial realities make this unlikely to occur.

Is this the world you

want to live in?

CAUSES OF
DEFORESTATION
1.

Agricultural Activities:As earlier mentioned in

the overview, agricultural activities are one of the
major factors affecting deforestation. Due to
overgrowing demand for food products, huge amount
of tress are fell down to grow crops and for cattle
gazing.
2. Logging:Apart from this, wood based industries
like paper, match-sticks, furniture etc also need a
substantial amount of wood supply. Wood is used as
fuel both directly and indirectly, therefore trees are
chopped for supplies. Firewood and charcoal are
examples of wood being used as fuel. Some of these
industries thrive on illegal wood cutting and felling of
trees.

3. Urbanization:Further on order to gain access to

these forests, the construction of roads are
undertaken; here again trees are chopped to create
roads. Overpopulation too directly affects forest
covers, as with the expansion of cities more land is
needed to establish housing and settlements.
Therefore forest land is reclaimed.
4. Desertification of land:Some of the other
factors that lead to deforestation are also part natural
and part anthropogenic like Desertification of land. It
occurs due to land abuse making it unfit for growth of
trees. Many industries in petrochemicals release their
waste into rivers whichresults in soil erosionand
make it unfit to grow plants and trees.

5. Mining:Oil andcoal miningrequire

considerable amount of forest land. Apart from
this, roads and highways have to be built to
make way for trucks and other equipment. The
waste that comes out from miningpollutes the
environmentand affects the nearby species.
6. Forest Fires:Another example would be
forest blazes; Hundreds of trees are lost each
year due to forest fires in various portions of the
world. This happens due to extreme warm
summers and milder winters. Fires, whether
causes by man or nature results in huge loss of
forest cover.

You want to hurt Mother

Nature for this?

EFFECTS
The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for
millions of species. Seventy percent of Earth's
land animals and plants live in forests, and
many cannot survive the deforestation that
destroys their homes. Deforestation also drives
climate change.

Increase in temperature
Increase in rainfall which leads to flooding
If there is no rainfall there would be droughts.

Tree are needed as it helps in controlling the

gases ratio. As we know tree gives out oxygen
and takes in carbon dioxide. If there is no
stability of oxygen and carbon dioxide, it will
lead to global warming.

Natural disasters like landslides , earthquakes and

tsunami can be caused due to deforestation.

SOLUTIONS
Use Recycled Items:
Today, a consumer can purchase a variety of recycled items,
including notebook paper, books, toilet paper, and shopping
bags. When people use recycled products and make a
conscious effort not to waste, the demand for new raw
material to replace these items can decrease.

Tree Care:
When cutting down trees single out full-grown
specimens and spare younger varieties. In the event that
you must remove a tree for a legitimate reason ,make
sure that for every tree lost another is planted in its place.

Afforestation:
Take a page from the Peoples Republic of China, where the
government has in the past set a requirement that every ablebodied citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 is responsible
for planting three to five trees per year or complete an equal
amount of work in other areas of forestry. Since 1982, the
government claims that at least one billion trees have been
planted in China as a result of the program.

Support Conservation Organizations:

Lend your support through donations of your time, money, or
actions to organizations that run programs concentrating on
the preservation of forest habitats, such as Greenpeace,
World Wide Fund for Nature, Community Forestry
International, and Conservation International.

There is a fun way to remember the most important

points in forest preservation called TREES which
means...

Teachothers about the importance of the environment

and how they can help save rainforests.

Restoredamaged ecosystems by planting trees on land

where forests have been cut down.

Encouragepeople to live in a way that doesn't hurt the

environment.

Establishparks to protect rainforests and wildlife.

Supportcompanies that operate in ways that minimize

damage to the environment.

Trees are the worlds air-conditioning system- the

lungs of the planet and we are on the verge of
switching it off.
- Prince
Charles

Is he right? You decide!