Forests, a vital component of life on Earth, cover approximately 31% of our planets land area. , Ice. Large scale tree cutting can lead to deforestation, a transformation of an area from forest to terrain with little vegetation. With the ongoing burning of the Amazon, these results dont bode well; The latest data, issued this week, reveals an area 12 times the size of New York City has been destroyed so far this year. Ron DeSantis with his wife Casey. In some cases, soil erosion is natural, but humans also contribute to the problem by stripping away natural protections like trees and other vegetation, or overgrazing land with livestock.5 Ways of Preventing Soil Erosion (for Homeowners). Thanks for reading Scientific American. It feels like more has happened in the past few months than in the past 25 years, said Eric Eikenberg, the chief executive of the Everglades Foundation. A mans world? For instance, in Liberia forest clearings for palm oil plantations attract hordes of typically forest-dwelling mice, lured there by the abundance of palm fruit around plantations and settlements. Many viruses exist harmlessly with their host animals in forests, because the animals have co-evolved with them. When deforestation occurs, temperature variates more drastically from day to night and this extreme change can often prove fatal for many animal species. Climate change is the greatest existing threat to American wildlife, wild places, and communities around the country. They found that the effects increased with the more land included, with no effects discernible within 10 square miles of deforestation, but a A national park, a world heritage site, an international biosphere reserve, and were starving it of fresh water.. In 2014, for example, the Ebola virus killed over 11,000 people in West Africa after fruit bats transmitted the disease to a toddler who was playing near trees where bats were roosting. Examples include using less land (and therefore cutting fewer trees) for activities such as coffee growing and meat and milk production. The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people. While food availability for Indigenous tribes and animals that live in forests is reduced in the process of deforestation, its effects on weather patterns and soil degradation also drastically decrease agricultural productivity. A severe slump in rainfall in 2015 meant salinity levels rocketed in the bay, with the water becoming twice as salty in the ocean. All told, deforestation causes a triple-whammy of global warming: We lose a crucial ally in keeping excess carbon out of the atmosphere (and in slowing global warming), Even more emissions are created when felled trees release the carbon theyd been storing, and rot or burn on the forest floor, and How does deforestation cause soil erosion and desertification? Studies show that, 15,3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Because boundaries between these categories are inevitably arbitrary, estimates differ regarding how much deforestation has occurred in the tropics. The new year once started in Marchhere's why, Jimmy Carter on the greatest challenges of the 21st century, This ancient Greek warship ruled the Mediterranean, How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid, Who first rode horses? Wildlife habitat has declined and even disappeared during the past 100 years as natural lands were converted to agriculture, range lands, and expanding urban areas. Deforestations effects reach far beyond the people and animals where trees are cut. Few places exist in eastern North America that retain stands of uncut old-growth forests. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. , Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides. To answer the question of how deforestation affects the environment, it is important to look at why humans need forests in the first place. Almost half the world is made up of drylandsareas too dry to support large numbers of treesand most are considered grazing lands. Ecohealth Alliance researchers have proposed that containing diseases could be considered a new ecosystem service, that is, a benefit that humans freely gain from natural ecosystems, just like carbon storage and pollination. Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or mining activities. In the Amazon, cattle ranching and farmsparticularly soy plantationsare key culprits. While deforestation may occur locally, its effect is global. Which is worse deforestation or desertification? maintaining How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. Climate change has accelerated the rate of ice loss across the continent. Among the, for this damaging practice are agricultural expansion and cattle breeding as well as to obtain raw materials such as palm oil, a key ingredient in cosmetics and food products widely used around the world, and timber used for fuel, manufacturing, and infrastructure development. Through careful surveys in the Peruvian Amazon, she found higher numbers of larvae in warm, partially shaded pools, the kind that form beside roads cut into forests and puddles behind debris where water is no longer taken up by trees. Fire is also commonly used to clear forests in Southeast Asia, tropical Africa, and the Americas for permanent oil palm plantations. | Jonn Elledge, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Floridas Everglades: The patient is on life support at the moment., t first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of. FloridaStock Habitat Loss Featured Image. In addition to their role as carbon sinks, forests are a crucial component of the water cycle and have the all important function of preventing desertification. Its a numbers game: The more we degrade and clear forest habitats, the more likely it is that were going to find ourselves in these situations where epidemics of infectious diseases occur.. Its one of many infectious diseases usually confined to wildlife that have spilled over to people in areas undergoing rapid forest clearing. The roughly 5,000-year-old human remains were found in graves from the Yamnaya culture, and the discovery may partially explain their rapid expansion throughout Europe. About half of eastern North America lay deforested in the 1870s, almost all of it having been deforested at least once since European colonization in the early 1600s. reducing carbon dioxide (CO 2) in the atmosphere. Healthy forests act as extremely valuable carbon sinks, with the Amazon rainforest being one of the worlds most important ones. How did this mountain lion reach an uninhabited island? Participating nations can then accrue and sell carbon pollution credits when they can prove they have lowered deforestation below a baseline. With many Florida Climate change and human development have pushed Florida to the brink. Removing trees deprives the forest of portions of its canopy, which blocks the suns rays during the day and retains heat at night. Wildlife habitat has declined and even disappeared during the past 100 years as natural In recent decades, Floridas massive population growth and booming tourism industry have disturbed and fragmented many natural areas across the state. He and his colleagues are beginning work with the Malaysian government to incorporate this into land use planning, and are undertaking a similar project with Liberian officials to calculate the cost of Lassa fever outbreaks there. Logging operations, which provide the worlds wood and paper products, also fell countless trees each year. Changing temperatures can alter which organisms can survive in an ecosystem. Knowledge awaits. Deforestation: Which countries are still cutting down trees?Brazil: Illegal logging continues. Some 60% of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil, and it plays a vital role in absorbing harmful CO2 that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.Congo basin: Agriculture and mining. The Congo forest basin is the second-largest rainforest in the world. Indonesia: Palm oil plantations. Impact of Deforestation - Species Loss, Extinction and Disease A fully functioning forest has a great capacity to regenerate. We are completely changing the structure of the forest, notes Carlos Zambrana-Torrelio, a disease ecologist at Ecohealth Alliance. Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme diseaseis transmitted by ticks that rely on forest-dwelling deer to breed and obtain enough blood to survive. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban sprawl as land is developed for homes. But conservationists have fresh hope in the unlikely corporeal form of Ron DeSantis, the new Republican governor of Florida who roused national attention with a campaign video that vowed his childrens fealty to Donald Trump and a televised debate where his opponent, Democrat Andrew Gillum, accused his supporters of racism. Heres the technology that helped scientists find itand what it may have been used for. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Although most of the areas cleared for crops and grazing represent permanent and continuing deforestation, deforestation can be transient. The minerals in the water are almost like sandpaper on the rock, slowly, slowly scrubbing it away. The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells review our terrifying future, Am I the only one whos terrified about the warm weather? We promise, no spam! The protection of water resources is one of the most pressing issues facing our state. Environmentalists have been cheered by the contrast from the previous governor, Rick Scott, who cut funding for environmental programs. Deforestation represents one of the largest issues in global land use. On a governmental level, the consequences of deforestation can be mitigated by introducing policies that protect natural forests and regulate mining and logging operations as well as other operations that require the destruction of tree plantations. Dead fish in Florida following the 2018 toxic red tide. On top of known diseases, scientists fear that a number of yet-unknown deadly diseases are lurking in forests that could be exposed as people encroach further. You might also like: 10 Deforestation Facts You Should Know About. The plan would tackle local water pollution, protect springs and finish raising the Tamiami Trail, a highway that links Miami and Floridas west coast by cutting across the Everglades, to allow water to flow south to the ecosystem. Please select which sections you would like to print: Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, N.C., and Extraordinary Professor, Conservation Ecology Research Unit, University of Pretoria, Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Deforestation also affects nearby rivers, streams, and other water sources as nutrients from the soil are removed through leaching, which happens when water (e.g., https://www.britannica.com/science/deforestation, Academia - Deforestation: Causes, Effects and Control Strategies, LiveScience - Deforestation: Facts, Causes and Effects, deforestation - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), deforestation - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Mexican avocados shipped for Super Bowl named in complaint. Another important role of trees is to regulate the temperature of forests and maintain it constant. Voters got hyped up about red tide and said we want the government to act, said Rene Price, an expert in the hydrology of the Everglades at Florida International University. 10 Deforestation Facts You Should Know About. A man sprays to kill the Aedes mosquito that carries the yellow fever virus in Matadi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, deforestation is turning these sinks into huge net emitters. Deforestations effects reach far beyond the people and animals where trees are cut. Now you cant see the bottom. As more and more forest is cleared around the world, scientists fear that the next deadly pandemic could emerge from what lives within them. The loss of clean water and biodiversity from all forests could have many other effects we cant foresee, touching even your morning cup of coffee. Typically, the land produces for only a few years and then must be abandoned and new patches of forest burned. There was a large outcry and it seems like we have got some momentum now.. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. While some of them move into areas occupied by other tribes, straining the lands resources, others are forced to relocate to urban settings and completely change their way of living. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. Additional human activities that contribute to tropical deforestation include commercial logging and land clearing for cattle ranches and plantations of rubber trees, oil palm, and other economically valuable trees. (How deforestation is leading to more infectious diseases in humans.). The Everglades faces the threat of salty inundation on all sides, with the sea level at its edge rising by about 5in since 2001. Healthy forests act as extremely valuable carbon sinks, with the Amazon rainforest being one of the worlds most important ones. Through land erosion, the soil is depleted of its nutrients, a huge source of nourishment for animals and plants. Deforestation refers to the intentional clearing of forest lands for urban expansion, cattle farming, agricultural cropland, and other human purposes. However, the rapid destruction of forests is contributing to a decline in biodiversity never seen before. , Wind. The greatest deforestation is occurring in the tropics, where a wide variety of forests exists. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as much as, half of the worlds topsoil has been lost. Forests are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. The organization Amazon Conservation reports that destruction rose by 21 percent in 2020, a loss the size of Israel. Since taking office in January, DeSantis has taken an unTrumpian approach to the environment, outlining a $2.5bn plan over four years to rescue the ailing Everglades. It was the first known emergence of Nipah virus in people, which has since caused a string of recurrent outbreaks across Southeast Asia. We quantified the effect of human population growth and development on rates of deforestation and analyzed the relationship between these causal factors in the 1980s and 1990s. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation. Diseases that are transmitted through insects, such as malaria and Lyme disease, are more common in open spaces with more sunlight exposure. On a governmental level, the consequences of deforestation can be mitigated by introducing policies that protect natural forests and regulate mining and logging operations as well as other operations that require the destruction of tree plantations. Environmental News, Data Analysis, Research & Policy Solutions. Can we bring a species back from the brink? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In the South Asian Monsoon region, the reduction in rainfall is even higher, with around 18% less rain recorded in India in a single year. Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate. Explore TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. At first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of Florida Bay. Aside from desertification, there is no doubt that human activities are a major cause of soil erosion in general. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, This empress was the most dangerous woman in Rome. deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. These uncontacted tribes live by the rules of nature but are becoming increasingly vulnerable to deforestation, which has forced many of them to migrate. The numbers are grim, but many conservationists see reasons for hope. This led to the die-off of As widespread burning continues today in tropical forests in the Amazon, and some parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, experts have expressed concern about the health of people living at the frontiers of deforestation.
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