The Root Causes of Deforestation

Almost one-third of the earth's land is covered with forest. They play an important role in sustaining life. They house over 60% of the world's biodiversity and provide human beings with many products such as food, medicine, fuel, lumber, paper etc. Aside from the numerous products that can be acquired from the forests, they also play very important ecological roles by stopping erosion, protecting the watershed, controlling stream and river flows, regulating atmospheric conditions, and preventing flooding and landslides.

But because of several reasons, this valuable ecosystem is rapidly disappearing in various parts of the world. Deforestation rates have increased since the 1980s. To date, according to the estimate given by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, a group responsible for the forests, deforestation rates have accelerated during the 1990s translating to 10.14 million hectares of denuded forests from 1990-2000 and to 10.4 million hectares in the period of 2000-2005.

Deforestation and forest degradation occur in response to policy, market and institutional signals. It is the result of the interaction of many environmental, economic, social, cultural and political conditions in any given region.

There are two main causes of deforestation. The primary and most common reasons for deforestation are known as the direct causes. Logging, overpopulation, urbanization, dam construction etc are under direct causes. The other main cause of deforestation is known as natural causes since they are brought by the Mother Nature.

Rapid population growth has resulted to the conversion of forest areas to non-forest lands for settlement and farming. Together with this is urbanization and residential area expansion. This takes a significant loss of forest lands both for harvesting forest products as more people need more lumber to build their houses and for developing the greater area their houses, malls, business centers will be built.

An increase in population also means an increase in produce consumption. Thus, rainforests are destroyed and converted to cattle pasture to supply the burgeoning demand for meat. In Central America, almost half of the rainforests have been slashed and burned for cattle farming in order comply with foreign demands. Twenty-five per cent of the Amazon's forests have also been destroyed for cattle ranches.

Lack of government legislation for land reforms has also cleared the forest especially in developing countries like of the South East Asian nations. People in that region are among the poorest in the world and are desperate for a piece of land. Unequal distribution of resources has led these people to find their way to exploit the forests.

Another reason that denudes the forest is exploitative economic development schemes and the powerlessness of government to safeguard its resources. Poor countries in their attempt to increase their revenues are in a way exploiting their resources like the forests. Timber is exported to reduce the national debt. Countries rich in mineral resources open their doors to multinational mining corporations that clear the forests as they go with their operations. The government especially those belonging in the Third World cannot curb commercial logging and implement a total log ban in exchange to higher foreign exchange rates. Development projects like dams, roads, and airports contracted by the government also cause deforestation.

While most causes of deforestation occur due to human activities, there are uncontrolled causes of deforestation such as forest fires, volcanic eruption, and typhoon.

Forest fires are started by lightning, and strong winds help to spread the flames. Drought in the forest has increased the amount of flammable bush and debris on the forest floor. Forest fires destroy immeasurable amount of valuable timber. They kill not only trees but also other living things.

Meanwhile, volcanic eruption is one of the several natural forces capable of causing damage to forests. The ashes emitted during the eruption coat tree leaves, which then interfere with photosynthesis. Animal population is also devastated. The organisms that survive have to cope with the changed habitat and reduced food supplies.

Last is typhoon. These are violent storms when fierce winds destroy much of the island's rain forest.

People can only hope that the uncontrollable forces causing deforestation would not do great damage. However, right decisions and good actions must be taken to address the problems brought by the other reasons of deforestation where the cause and the end result is at the hands of the people.

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Amazon Rainforest and It's Deforestation

The main and most important reason why tropical rainforests need to be preserved is the fact that they're enabling life on Earth. Not only are they absorbing carbon dioxide and creating oxygen in the process, they're also regulating temperature and are producing important nutrients like nitrogen and phosphor and are protecting watersheds from erosion of salt as well. Tropical rainforests can be also quite helpful on field of pharmacology and new medication researching because between thousands of different plants that have their habitat here and perhaps they're even hiding potential cure for menaces of the modern world like cancer and AIDS.

But what about their destruction, can this process be stopped? Between 1970 and now, Brazil lost more than 600,000 sq km (232 000 sq miles) of Amazon rainforest which is very disturbing information. Through this article main reasons for such deforestation will be presented and methods that could mean preservation of Amazon rainforest will be pointed out. First let's point out the main reasons that are causing this high amount of deforestation.

Most important deforestation factor is clearing forest area for cattle pasture and it causes 60-70 % of total deforestation. Since cattle breeding is very profitable business and doesn't require high maintenance expenditures and gives very solid profit, it's very clear why such big percent of Amazon forest is being destroyed because of cattle pasture. Increasing number of cattle needs more area on which they can pasture and because of this reason forests are often being replaced by savannas and other coarse grasses.

Second great cause of deforestation is also connected with agriculture but this time with farms. Since most population in Brazil is still very much oriented on agriculture, large areas of forests are being cleared in order to leave more space to cultivable areas, where especially poor farmers are being stimulated by government politics to settle and work on these areas. Since farmers use fire in this process, whole procedure has its negative effect doubled, because not only forests areas are being destroyed but also large quantities of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are being released in atmosphere having negative impact on whole biosystem and polluting air we breathe.

Large growth of cultivable areas is also connected with advanced production of soybean because Brazilian scientists have discovered new sorts of soybean and soybean is very expensive and very appreciated on world market and Brazil has such rapid growth with soybean production that according to some predictions soon will go even past the USA which at this moment holds first place in soybean production. Although many people would think that logging is main cause for such huge deforestation that's not true because it causes only 2-4 % of total deforestation. Tropical rainforests are presenting large source of expensive wood among which special place has precious ebony and that's the reason why illegal logging is so much expanded and profitable business, namely because of high prices of this wood.

Just for example of that in September 2003, 17 people were arrested under incrimination that they destroyed 10 000 hectares of forest area and this is just small drop in the sea of illegal logging. Last factor that causes deforestation is infrastructure building, especially of roads and dams and it makes about 2-4 % of total deforestation.

Famous example of this politic is building of Trans-Amazonian Highway which had its purpose not only in connection between distant places but also in opening of new areas to farmers and easier exploiting of wooden riches. After this famous project was done, deforestation has gone to a whole new level and this presents a real example how building of infrastructure can cause complete ecological chaos. But can these factors be prevented or could they be at least slowed down until the level that could be more tolerable to environment?

There's still hope but only under this conditions.

First of all, former forest areas should be rehabilitated which is not that difficult process if at least small part of former biosystem is saved. Rehabilitation also needs higher productivity of cultivable areas and intellectual approach to agriculture by using modern methods and by influencing on farmers and their ecological conscience which often brakes down the whole procedure. Number of protected forest areas should also be increased and for that strong and systematic politic is needed.

Laws should be very precise and very strict with huge punishments for its offenders, not only fines but also jail sentences for more severe lawbreaking. But the most important thing is to influence on ecological conscience of all people by trying to present them negative consequences of deforestation that could easily cause catastrophic effect to all life on Earth and result in even more expressed climate changes. Only fast intervention on all fields can have success, because humanity needs to find the right way while it still can. To make harmony between ecology and economy is very difficult task but by no means impossible.

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Deforestation Solutions Are There Really Any

Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies and threats of all time is deforestation. Since our rainforests provide us with various living means, any form of peril to it should never be disregarded. Thus, focusing on the issues and planning more for solutions to deforestation is definitely a must.

Like all other problems, solutions come in a wide array of choices. However, you get to pick one first at a time and see if it's capable to yield good answers or not. In deforestation, it is admittedly quite difficult to find solutions to the dilemma mainly because of the huge scope that it encompasses. Remember, this act and its effects are directed not only at a specific area. All other parts of the world have gone through such act and all else have experienced how nature got back at them.

The Traditional Solution

The conventional solution aims to target and fix poverty which they consider to be the cause of deforestation. The government, together with various organizations, sees development as the main key to cure. Ironically speaking though, industrialization and further city developments are also one of the causes of deforestation. This happened to be the reason why the government has been buffeted by issues with regards to the solutions that they tried to provide. Nevertheless, here are the proposed (and mostly unrealistic) solutions the government has to offer:

Tropical Forest Action Plan (TFAP) is one of the anticipated problem solutions by the government. It operates through strategically implementing to the people the value of our forests. This plan has failed many times for obvious reasons. In fact, the government (as they say) should have created a much clever plan to truly eradicate the problem. Bringing up nonrealistic items over the table is just considered to be a waste of time.

Sustained Yield Forestry is one of the projected ways to minimize the output of timber in its yearly harvest. Issues have hovered around corrupt officials who permit excess timber counts in exchange for money. This solution therefore needs honest and responsible professional men to lead along the way to change. The question is, when and where will you see dignified men these days especially with the color of money around?

Reserve Strategies are also one of the seemingly impossible ways of treating the problem. Hording of resources and keeping them for future use is quite an impractical thing to do. It needs more practice, and thus should be disregarded in cases where abrupt changes could be made. Remember, the deforestation process is widely accelerating in number now, and plans which are time bounded should be followed.

Lastly, International Biodiversity Program is also one of the seen probabilities by the government to finish the problem of deforestation. However, it works almost the same as TFAP which is also proven to be non-beneficial. Traditional based planned strategies are all government solutions to deforestation. It is up to your own criticism now as to which will be judged the best.

The Realistic Solutions To Deforestation

The question on how to confront the problem is a bit daunting. It rather involves challenges not only among the normal people; but it also involves those who make the biggest decisions in our world. The evaluation of the solutions is directed towards the response of the people and of the other surrounding parties.

The realistic solutions to deforestation includes: timber labeling, addressing the problems of landlessness, recognizing the rights of indigenous people, and inequality and debt. Although these may be the most realistic ways to halt deforestation acts, it needs the cooperation of everyone else.

After all, a big plan cannot work if there is no full force addressed to it.

Deforestation Take Steps to Overcome the Problem

Deforestation is not all that serious is it? After all, it only affects small pockets of the world and doesn't receive the same coverage as global warming or climate change.

It is this type of mentality that is dangerous to everyone. Deforestation certainly is serious and demands everyone's attention, not just a few people who show concern about the matter. It may be true that deforestation does not occur in every single area of the world that has trees, but that is partially due to the fact that so much of the planet is carpeted with forests. Unfortunately, too much of humanity has taken the abundance of trees for granted and has turned a blind eye to the frightening pace at which they are being removed. It is easy to forget that tropical rainforests alone are losing over 80,000 acres per day because there remains so much untouched acreage worldwide.

Part of the reason we don't hear as much about deforestation as other ecological issues is because it hasn't yet reached critical mass. The negative effects of deforestation are not yet irreversible, but we need to address them before we reach the point of no return. It is possible to leave the forests that have not yet felt the hand of deforestation unspoiled and revive those that have simply by changing our habits and making a call for action.

One obvious cause of deforestation is the sheer amount of paper products humans consume. Paper comes from trees, and the more paper products we use, the more trees are lost. The solution here is not as easy as simply banning the lumber industry from cutting down trees in certain areas. In fact, this solution is not easy at all, because it would be counterproductive. There is a significant population that lives near forest land that is poor, especially farmers, who depend on some trees being removed in order to slightly increase farmland that they may till and harvest in order to carve out a meager living. Those of us who do not depend on the land in order to survive may not be aware of this issue and that is why we must take advantage of our position and make some sacrifices.

And if you think about it, using fewer paper products such as printer paper, paper towels, facial tissues, and paper plates doesn't take all that much effort. The internet has already reduced the need for so much paper required to print magazines, books, and letters by digitizing so many of the media we use to communicate. Best of all, printer paper does not need to be used at record paces because of wonderful technology like flash drives and hard drives. If you need to retain of copy of a receipt or a piece of correspondence, save it to the hard drive of your computer and back it up on an external drive such as a flash. This way you won't have to print out a copy that you would place somewhere and lose anyway.

When it comes to reducing the amount of trees felled in the name of paper, recycling is one of the most effective solutions. Instead of absent-mindedly tossing paper in the trash can, put it in a recycling receptacle. Not only does this keep the landfills clear of items that hinder their ability to store items that don't easily biodegrade, the paper can be recycled into new paper products. It doesn't take a large stretch of the imagination to realize a much slower rate of deforestation if everyone placed paper plates, cups, and unimportant letters in the recycle bin. If we use one cup, plate, and piece of paper for every one we recycle, the ratio is 1:1, putting much less strain on the world's forests.

Several cities worldwide also provide recycling incentives in the form of tax credits or rebates for those who enroll in a recycling program. Through these programs, it is apparent that governments are beginning to understand the importance of reducing deforestation (as well as pollution). Many governments are also jumping on board the renewable energy initiative and setting aside funds to encourage research and development of alternative energy programs. Now would be a good time to appeal to the conservation sensibilities that several countries' governments currently maintain and acquire funding to combat deforestation. If large timber corporations are unwilling to change their harvesting methods, it may help to develop other techniques and educate them on these procedures. If this is unsuccessful, it is possible to direct the funds toward reforestation programs and education to those who may need guidance on how they may help. Timber plantations are also an opportunity for governments to show their citizens that they are serious about curbing deforestation. Once these plantations mature and it can be shown how much product they can yield, maybe we can be convinced to leave the trees that have been given to us naturally alone.

If each of us makes an effort, even one as easy as recycling, deforestation will take much less of a toll on our lives. When everyone pitches in, the end of deforestation is possible.

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