Deforeastation

THE BAD EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION Forest is a habitat of many species of plants and animals. It also gives many advantages to human. Tropical forests include dense rainforests, where rainfall is abundant year-around, seasonally moist forests, where rainfall is abundant, but seasonal, drier and more open woodlands. Nowadays, tropical forests of all varieties are disappearing rapidly as humans clear the natural landscape to make room for farms and pastures, to harvest timber for construction and fuel, and to build roads and urban areas. This human activity is called deforestation. According to Wikipedia, deforestation, clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use. Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees are cut down to be used or sold as fuel (sometimes in the form of charcoal) or timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of commodities and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on bio sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Although deforestation meets some human needs, it also have profound, sometimes devastating, consequences, including social conflict, extinction of plants and animals and climate change challenges that are not just local problem but it involve global too. There are many bad effects of deforestation toward biodiversity, climate, economic and others. Deforestation can cause negatives biodiversity impact. Although tropical forests cover only about seven per cent of the earth’s dry land, they probably about half of all species on earth. Many species are so specialized to microhabitats within the forest that they can only be found in small areas. Their specialization makes them vulnerable to extinction. Tropical forests contain more species than other ecosystem, as well as a higher proportion unique species. Deforestation not only hurts different climates around the world, it also poses a big threat to the plants and animals that live within the forest. When the act of deforestation occurs, it entails cutting down massive amounts of trees and vegetation. Many animals, big or small, are herbivorous and when their food supply gets taken away they are forced to move elsewhere. Some animals are able to find different food sources and make do with what they have, however others die and in some cases become extinct altogether. Although the herbivorous aren’t the only ones being affected by the lack of vegetation for food, carnivores are also. They feed on the herbivores and when the food source starts running low, it becomes more difficult for them to survive. Even when a small portion of the rainforest is lost it can lead to extinction of animal species. The reason is that animals require specialized habitats according to Stewart Smith who wrote “The Effects of Deforestation on Animals”. He claims that when deforestation increasing the chances of the species becoming extinct. It’s a shame to see animals go extinct because scientist loses the opportunity to learn about their behaviour and that organism. Each species of animal plays a vital role in the food chain that could make a noticeable difference in animals and humans survival in the future. According to the Earth Observatory website of NASA, “losses in species of animals in the rain forests have huge ramifications that affect both animals and humans. From studies of genetics among a multitude of diverse species within the rainforest, scientists are able to see some clues that assist them in the discovery of cures for deadly diseases and illnesses in both animals and humans”. When deforestation occur it causes animals to lose their habitats which means they have to adapt to a new environment and if not they become extinct. Climates can play a huge role in where and why that species of animals and plant live there. Biodiversity is something that should be preserved and cherished rather than destroyed and built over. The rain forests only take up 7 per cent of the earth while housing over half of the world animals. If we continue to decrease the living space for those animals and plants soon the consequences will be irreversible. Some biologists believe that some diseases can be cured within the biology of these rare plants and animals. Deforestation will lead to carbon cycle and global warming. Carbon cycle is the process that redistributes carbon on earth. The steps of carbon cycle are, firstly, carbon enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide from respiration (breathing) and combustion (burning). Then, carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers (life forms that make their own food e.g. plants) to make carbohydrates in photosynthesis. These producers then put off oxygen. After that, animals feed on the plants. Thus, passing the carbon compounds along the food chain. Most of the carbon these animals consume however is exhaled as carbon dioxide. This is through the process of respiration. The animals and plants then eventually die. Lastly, the dead organisms (dead animals and plants) are eaten by decomposers in the ground. The carbon that was in their bodies is then returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. In some circumstances the process of decomposition is prevented. The decomposed plants and animals may then be available as fossil fuel in the future for combustion. Global warming is the process that increases the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. Deforestation is a contributor to global warming and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect. Trees play a huge role in the carbon cycle. They convert the CO2 in the air to oxygen, through the process of photosynthesis, and in this way, they can be looked at as a natural regulator of the carbon dioxide. The more trees, the less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the more oxygen. Since we live in an age where carbon dioxide is very abundant in the atmosphere, released through man-made inventions, such as cars, factories, and power plants, it is vital, more than ever, that trees fulfil their part in the environment and take some of the excess carbon dioxide out of the air. Unfortunately, deforestation is preventing this job to be fully accomplished, and with half of all the Earth's forests gone, and four million trees cut down each year just for paper use, the amount of carbon dioxide is rising. With more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, more of the sun's radiation is being reflected back to earth, instead of space, and this is causing our average temperature to rise. In this way, deforestation is a major issue when it comes to global warming. According to Lindsay (2007), scientists estimate that the trees contain more carbon than 10 years’ worth of human-produced greenhouse gases. When the forests are clear by using fire, the carbon that stored in the woods will return to the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effects and global warming. Once the forest is cleared for crop or grazing land, the soil can become a large source of carbon emissions, depending on how farmers and ranchers manage the land. For example, in a some place, the soils of swampy lowland are rich in partially decayed organic matter, known as peat. During extended droughts such as El Nino events, the forests and the peat become flammable, especially if they have been degraded by logging or accidental fire when they burn, they release huge volumes of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Rainforests are widely believed to contribute a significant amount of the world's oxygen, although it is now accepted by scientists that rainforests contribute little net oxygen to the atmosphere and deforestation has only a minor effect on atmospheric oxygen levels. However, the incineration and burning of forest plants to clear land releases large amounts of CO2, which contributes to global warming. Scientists also state that tropical deforestation releases 1.5 billion tons of carbon each year into the atmosphere. Forests are also able to extract carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air, thus contributing to biosphere stability. Earth and the lives of everything that depends on it – from the smallest bacteria to the largest sea creatures – rest on a delicate matter and that is balance. A single, seemingly harmless disturbance in this balance has consequences that are both beneficial and disadvantageous. One of these is deforestation. Deforestation gives many bad impacts to environment. However, it give a positive impact on economic. The forest products industry is a large part of the economy in both developed and developing countries. Short-term economic gains made by conversion of forest to agriculture, or over-exploitation of wood products, typically lead to loss of long-term income and long-term biological productivity. Depending on the needs of the social group concerned, deforestation has made it possible for communities to be built. Forests make way for residential houses, office buildings and factories. Governments are able to build roads to make trade and transport easier and therefore more convenient to residents. Deforestation can also mean the conversion of forest land to productive land for agricultural uses. This results in better and more abundant production of food and materials, virtually eradicating periods of want and lack. Economically, deforestation has contributed much in giving many communities the opportunity to make positive changes in their lives. Deforestation has always been a practice of many developing communities and has contributed greatly to civilization as we know it today. Unfortunately, much of the ill effects of deforestation are caused by greed, bad agricultural practices and government neglect. First bad effect of deforestation toward environment is it will expose soil to heat and rain. When forests are cleared, soil cover, which consists mainly of vegetation, is removed as well. This exposes the bare soil to extreme conditions produced by the sun’s heat and rainwater. With these activities alternating, the soil quickly compacts. As rainwater flows, it will wash out the nutrients and other organic materials that make the soil rich and fertile. Add to that the frequent activities of tilling, cropping and grazing which gradually results to the degradation of the soil’s quality. These practices are specially a concern in areas where forest zones are drier. Agriculture practice on top of deforestation can result to the desertification of many areas. Desertification is also a direct result of the demand for the soil to produce more (as a consequence of the increase in human population); thereby decreasing to a significant degree the land’s carrying capacity. Second effect is flooding will occur. Deforestation can result to watersheds that are no longer able to sustain and regulate water flows from rivers and streams. Trees are highly effective in absorbing water quantities, keeping the amount of water in watersheds to a manageable level. The forest also serves as a cover against erosion. Once they are gone, too much water can result to downstream flooding, many of which have caused disasters in many parts of the world. As fertile topsoil is eroded and flooded into the lower regions, many coastal fisheries and coral reefs suffer from the sedimentation brought by the flooding. This results to negative effects in the economic viability of many businesses and fatalities in wildlife population. The third effect is there is non-suitability of deforested areas for conversion. Most of the areas that have undergone deforestation are actually unsuitable for long-term agricultural use such as ranching and farming. Once deprived of their forest cover, the lands rapidly degrade in quality, losing their fertility and arability. The soil in many deforested areas is also unsuitable for supporting annual crops. Much of the grassy areas are also not as productive compared to more arable soils and are therefore not fit for long-term cattle grazing. Besides that, the displacement of indigenous communities and their traditional way of life is one of the effects. When governments decide to offer forests for deforestation mainly to open up areas for ‘civilized’ communities, access to forest resources by indigenous peoples are ignored. In fact, indigenous peoples are hardly included in economic and political decisions that directly affect their lives. This encroachment ignores their rights as much as it takes away the resources that their ancestors have bestowed upon them. Lastly, the loss in the number of biodiversity will happen. This is probably the most serious consequence of deforestation. Put simply, it means the destruction and extinction of many plant and animal species, many of whom remain unknown and whose benefits will be left undiscovered.

As conclusion, the effects of deforestation are felt globally and it should be a top priority for not only horticulturists but common citizen as well. Through the assistance of horticulturists and education on deforestation, more people can have the awareness needed to make a change and prevent it consequences. This is because; the effects of deforestation are devastating to the planet. If steps are not taken to stop deforestation soon, the world will risk losing one of its most important contributors to the environment. Not only deforestation will take away vital materials such as wood and medicine, but it may also endanger countless animal species including human beings.