Deforestion

Deforestation is the purposeful clearing of forested land. Throughout

history and into modern times, forests have been razed to make space
for agriculture and animal grazing, and to obtain wood for fuel,
manufacturing, and construction.

Deforestation has greatly altered landscapes around the world. About

2,000 years ago, 80 percent of Western Europe was forested; today
the figure is 34 percent. In North America, about half of the forests in
the eastern part of the continent were cut down from the 1600s to the
1870s for timber and agriculture. China has lost great expanses of its
forests over the past 4,000 years and now just over 20 percent of it is
forested. Much of Earth’s farmland was once forests.

Today, the greatest amount of deforestation is occurring in tropical

rainforests, aided by extensive road construction into regions that
were once almost inaccessible. Building or upgrading roads into
forests makes them more accessible for exploitation. Slash-and-
burn agriculture is a big contributor to deforestation in the tropics. With
this agricultural method, farmers burn large swaths of forest, allowing
the ash to fertilize the land for crops. The land is only fertile for a few
years, however, after which the farmers move on to repeat the
process elsewhere. Tropical forests are also cleared to make way for
logging, cattle ranching, and oil palm and rubber tree plantations.

Deforestation can result in more carbon dioxide being released into

the atmosphere. That is because trees take in carbon dioxide from the
air for photosynthesis, and carbon is locked chemically in their wood.
When trees are burned, this carbon returns to the atmosphere
as carbon dioxide. With fewer trees around to take in the carbon
dioxide, this greenhouse gas accumulates in the atmosphere and
accelerates global warming.

Deforestation also threatens the world’s biodiversity. Tropical forests

are home to great numbers of animal and plant species. When forests
are logged or burned, it can drive many of those species into
extinction. Some scientists say we are already in the midst of a mass-
extinction episode.

More immediately, the loss of trees from a forest can leave soil more
prone to erosion. This causes the remaining plants to become more
vulnerable to fire as the forest shifts from being a closed, moist
environment to an open, dry one.

While deforestation can be permanent, this is not always the case. In

North America, for example, forests in many areas are returning
thanks to conservation efforts.

What is the importance of

forest?
We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood
we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans,
forests also offer watershed protection, prevent soil erosion and mitigate
climate change. Yet, despite our dependence on forests, we are still allowing
them to disappear. Largest storehouses of carbon. They provide ecosystem
services that are critical to human welfare. These include:

 Absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses that produce climate change. In

tropical forests alone, a quarter of a trillion tons of carbon is stored in
above and below ground biomass
 Providing clean water for drinking, bathing, and other household needs
 Protecting watersheds and reducing or slowing the amount of erosion
and chemicals that reach waterways
 Providing food and medicine
 Serving as a buffer in natural disasters like flood and rainfalls
 Providing habitat to more than half of the world’s land-based species
Historical context of
deforestation
Deforestation probably originated with the use of fire, and estimates are that
40%–50% of the Earth's original forest area has been lost. Some of the losses
happened before settled agriculture began, approximately 10,000 years ago,
but only in recent decades is there reliable information on rates of
deforestation. Before about 1950, most deforestation occurred in the
temperate zones of Europe, Russia, China, North America, and Australia
as agricultural lands expanded in those regions. Thereafter, deforestation
and agricultural expansion in those regions slowed and even reversed. The
eastern US is probably the archetypic example of forest recovery, as farms
moved west in the middle of the nineteenth century and forests regrew on
abandoned croplands. But deforestation continues today in the Eastern US,
now for residential and commercial land. The notion that deforestation waxes
and wanes with economic development may be generally true but is not
absolute.
In contrast to nineteenth- and early twentieth-century deforestation in the
world's temperate zones, deforestation in the tropics did not begin in earnest
until after 1950, reaching rates of 12 million hectares per year in the 1990s.
Rates have slowed in the 21st century but not by much. One exception was
Brazil, where the annual rate of deforestation in Amazonia declined by nearly
80% since a peak in 2004. But rates there have increased in recent years,
and deforestation in the rest of the tropics continues. The rate overall for the
tropics is still about 9 million hectares per year. This rate is offset to some
extent by increases in planted forests or plantations, for example in Brazil,
India, and Vietnam.

Causes of Deforestation
The causes of deforestation are:

Logging
Illegal logging activities are very common that destroy
the livelihoods of the people depending on forests.
Wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture
need a substantial amount of wood supply. Wood is used
as fuel most commonly and so large amount of trees are
cut down for fuel supplies. Firewood and charcoal are
used as fuel.

Agricultural Activities

The conversion of forests into agricultural land is a big

reason for deforestation. Due to overgrowing demand for
food products, many trees are chopped down for crops
and for cattle grazing. Over 40% of the forests are
cleaned to obtain land and meet the needs of agriculture
and wood.

Mining

Oil and mining of coal require a large amount of forest

land. Construction of roads leads to deforestation as they
provide the way to remote land. The waste that comes
out from mining pollutes the environment and affects
the nearby species.

Forest as Habitat

Urbanization

As the population grows, the needs of people increases

which further leads to deforestation. Forests shrink to a
great extent to meet the requirements like for
construction of roads, development of houses, mineral
exploitation and expansion of industries. Increasing
population directly affects forest as with the expansion
of cities there is a need for more land for housing and
settlements.

Timber Production

One of the primary cause of deforestation is the

production of timber. There is a lot of demand for timber
and so deforestation increases. It a source of raw
material which is used for the production of paper and
also for construction.

Forest Fires
We lose a large number of trees each year due to fires in
the forest in various portions worldwide. This happens
due to extreme summers and winters. The fire caused,
by man or nature, results in huge loss of forest cover.

Effects of Deforestation
Some of the effects of deforestation are:

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Gases such as methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in

Earth’s atmosphere, leading change in climate. Trees
absorb the carbon dioxide and release oxygen and water
into the atmosphere and this contributes to global
warming. Cutting carbon dioxide adds to the
environment and then this lack of the tree creates an
absorption deficit. Deforestation leads to the emission of
greenhouse gas.

Soil Erosion
Cutting down on trees leads to clearance of forests and
so soil erosion occurs. Exposure of the soil to the sun’s
heat dries up the moisture inside the soil. Nutrients
evaporate and it affects the bacteria that help to break
down organic matter. Due to this, rain washes the soil
surfaces and erosion takes place. Large amounts of soil
wash into local streams and rivers and cause damage
to hydroelectric structures and irrigation infrastructure.

Biodiversity Losses

Deforestation alters land and so that many of the plants

and animals do not survive. With more deforestation, the
entire species can extinct. This is the ‘biodiversity loss’.
Many wonderful species of plants and animals have been
lost, and many others remain endangered. As each
species of an ecosystem rely upon other species, loss of
one species can have far-reaching consequences for
other species. We lose about 50 to 100 species of
animals each day due to the destruction of their
habitats. Millions of plants and animal species are on the
verge of extinction due to deforestation.

Floods

Deforestation leads to land erosion because the trees

maintain the surface of the mountains. The water level
of the rivers increases suddenly, causing floods. When it
rains, trees absorb and store a large amount of water
with the help of their roots. Chopping down of trees
disrupts the flow of water and leads to floods in some
areas.

Deforestation: Case
Studies
Deforestation is putting our planet at risk, as the following case studies
exemplify. It is responsible for at least 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas
emissions and wipes out 137 species of plants, animals and insects every
1

day . The deplorable practice degenerates soil, losing half of the world’s
2

topsoil over the past 150 years. Deforestation also leads to drought by
3

reducing the amount of water in the atmosphere. 4

Since the 1950s, deforestation has accelerated significantly, particularly in

the tropics. This is primarily due to rapid population growth and a resultant
5

increase in demand for food and resources. Agriculture drives about 80 per
6

cent of deforestation today, as land is cleared for livestock, growing animal

feed or other crops. The below deforestation case studies of Brazil’s Amazon
7

rainforest and the Congo Basin provide further insights into modern
deforestation.

Deforestation case study: Brazil

Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest – the largest rainforest in the
world – is within Brazil’s national borders. Any examination of deforestation
8

case studies would be incomplete without considering tree felling in Brazil.

History of deforestation in Brazil
Humans first discovered the Amazon rainforest about 13,000 years ago. But,
it was the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century that spurred the
conversion of the forest into farmland. Nevertheless, the sheer size of the
Amazon meant that the rainforest remained largely intact until the early 20th
century. It was in the latter half of the 20th century that things began to
change. 9

The Hoatzin bird is one of ten million species living in the Amazon rainforest.
Deforestation impacts the delicate ecosystem within this tropical forest and
can even lead to a species’ extinction.
Industrial activities and large-scale agriculture began to eat away the
southern and eastern fringes of the Amazon, from the 1950s
onwards. Deforestation in Brazil received a significant boost in 1964 when a
10

military dictatorship took power and declared the jungle a security risk. By
11

the 1970s, the government was running television ads encouraging land
conversion, provoking millions to migrate north into the forest. Settlements
12

replaced trees, and infrastructure began to develop. Wealthy tycoons

subsequently bought the land for cattle ranches or vast fields of soy.13

By the turn of the 21st century, more than 75 per cent of deforestation in the
Amazon was for cattle ranching. But, environmentalists and Indigenous
groups drew international attention to the devastation caused and
succeeded in curtailing it by 2004. Between 2004 and the early 2010s,
annual forest cover loss in Brazil reduced by about 80 per cent. The decline
is attributed to “increased law enforcement, satellite monitoring, pressure
from environmentalists, private and public sector initiatives, new protected
areas, and macroeconomic trends”. 14

Brazil’s deforestation of the Amazon rainforest

since 2010
Unfortunately, however, efforts to curtail deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon
have stalled since 2012. Tree felling and land conversion have been
15

trending upwards ever since. The economic incentive for chopping the
rainforest down has overcome the environmental benefits of leaving it
standing. Political movements and lax government legislation have
16

leveraged this to their advantage. President Jair Bolsonaro won the 2018
election with a promise to open up the Amazon to business. Since his
17

inauguration, the rate of deforestation has leapt by as much as 92 per cent. 18

However, there is still hope for the Amazon rainforest. Bolsonaro’s principal
international ally was US President Trump. Now that environmentally-
conscious Joe Biden has replaced him in the White House, international
pressure regarding deforestation will increase heavily. Biden has made this
19

clear with a promise of USD $20 billion to protect the Amazon. 20

The impact of continued deforestation in Brazil

For its three million plant and animal species and one million Indigenous
inhabitants, it is imperative that Amazonian deforestation is massively and
immediately reduced. As much as 17 per cent of the Amazon has been lost
21

already. If this proportion increases to over 20 per cent, a tipping point will
22

be reached. This will irreversibly break the water cycle, and at least half of
23

the remaining forest will become savannah. 24

Impact on climate change

Losing the Amazon would also mean losing the fight against climate change.
Despite the rampant deforestation in recent years, the remaining Amazon
rainforest still absorbs between 5 to 10 per cent of all human CO2
emissions. Cutting trees down increases anthropogenic emissions. When
25

felled, burned or left to rot, trees release sequestered carbon. A 26

combination of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving existing

forests is crucial to preventing dangerous levels of global warming. 27

Deforestation case study: The Congo

Basin
The Congo Basin is the second-largest rainforest in the world. It has been
28

described as the ‘second lungs’ of the Earth because of how much carbon
dioxide it absorbs and how much oxygen it produces. But, just as the
29
world’s first lungs – the Amazon – is being destroyed by humans, the Congo’s
rainforest is also suffering heavy casualties. 30

60 per cent of the Congo Basin is located within the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC). The DRC is one of the world’s largest and poorest
31

countries, though it has immense economic resources. Natural resources

32

have fuelled an ongoing war that has affected all the neighbouring countries
and claimed as many as six million lives. The resultant instability combined
33

with corruption and poor governance have led to an ever-increasing rate of

deforestation within the DRC’s borders.34

Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo (DRC)
Compared to the Amazon and Southeast Asia, deforestation in the Congo
Basin has been low over the past few decades. Nevertheless, great swathes
35

of primary forest have been lost. Between 2000 and 2014, an area of forest
larger than Bangladesh was destroyed. From 2015 until 2019, 6.37 million
36

hectares of tree cover was razed. In 2019 alone, 475,000 hectares of

37

primary forest disappeared, placing the DRC second only to Brazil for total
deforestation that year. Should the current rate of deforestation continue,
38

all primary forest in the Congo Basin will be gone by the end of the century. 39

Drivers of deforestation in the DRC’s Congo Basin

Over the past 20 years, the biggest drivers of deforestation in the DRC has
been small-scale subsistence agriculture. Clearing trees for charcoal and
fuelwood, urban expansion and mining have also contributed to
deforestation. Industrial logging is the most common cause of forest
degradation. It opens up deeper areas of the forest to commercial hunting.
There has been at least a 60 per cent drop in the region’s forest elephant
populations over the past decade due to hunting and poaching. 40
There has been at least a 60 per cent drop in the Congo basins forest
elephant populations over the past decade due to hunting and poaching.
Between 2000 and 2014, small-scale farming contributed to about 90 per
cent of the DRC’s deforestation. This trend has not changed in recent years.
The majority of small-scale forest clearing is conducted with simple axes by
people with no other livelihood options. The region’s political instability and
ongoing conflict are therefore inciting the unsustainable rate of deforestation
within the Congo Basin. 41

In future, however, industrial logging and land conversion to large-scale

agriculture will pose the greatest threats to the Congo rainforest. There are
42

fears that demand for palm oil, rubber and sugar production will promote a
massive increase in deforestation. The DRC’s population is also predicted to
43

grow to almost 200 million people by 2050. This increase will threaten the
44

remaining rainforest further, as they try to earn a living in a country deprived

of opportunities.
45

The impact of deforestation in the Congo Basin

80 million people depend upon the Congo Basin for their existence. It
provides food, charcoal, firewood, medicinal plants, and materials for
building and other purposes. But, this rainforest also indirectly supports
people across the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Like all forests, it is
instrumental in regulating rainfall, which can affect precipitation hundreds of
miles away. The Congo Basin is a primary source of rainfall for the Sahel
region, doubling the amount of rainfall in the air that passes over it.
46

The importance of the Congo Basin’s ability to increase precipitation cannot

be understated. Areas such as the Horn of Africa are becoming increasingly
dry. Drought in Ethiopia and Somalia has put millions of people on
emergency food and water rations in recent years. Destroying the DRC’s
rainforest would create the largest humanitarian crisis on Earth.
47

It would also be devastating for biodiversity. The Congo Basin shelters some
10,000 animal species and more than 600 tree species. They play a hugely
48

important role in the forest, which has consequences for the entire planet.
For instance, elephants, gorillas, and other large herbivores keep the density
of small trees very low through predation. This results in a high density of
49

tall trees in the Congo rainforest. Larger trees store more carbon and
50

therefore help to prevent global warming by removing this greenhouse gas

from the atmosphere. 51

Solutions to Deforestation
Sustainable Forest Management
Sustainable forest management involves balancing the economic,
environmental, and social aspects of forestry. This approach ensures that
forests are managed in a way that is environmentally sustainable, socially
beneficial, and economically viable.

Reforestation
Reforestation involves planting trees to replace those that have been cut
down. Reforestation is an effective way to combat deforestation and has the
added benefit of restoring habitat for wildlife.

Reduced Consumption of Wood and Paper Products

Reducing the consumption of wood and paper products is an effective way to
combat deforestation. This can be achieved by recycling paper products,
using electronic communications instead of paper, and using sustainable
wood products.

Alternative Agricultural Practices

Alternative agricultural practices, such as agroforestry and sustainable
agriculture, can reduce the need for deforestation. These practices involve
growing crops and trees together.

Conclusion
Deforestation is a major threat to the environment, contributing to climate
change, loss of biodiversity, and soil degradation. The causes of
deforestation are complex and multifaceted, with factors such as agriculture,
urbanization, infrastructure development, and climate change all playing a
role. However, there are steps that can be taken to combat deforestation,
such as sustainable forest management, reforestation, and the promotion of
sustainable agricultural practices.

Governments, businesses, and individuals all have a role to play in reducing

deforestation, and it is essential that we take action to protect the world’s
forests. By working together, we can create a more sustainable future for
ourselves and for future generations.