We explain what deforestation is, its causes and consequences. Also, how to avoid it and its relationship with desertification.
What is deforestation?
deforestation is the destruction or depletion of the surface forestry (natural forests) usually due to human action through the felling or burning of trees, with the aim of gaining industrial inputs (such as the wood and paper industries, among others) or arable land for agricultural work.
While deforestation is primarily a process caused by human activities, forests may sometimes suffer similar damage due to natural accidents, such as forest fires during drought or volcanic activity.
In any case, deforestation is one of the most serious threats currently looming over the planet's forest masses. It puts in check the home of millions of species and has a tremendous impact on soil deterioration and carbon fixation (process directly related to photosynthesis carried out by plants).
Consequently, numerous initiatives worldwide are trying to raise awareness among the population about the urgency of tightening laws to protect large forest reserves, as well as investing resources in the recovery of forests on a global scale.
See also: Environmental problems
Types of deforestation according to their causes
Deforestation is a unique phenomenon, which can be classified according to its causes into two types:
- Natural deforestation It is due to the effects of natural accidents and events typical of Earth's dynamics, which is why they cannot be anticipated or stopped once they have started. This type of deforestation occurs, for example, when there are large storms with lightning, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions or forest fires, which can destroy a forest in a very short time. Another cause of natural deforestation is the pests and diseases of trees, caused by insects (such as beetles and aphids) that are capable of producing massive “natural felling” of trees.
- Human deforestation They are the direct or indirect result of human activities and are, therefore, our responsibility. They represent the main cause of deforestation and, unlike natural phenomena, they can be avoided. Among the main causes of human deforestation are:
- Expansion of the urban area. Cities grow as their population increases and space is again required to build homes and road works. The forests are the first to pay the price.
- Indiscriminate logging for agricultural purposes. The increase in world population brings with it the need to produce more and more food, so more and more arable areas are required. To do this, entire sections of forest are usually cut down and converted into farms or fields for grazing.
- Large scale logging and paper operations. The timber, pulp and paper industries, among other tree derivatives, feed on consuming huge annual sections of major forests. Although sometimes these companies also invest in reforestation programs, the rate of felling is always much higher than the rate of planting new trees.
- Deficient forest laws and negligent states. Ultimately, the responsibility for protecting these natural treasures lies with the states in whose territories the forests occur, but many of them lack the incentive to protect them, especially when it means losing money.
Consequences of deforestation
The consequences of large-scale deforestation are neither few nor easy to remedy. Among the main ones are:
- Loss of biodiversity Jungles and forests are some of the most fertile ecosystems on the planet, housing thousands or millions of life forms of all kinds (a high percentage of which has not even been discovered by humanity). All of this is put at risk if we destroy their habitat.
- Increase of carbon in the atmosphere and global warming Forests fulfill a thermoregulatory function of the planet since they absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) that they use to carry out photosynthesis, a process that allows the fixation of carbon and the release of oxygen (O2) to the atmosphere. When deforestation increases the levels of carbon dioxide, which accumulates in the atmosphere. This alteration in the cycle of this gas results in an increase in global temperature, since CO2 is the main greenhouse gas.
- Destruction of soils Solar radiation, wind and rain (all erosive factors) are attenuated to an important extent by the presence of forests, which act as a defense for the soil. Without them, the elements directly affect the soil, causing changes in relief and erosion.
- Air impoverishment. Forests also release significant amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere, which helps keep soils moist and contributes to the hydrological cycle. The decrease in this contribution produces drier air.
- Desertification One of the most terrible phenomena associated with large-scale deforestation is desertification, that is, the appearance of new deserts or expansion of existing deserts.
Deforestation and desertification
Desertification occurs as a consequence of impoverishment of soils, drying of the atmosphere and the greater incidence of solar radiation.
It is capable of converting fertile land into arid land in a short time, making difficult even planting tasks for which, often, the forest that inhabited it was cut down by human hands.
How to avoid deforestation?
The fight against deforestation does not have a simple solution. Ideally, it would have to be the product of sustained efforts by States and Non-Governmental Organizations (such as Community Forestry International, WWF, Greenpeace and others).
It should also be the responsibility of the industries themselves log responsibly that is, at a rate that allows reforestation and that satisfies the strictly necessary needs of demand.
On the other hand, there is the idea of alternate felled forests allowing enough time for plant life to minimally recover. Activities can also be encouraged pulp recycling through the collection of waste papers and wood.
Consumers and businesses can also play a very important role in preventing deforestation. First, it is essential to achieve a process of awareness and sensitization through educational campaigns, so that consumers identify the problem and care about buying ecological products, coming from companies free of deforestation for their manufacturing.
Then, based on consumer choices and their pressure towards these products, many companies would choose new strategies and alternatives to produce deforestation-free.
Another strategy is the use of recycled paper, plastic and wood products, as well as the adoption of responsible consumption. This will result in less dependence on trees and, therefore, a reduction in deforestation.
At the same time, stricter legislations That promote all of the above should be a priority in most countries.
Reforestation
reforestation is the effort to plant new forests or grow existing ones. It can be done through its protection or through the scattering of seeds, as well as individual planting by citizens.
Many of these initiatives have borne enormous fruit in the first years of the 21st century and it is considered that the amount of forest has grown in 22 of the 50 countries with the largest forest reserves on the planet.
Deforestation in Mexico
In Mexican territory there are 138 million hectares of forest vegetation, especially lush in the southern regions, where they meet the Central American jungle. Of all this 3.2 million hectares have been lost between 2001 and 2017, 6% of the forest territory which is bad news for the ecology of the region.
FAO studies estimate that 34% of the fauna of these forests is endemic, that is, it cannot live anywhere else on the planet. This means that 12% of the fauna will disappear completely in the coming years if nothing is done to prevent it.
This is a problem that Mexico shares with other Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia.
Deforestation in the Amazon
The Amazon Rainforest is one of the largest forest areas in the world. One in every ten species known to humanity lives there, making it the largest reserve of planetary biodiversity. Furthermore, it is one of the planetary “lungs” since it fixes enormous amounts of carbon that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere.
However, the Amazon nations (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela) exploit this resource in different ways, to provide land for agriculture, livestock and mining, or resources for timber industries.
The issue of Amazon deforestation, whose effects on the local climate are already being felt, came to light when thousands of hectares of forest burned during August 2019, mainly in the territories of Brazil and Bolivia.
This sparked international concern and outrage. However, Exploitation activities in the region have been denounced for years or decades by environmental activists and by spokespersons for the ancestral communities that still live far from civilization, in the bowels of the Amazon.
Continue with: Causes of pollution
References
- “Deforestation” on Wikipedia.
- “Deforestation” in National Geographic.
- “Deforestation” at World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
- “What's Driving Deforestation?” at Union of Concerned Scientists of USA (UCSUSA).
- “Deforestation (Ecology)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
