Forests are the planet's lungs and essential to life on
Earth. They lock up vast amounts of carbon and release oxygen. Forests make
rainfall and filter freshwater. They provide subsistence, fuel wood and medicines.Forests have been at the heart of WWF's work for half a century, and
we are proud of our accomplishments to protect these amazing ecosystems, the biodiversity that they harbor, and the communities that have called these
forests homes for centuries.They fought for the creation of national parks and
other protected areas, helped bring more attention to responsible harvesting
and trade of timber products.But forests still face major threats. As more wood
is used for energy, more land is cleared for agriculture, new roads bring
settlers and industry beyond today frontiers and climate change causes extreme
weather events, forests will come under pressure like never before.
The most common pressures causing deforestation
and severe forest degradation are: large and small-scale agriculture, unsustainable
logging, mining, infrastructure projects, and increased fire incidence and
intensity. New roads can have a small direct impact but a large indirect effect
through opening up forests to settlers and agriculture. Poor forest management,
destructive logging practices and unsustainable fuel wood collection degrade
forests and often instigate death by a thousand cuts, increasing spiral of
degradation that eventually leads to deforestation. In deforestation fronts,
forests are often squandered due to poor governance of land and unsustainable
economic activity. The full value of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services
is not recognized, nor is it safeguarded in public policies and governance
systems. Forests are replaced by other land uses that generate higher
short-term financial returns, or face gradual depletion through unsustainable
harvesting, hunting, fires and other disturbances.
Many effects from the deforestation. First,
increase in Global Warming. Trees play a major role in controlling global
warming. The trees utilize the greenhouse gases, restoring the balance in the
atmosphere. With constant deforestation the ratio of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere has increased, adding to our global warming woes. Next, soil
erosion. Also due to the shade of trees the soil remains moist. With the
clearance of tree cover, the soil is directly exposed to the sun, making it
dry. After that, wildlife extinction. Due to massive felling down of trees,
various species of animals are lost. They lose their habitat and forced to move
to new location. Some of them are even pushed to extinction. Our world has lost
so many species of plants and animals in last couple of decades.
The best solution to deforestation is to curb
the felling of trees, by employing 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 that forest resources can be is tempting
enough for deforestation to continue. Next, clear cutting of forests must be
banned. This will curb total depletion of the forest cover. It is a practical
solution and is very feasible.
Forests are the planet's lungs and essential to life on
Earth. They lock up vast amounts of carbon and release oxygen. Forests make
rainfall and filter freshwater. They provide subsistence, fuel wood and medicines.Forests have been at the heart of WWF's work for half a century, and
we are proud of our accomplishments to protect these amazing ecosystems, the biodiversity that they harbor, and the communities that have called these
forests homes for centuries.They fought for the creation of national parks and
other protected areas, helped bring more attention to responsible harvesting
and trade of timber products.But forests still face major threats. As more wood
is used for energy, more land is cleared for agriculture, new roads bring
settlers and industry beyond today frontiers and climate change causes extreme
weather events, forests will come under pressure like never before.
The most common pressures causing deforestation
and severe forest degradation are: large and small-scale agriculture, unsustainable
logging, mining, infrastructure projects, and increased fire incidence and
intensity. New roads can have a small direct impact but a large indirect effect
through opening up forests to settlers and agriculture. Poor forest management,
destructive logging practices and unsustainable fuel wood collection degrade
forests and often instigate death by a thousand cuts, increasing spiral of
degradation that eventually leads to deforestation. In deforestation fronts,
forests are often squandered due to poor governance of land and unsustainable
economic activity. The full value of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services
is not recognized, nor is it safeguarded in public policies and governance
systems. Forests are replaced by other land uses that generate higher
short-term financial returns, or face gradual depletion through unsustainable
harvesting, hunting, fires and other disturbances.
Many effects from the deforestation. First,
increase in Global Warming. Trees play a major role in controlling global
warming. The trees utilize the greenhouse gases, restoring the balance in the
atmosphere. With constant deforestation the ratio of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere has increased, adding to our global warming woes. Next, soil
erosion. Also due to the shade of trees the soil remains moist. With the
clearance of tree cover, the soil is directly exposed to the sun, making it
dry. After that, wildlife extinction. Due to massive felling down of trees,
various species of animals are lost. They lose their habitat and forced to move
to new location. Some of them are even pushed to extinction. Our world has lost
so many species of plants and animals in last couple of decades.
The best solution to deforestation is to curb
the felling of trees, by employing 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 that forest resources can be is tempting
enough for deforestation to continue. Next, clear cutting of forests must be
banned. This will curb total depletion of the forest cover. It is a practical
solution and is very feasible.
