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DEFORESTATION
Deforestation, clearance, clearcutting or clearing is
the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land
which is then converted to a non-forest use.[2]
Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to
farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated
deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.[3] About
31% of Earth's land surface is covered by forests.[4]
Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas
across the world that are lost for other uses such as
agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining
activities. Greatly accelerated by human activities
since 1960, deforestation has been negatively
affecting natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and the
climate. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization
estimates the annual rate of deforestation to be around
1.3 million km2 per decade.
CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION
Multiple factors, either of human or natural origin,

cause deforestation. Natural factors include natural
forest fires or parasite-caused diseases which can
result in deforestation. Nevertheless, human activities
are among the main causes of global deforestation. the
expansion of agriculture caused nearly 80% of global deforestation, with the construction of
infrastructures such as roads or dams, together with mining activities and urbanization, making up
the remaining causes of deforestation.
1. Agriculture is the Number 1 Cause of Deforestation (~80%)
Why is deforestation happening? According to the FAO, agriculture causes around 80% of
deforestation. And how does agriculture cause so much deforestation? According to the same report,
33% of agriculture-caused deforestation is a consequence of subsistence agriculture – such as local
peasant agriculture in developing countries.
Commercial or industrial agriculture (field crops and livestock) cause around 40% of forest loss – in
the search for space to grow food, fibers or biofuel (such as soybeans, palm oil, beef, rice, maize,
cotton and sugar cane). It is also particularly interesting to note livestock is believed to be
responsible for about 14% of global deforestation. The main reasons why have to do with the large
areas require both to raise livestock but also to grow its (soy-based) food.
2. Deforestation Caused By New Constructions (~15%)

The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation. More specifically,
10% of deforestation can be attributed to new infrastructures that serve the current human lifestyle
in four main ways: transportation, transformation and energy generation.
On one hand, roads, rails, ports or airports have been built to move all sorts of goods – from cereals
and fruits to spices, minerals or fossil fuels – either directly to trade centers or to transformation
sites. So while at first there were only fruit trees, roads soon arrived to allow transporting fruit to
other regions. And while some goods were and are collected manually, others such as coal, oil,
natural gas, biomass, but also meat, dairy or spirits, required the construction of large extraction,
transportation and/or transformation infrastructures.
3. How Urbanization Is Causing Deforestation (~5%)

The populational shift that is leading people to move from rural areas to urban areas is also
contributing to deforestation (5%, according to FAO). This urban growth – in which 68% of the
world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050 – is leading to an exponential growth of
housing and consumption sites. And as cities become larger so they can host more people, they
challenge the natural boundaries surrounding them, often leading to deforestation. This is one of the
reasons why deforestation is happening.
Deforestation Effects – How Does Deforestation Affect The

Environment?
Deforestation has many consequences for natural ecosystems and it poses serious problems to
the resilience of the planet. Let’s take a look at the main effects of deforestation to better understand
why it is bad for the planet.
1 – The Effects of Deforestation on Biodiversity
The most known consequence of deforestation is its threat to biodiversity. In fact, forests represent
some of the most veritable hubs of biodiversity. From mammals to birds, insects, amphibians or
plants, the forest is home to many rare and fragile species.
80% of the Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests.
By destroying the forests, human activities are putting entire ecosystems in danger, creating natural
imbalances, and putting Life at threat. The natural world is complex, interconnected, and made of
thousands of inter-dependencies and among other functions, trees provide shade and colder
temperatures for animals and smaller trees or vegetation which may not survive with the heat of
direct sunlight. Besides, trees also feeding animals with their fruits while providing them with food
and shelter they need to survive.
Aren’t you yet sure about the importance of biodiversity for the planet’s balance and for
human life? Then you should find out some examples of how Life is interconnected:

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2 – The Effects of Deforestation on Local People and Their Livelihoods

Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people globally, one billion of whom are
among the world’s poorest. This means there are many people depending on forests for survival and
using them to hunt and gather raw products for their small-scale agriculture processes. But in
developing countries such as Borneo, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, or Mexico, land tenure systems
are weak. This allows big businesses to get these lands and use them for other ends, disrupting local
people’s lives.
Locals then have to make one of two choices. They can decide to abandon “their” land and migrate
somewhere else, avoiding conflict and embracing the challenge of a new different life. Or they can
stay and work for the companies exploring it in remote plantations – often getting unfair wages and
working under inhumane conditions. In some countries like Mexico, plantations’ owners are often
forced to share their profits with local cartels to keep their families alive and to avoid having their
crops burned
Related: Is Avocado Production Sustainable? The Social Impact Of Cartels In Avocado Production
3 – Deforestation for Food May Lead to Food Insecurity in the Future
Today, 52% of all the land used for food production is moderately or severely impacted by soil
erosion. In the long term, the lack of healthy, nutritious soil can lead to low yields and food
insecurity.
4 – Soil Erosion is One of the Consequences of Deforestation

Deforestation weakens and degrades the soil. Forested soils are usually not only richer on organic
matter, but also more resistant to erosion, bad weather, and extreme weather events. This happens
mainly because roots help fix trees in the ground and the sun-blocking tree cover helps the soil to
slowly dry out. As a result, deforestation will probably mean the soil will become increasingly
fragile, leaving the area more vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslides and floods.
5 – Deforestation Affects and Contributes to Climate Change

Deforestation also has a very strong contribution to climate change. Why? Let’s remember trees
absorb and store CO2 throughout their lives. If we speak about tropical forests, they hold more than
210 gigatons of carbon, according to WWF. And what’s worrying is that the destruction of these
trees has two big negative side-effects.
Firstly, taking down trees means they’ll release back into the atmosphere the CO2 they were
keeping. Secondly, fewer trees available means reducing the planet’s overall ability to capture and
store CO2. Both these effects negatively contribute to the greenhouse effect and to climate change.
As a matter of fact, while food and agriculture account for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions,
deforestation is estimated to be responsible for 10-15% of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions.
EFFECTS
Deforestation has important global consequences. Forests sequester carbon in the form of wood and
other biomass as the trees grow, taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (see carbon cycle).
When forests are burned, their carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse
gas that has the potential to alter global climate (see greenhouse effect; global warming), and the
trees are no longer present to sequester more carbon.
Borneo deforestationLandsat images showing the amount of deforestation in Borneo from 2000 to
2018. M.C. Hansen et al., University of Maryland, Google, USGS, NASA
In addition, most of the planet’s valuable biodiversity is within forests, particularly tropical ones.
Moist tropical forests such as the Amazon have the greatest concentrations of animal and plant
species of any terrestrial ecosystem; perhaps two-thirds of Earth’s species live only in these forests.
As deforestation proceeds, it has the potential to cause the extinction of increasing numbers of these
species.
On a more local scale, the effects of forest clearing, selective logging, and fires interact. Selective
logging increases the flammability of the forest because it converts a closed, wetter forest into a
more open, drier one. This leaves the forest vulnerable to the accidental movement of fires from
cleared adjacent agricultural lands and to the killing effects of natural droughts. As wildfires,
logging, and droughts continue, the forest can become progressively more open until all the trees
are lost. Additionally, the burning of tropical forests is generally a seasonal phenomenon and can
severely impact air quality. Record-breaking levels of air pollution have occurred in Southeast Asia
as the result of burning for oil palm plantations.
In the tropics, much of the deforested land exists in the form of steep mountain hillsides. The
combination of steep slopes, high rainfall, and the lack of tree roots to bind the soil can lead to
disastrous landslides that destroy fields, homes, and human lives. With the significant exception of
the forests destroyed for the oil palm industry, many of the humid forests that have been cleared are
soon abandoned as croplands or only used for low-density grazing because the soils are extremely
poor in nutrients. (To clear forests, the vegetation that contains most of the nutrients is often burned,
and the nutrients literally “go up in smoke” or are washed away in the next rain.)
Although forests may regrow after being cleared and then abandoned, this is not always the case,
especially if the remaining forests are highly fragmented. Such habitat fragmentation isolates
populations of plant and animal species from each other, making it difficult to reproduce without
genetic bottlenecks, and the fragments may be too small to support large or territorial animals.
Furthermore, deforested lands that are planted with commercially important trees lack biodiversity
and do not serve as habitats for native plants and animals, many of which are endangered species.
SOLUTIONS
1. Government Regulations
The best solution to deforestation is to curb the felling of trees by enforcing a series of rules and
laws to govern it. Deforestation in the current scenario may have reduced; however, it would be too
early to assume.
The money-churner nature of forest resources can be tempting enough for deforestation to continue.
2. Banning Clear-Cutting of Forests

This will curb the total depletion of the forest cover. It is a practical solution and is very feasible.
3. Reforestation and Afforestation

Land skinned of its tree cover for urban settlements should be urged to plant trees in the vicinity and
replace the cut trees. Also, the cutting must be replaced by planting young trees to replace the older
ones that were cut.
Trees are being planted under several initiatives every year, but they still don’t match the numbers
of the ones we’ve already lost.
4. Reduce Consumption of Paper

Your daily consumption of paper includes printing paper, notebooks, napkins, toilet paper, etc. Try
to reduce consumption, reduce waste of paper and also opt for recycled paper products.
Make life simple such as printing/writing on both sides of the paper, using less toilet paper,
avoiding paper plates, and napkins and wherever possible, go paperless.
5. Educate Others
Still, many are entirely unaware of the global warming problem we’re facing. Educate your friends,
family, and community by sharing the deforestation facts, and its causes and effects. You can make
an impact!
6. Eat Less Meat

Livestock rearing has become one of the leading causes of deforestation. Try to eat less meat. It
may be hard for some people to try. However, eating less meat, even just for one meal a day, will
also make an extreme impact on the environment.
7. Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly Companies

Try to purchase from companies that are committed to reducing deforestation. Asian Pulp and
Paper, Disney, L’Oreal, Hershey, Unilever, Willmar International are deforestation-free.
8. Reduce Consumption of Deforestation Prone Products

Palm oil is a common ingredient in absolutely everything we see around us. Make it a simple habit
to get a quick peek at the ingredients. Soybeans are another deforestation hotspot.
Try finding ways to reduce consumption or opting for organic, local soy products and, if possible,
avoid it completely.

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Multiple factors, either of human or natural origin,

2. Deforestation Caused By New Constructions (~15%)

3. How Urbanization Is Causing Deforestation (~5%)

Deforestation Effects – How Does Deforestation Affect The

1 – The Effects of Deforestation on Biodiversity

2 – The Effects of Deforestation on Local People and Their Livelihoods

4 – Soil Erosion is One of the Consequences of Deforestation

5 – Deforestation Affects and Contributes to Climate Change

2. Banning Clear-Cutting of Forests

3. Reforestation and Afforestation

4. Reduce Consumption of Paper

6. Eat Less Meat

7. Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly Companies

8. Reduce Consumption of Deforestation Prone Products

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