Deforestation is the removal of tree cover that exists in a given area, that is, the loss of forest cover. This can be to use the wood and use the soil for other purposes, or simply due to poor management of the land.
Although the loss of tree cover can occur due to various natural causes, humans are the main cause of deforestation. Many trees have wood of high economic value in the market and have been used for centuries for various purposes.
In addition, land is required for agriculture and livestock, and once the prairies and savannahs are occupied, one advances towards the forests and jungles. It is also deforested to establish cities, communication routes and power lines.
However, that model of life, that form of development is limited and dangerous, since the Earth has limits. When deforested, the soil is disturbed, exposed to rain and drag by water and wind.
This phenomenon known as erosion causes soil loss and creates deserts. On the other hand, forests and jungles play an important role in the water cycle and in regulating temperature.
So by deforesting we alter the climate, contribute to global warming, and deplete the resources that would feed future generations. Similarly, with the loss of the forest, plant and animal species become extinct..
It is human beings who deforest and we do so because our population is growing rapidly and with an unsustainable development model. We want to consume more and more, without considering that the Earth and its resources are finite.
One of the main causes of deforestation is getting new land to farm and to raise livestock. Especially for large areas of industrial crops such as soybeans and African or oil palm and for extensive livestock farming.
Many forests and jungles are home to tree species whose wood is highly valued. These are high-quality, hard woods, useful for making furniture, for building houses and boats, and many other purposes. Therefore, one of the causes of deforestation is obtaining these woods.
In the Brazilian Amazon alone, 3.7 million hectares were lost in 2019 due to forest fires, more than triple the number in 2015, many caused intentionally to expand farmland and livestock..
In Portugal, 4% of its vegetation cover was lost due to fires in 2019, while in 2016 the Congo River basin had already lost 15,000 hectares due to this cause.
In the process of expanding the growing human population, new spaces are required. This includes areas for urban planning, roads, power lines, dams and all kinds of infrastructure. In such a way that forest areas are invaded, for which the first step is to deforest.
Mining is currently one of the most important causes of deforestation that affects the two main forest masses in the world. In Africa's Congo River basin, mining for diamonds, cobalt, tantalum, coltan and gold is the cause of intense deforestation.
The same occurs in the mega-basin of the Amazon-Orinoco in South America, where the forest is deforested to obtain gold and coltan mainly.
All the above causes are included in the problem of the current development model on the planet. A model based on high population growth and increasing and inefficient consumption of resources, generating a large amount of waste. That pushes to deforest to obtain more resources, such as wood, minerals, soil, food and behind all the money.
Forests and jungles can also lose their trees due to tsunamis, volcanic eruptions or meteorite falls..
Planet Earth is a great ecosystem where everything is closely related, therefore the deforestation of jungles and forests affects its global functioning. And the final consequence of continuing that process will be the end of life on the planet..
The direct consequence is the loss of species of all kinds when the forest disappears. As the jungles and forests are a prominent part of the most diverse terrestrial biomes, their loss is very significant. In turn, the alterations at the planetary level that cause the loss of forests, cause the loss of species in other ecosystems.
The tree cover protects the soil against erosion, that is, against the wear and tear caused by the elements of the weather. When it rains, the vegetation cushions the impact of the drops and prevents the water from running rapidly across the ground.
In addition, the forest creates shade, retains moisture and moderates temperature. When deforesting, the soil is totally exposed and is parched and carried away by rain and wind.
The gas called carbon dioxide (COtwo) is one of the main gases that causes the greenhouse effect. This effect consists of the fact that heat is trapped in the earth's atmosphere when it is absorbed by gases such as COtwo, increasing global temperature.
The jungles and forests retain carbon, since this element is part of plant tissues. Therefore, when deforestation stops retaining carbon and if wood is burned, the carbon that was retained is released.
The jungles and forests are the sources of water that feed the great rivers of the Earth. This is due to the regulatory effect of the water cycle, by capturing moisture, retaining it and facilitating the infiltration of water into the soil. Therefore, deforestation depletes fresh water sources.
A forest or a jungle is a very complex ecosystem inhabited by many species. When deforestation is altered, the balance is disturbed, causing the loss of species and services provided by the ecosystem. Such as the provision of water, the oxygen that plants give and the sequestration of carbon.
But these alterations can also expose us to diseases, as scientists have already warned. In fact, the recent COVID-19 pandemic is thought to have originated from bats taken from the rainforest..
In Europe and the USA about 95% of their natural forests were deforested and they have few areas with primary forests. Today the most threatened ecosystems are tropical forests and according to FAO and UNEP, 11.3 million hectares of these forests are lost annually..
In the Amazon, 42.6 million hectares were deforested between 1970 and 1980. While, according to Global Forest Watch, a third of the deforestation that occurred on the planet in 2019 occurred in the Brazilian Amazon.
It is considered the largest forest formation in South America after the Amazon and suffers from high deforestation. This region located between Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, lost more than 6,500 hectares of forest between March and April 2020 alone. In total, in this ecosystem more than 5 million hectares have been deforested.
The rainforests of the Congo River basin in Africa are the second largest on the planet after the Amazon. This despite the fact that already close to 80% has been lost due to deforestation. According to the FAO, 311,000 hectares are deforested every year.
This large island in the southeast of Africa has exceptional forests, since due to its isolation it is home to many unique species. However, due to the intense deforestation it has suffered, only 20% of the original forests remain. The speed at which the island is deforested is 200,000 hectares per year.
This is the largest forest mass in the world and extends throughout the northern USA, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia and part of Mongolia. Deforestation here particularly threatens the climate by exposing the soil.
This because the frozen layer melts and releases large amounts of greenhouse gases (methane and COtwo). In Russia alone, about 1.5 million hectares are lost annually, deforested for various reasons.
There are various measures that must be taken to deal with the problem of deforestation. Some of them are preventive, aimed at preventing forests and jungles from being deforested, while others are applied to reverse the damage caused by deforestation..
The most effective measure to avoid deforestation is to protect the largest proportion of jungles and forests through legal procedures. It is about decreeing national parks, ecological reserves, biosphere reserves and others that exist in national and international legislation.
To reduce the pressure on natural resources that drives deforestation, consumption patterns must be changed. For example, a conscientious and informed citizenry should demand certified wood products from plantations and not from natural forests. In the same way, the recycling of materials should be encouraged to reduce their extraction from natural environments..
An important part of a sustainable model is reducing poverty, as a hungry population puts pressure on forests. If a population requires food and energy, it will cut down to use firewood and sell wood.
The commercialization of wood and products from forests and jungles that do not have a sustainable management certification should be prohibited. Similarly, implement economic incentives that support the maintenance of forests and jungles.
To the extent that clean technologies are developed that take into account the non-impact of forests, deforestation will be reduced. For example, sustainable and intensive management of existing growing and growing areas would reduce the need for new farmland. Like new technologies for food production.
Once deforestation has occurred, remediation measures are required, that is, to restore the forest cover. There are several approaches to this, including trying to get the forest to recover to a condition as close to its original condition..
This is known as ecological restoration, which tries to reproduce natural processes to accelerate the restoration of the forest. In any case, any of the approaches is based on reforesting, that is, planting trees again in the affected area.
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