Causes of Deforestation

 

Causes of Deforestation

Deforestation is the process of cutting down or clearing the standing living trees permanently to convert the areas into non-forest uses. Deforestation can be due to human activities or by nature . The forest areas decrease across the world for agricultural land, urbanization, mining activities, timber, construction etc.

Deforestation affects the biodiversity. Deforestation brings many problems like soil erosion, greenhouse gas emission, climate change, loss of habitat, flooding, water cycle disruption, fewer crops and many more.

Deforestation can be due to multiple factors, that can be natural or by the human activities. Natural causes include storm, flood, wildfire, parasite-caused diseases etc. but the human’s greed and selfishness are the main causes of global deforestation. Here are some reasons for deforestation:

Agriculture

Agriculture causes 80% of deforestation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Deforestation is most common in topical areas where the farmers used “slash-and-burn farming” cultivation method. In this method, the farmers burn the forest to clean the area and then they grow crops on that area. After few years the soil loses its fertility, then the farmers move to the new areas of the forest and performed the same practices.

30% of deforestation in Asia and Africa and 70% in Latin America due to industrial agriculture, animal husbandry and large-scale agriculture are the main drivers of deforestation. In Indonesia, palm oil development, intensive agriculture and pulp and paper plantation are the main causes of deforestation. After cattle products, soy is the largest agricultural driver of deforestation.

Construction

 

With the growing of population, the people clear the forest to make their houses, build roads, dams etc. According to World Bank, the world already lost 1.3 million square kilometers of forest which is an area that is larger than South Africa. 10% of deforestation is due to new infrastructures which serve as transportation, transformation and energy generation. In Brazilian Amazon, more than 30,000 miles of new roads through the rain forest had been built in just three years. 7,500 kilometers of new paved highways which is constructed by Brazil, broke the Amazon Basin.

Livestock

Livestock ranching is another cause of deforestation. Brazil, a top exporter of beef has lost an area of forest which is as same as of three-quarter of Texas.

Illegal Logging

Illegal harvesting is timber harvesting which is a violation of national regulations. Logging, or cutting down trees in a forest for wood, products or fuel, is a primary driver of deforestation.

Wood is used to make paper, match sticks, furnitures, etc. The wood-based industries need a huge amount of wood supply so thousands of trees are chopped.

Firewood

In some places, especially rural areas people cut the trees to get firewood as fuel. 67% of India’s rural areas still use firewood for cooking. Firewood and charcoal are used for cooking and heating, is still used in many parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Paper

Each year about 640 million trees are cutting down to make paper, according to Environment Paper Network. About 10% of deforestation occurs due to the paper and wood products, according to Union of Concerned Scientists

Mining

Mining activity is one of the major causes of deforestation. For mines of coal, diamond and gold, many trees are cut down to clear the forests, not only for mining, trucks and equipment, roads are constructed , result deforestation.

Palm oil

Palm oil, which a another cause of deforestation, used in many packaged food and beauty products. Due to great demand, the raising prices of palm oil make it more expensive. Indonesian and Malaysian farmers destroy an acre of trees in order to harvest them.