Deforestation - Man's Sin

8/2/2019 Deforestation - Man's Sin

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Deforestation - Man's SinModern predictions and indicators paint a bleak outlook for the planet and

unfortunately it is all due to human actions. Deforestation and the spread of barren,

arid and useless land is increasing in pace and we are the only ones who can call it

to a halt. Modern predictions and indicators paint a bleak outlook for the planet andunfortunately it is all due to human actions. Deforestation and the spread of barren,

arid and useless land is increasing in pace and we are the only ones who can call it

to a halt. The questions that need answering quickly before it is too late are how and

when. When is obvious, unless we act immediately we will be too late, how is less

clear but unless we find the answers soon then we could find ourselves left with

nothing but a arid infertile desert of a planet and sooner than you might think. The

questions that need answering quickly before it is too late are how and when. When

is obvious, unless we act immediately we will be too late, how is less clear butunless we find the answers soon then we could find ourselves left with nothing but a

arid infertile desert of a planet and sooner than you might think.

Perhaps we can blame

the men who cut down

or burn huge swathes

of forest and watch the

animals flee to die ofstarvation after their

home and food supply

has been destroyed, or

those

who profit from their actions. Only someone who was insane would do such a thing

surely? You certainly wouldn't want to be associated with those that were involved in such

wholesale destruction and slaughter and certainly wouldn't be involved yourself,

Deforestation for ProfitForests contain many valuable natural resources and the land they cover is also valuable

to an ever-increasing human population. People have been making use of these resources

since we first appeared. Deforestation is a way of making a living, the timber can be sold,

and the land can be used for growing crops or grazing herds or to provide land for homes

and businesses. Why is this allowed to happen? Those people that are entrusted by us

with the planet are those who are destroying it. Governments give permits and

licenses to those who have the money to buy them they then strip the land and

make their money. The governments are often poor and the land is more valuableto large corporations than used for conservation and tourism. But these

governments are selling off the planets life support system and that cannot

continue.

www.effects-of-deforestation.com


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Deforestation & Agriculture

Tropical rainforest removal is primarily caused by the need for agricultural land. This

trend is on the rise, with sectors of forests becoming spaces of crops in South America.

The concern in the region of South America is that the forest will be gone within 250

years . Tropical rainforests are being depleted at alarming rates in an attempt to feed the

worlds populous: agriculture is noted as accounting for almost 90 percent of all

deforestation in the tropics . Current estimates by the UN place South America at losing

over four million hectares annually (Sample); this reality of landscape change is

guaranteed to affect the sustenance of life. The removal of rainforest for farmland creates

a precarious tip in the global scale, effects of which are preventable with a sustainable

mindset.

Between 2000 and 2005, over 27.2 million hectares of rainforest was cleared in thetropics to create space for farming; all in an effort to increase agricultural yield

from the Earths landscape (Sample). In third world countries: deforestation acts as

a cheaper equivalent to a good dose of fertilizer for increased agricultural

production in the near term. The question then lies in the sustainability of this

human-created perception: the necessity to convert forested land into harvested

areas. Figure 2.3.1 reveals the millions of hectares of rainforest removed for

farmland in recent years. The red areas reveal the reduction in forest cover by a half

between 2000 and 2005. The image is only an estimate of deforestation, showingwhere areas of forest have been removed and not replaced. This does not include

areas of logging or replanting or general degradation of the South American forests

(Sample).

NASA earth observatory states: The single biggest direct cause of tropical

deforestation is conversion to cropland and pasture. This regards subsistence:

where small scale farmers use the land for crops or livestock in an effort to survive

on a day to day basis. This action has dominated deforestation in the past but nowindustrial-scale activities are having a more widespread impact. Cattle ranching and

soybean production in the Amazon is contributing to both world markets and the

removal of trees (Lindsey). Government policies and subsidies sadly also work to

encourage forest loss. Brazil, containing about two thirds of the Amazons

rainforest, is a prime example of the affect of subsistence farming and government

benefits. Its production of soybeans replaces the value of forests with land capable

of exporting goods. This monetary gain cannot be sustained in economic terms:

though Brazil has a place on the world agriculture markets, it is in a decliningrelationship with the land. Total opportunity cost is neglected in the pursuit for

short-term gain.



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Land Conversion

Tropical soils have a limited capacity to store nutrients. Almost all of the soil

fertility comes from the natural, overlying, vegetation: in the live plants and the

decomposed organic layer on the ground. The wet, warm and shaded nature of the

forest is the perfect setting for fungi and bacteria. These organisms almostimmediately decompose any fallen or deceased species found on the topsoil, and

regenerate it, providing a constant recycling of precious organic compounds.

However, unlike preferred farmland, where nutrient filled soil can extend down

several feet, tropical topsoil is quite thin. Beneath the layer of fertile soil lies a deep

bed of clay. When deforestation takes place for agriculture, and other purposes, the

sun quickly dries out and kills the bacteria and fungi. This leaving the farmers a

short period of one or two seasons, to plant their crops before harsh rains and hot

temperatures erode the topsoil and expose the useless clay. The brief period ofgrowth produces such great results that it is beneficial for these farmers to use the

land until it can bear no more and move on to the next deforested spot. In

deforesting an area, farmers tend to burn the vegetation ground cover, including

trees, in the popular slash-and-burn method. This produces a fertilizing ash layer,

but also eliminates the nutrient reservoir and increases the effects of flooding and

erosion in the area. The soil eventually becomes unsuitable for farming and is

further reduced to pasture land. This lessens the chance of forest recovery, as the

land is now also compacted under the hooves of cattle (Lindsey). Figure 2.3.2 (1)shows pasture in what was once an area of forests, in the Amazon.

Deforestation in most areas currently produces favourable yields: aided by the

layers of ash from burned vegetation, resulting in the positive relationship between

natural biomass and agricultural production . However, it is evident that rainforest

removal reduces the potential of farmland: as tropical soils reflect the nutrients of

their surrounding tree canopies, root structures, decaying ground cover, and living

vegetation. The balance between the fragile topsoil and the forest comes crashingdown with the removal of the trees; erosion becomes an issue and declining

agricultural yields result.

Converting large areas of forest to agriculture affects the water cycle. This process

in which water evaporates, or transpires off plants, then condenses into clouds and

falls as precipitation, occurs in relative proximity to its location of origin. Almost

thirty percent of the rainfall received in the rainforest is moisture which the tropical

forests previously recycled into the earths atmosphere (Lindsey).



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Evaporation cools the surface of the Earth just as perspiring reduces bodytemperature in humans. With this reaction, if deforestation continues at todayspace, science predicts the tropics will experience future climates that are drier andhotter. Such a change affects not only ecosystems but can be applied to the globalscale and balance. Desertification is a threat to any land reacting to natural orhuman induced vegetation removal. The assisted process that leaves the land

deprived of nutrients and cover and through erosion and increased temperatures,deserts result. The tropics turning into a Sahara would devastate the biodiversity,inhabitants and climate, leaving food production to scramble for land elsewhere tomeet the need of a growing world population. Forests have utmost value in theirupright position, not only as timber and agricultural land providers.

Sustainable ExpanseEstimates place South America at losing 0.4 percent of its tropical rainforestsannually . Agricultures contribution to the world amounts to nourishment throughoccupied and harvested space. Planting in the rainforest involves removing trees,planting, reaching maximum yield, exhausting the soil, and destroying entireecosystems. The leftover landscape is barren and unable to support much life. In

this way, cost of agriculture in the forests of South America outweighs the return inthe long term: The current situation in which the cheap forest biomass is the

primary input in agricultural production in the tropics is not sustainableSustainable is a label worth having, with its expense paid in full for futuregenerations, aiding the health and balance of the globe.Sustainability, in regards to deforestation by agricultural expansion in SouthAmerica, lies in the application of the precautionary principle. Precautions towardsthe effects of tree removal and change in land use include increased research andawareness and government participation. Alternatives to large scale agriculture andtimber harvesting include taking the forest at face value: conservatively utilizing itsresources but maintaining the vegetation diversity and structure.



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Shade farming is an encouraged sustainable alternative to clear-cutting and burning.

Technologies to improve the way areas are farmed, would work to increase yield,

and continue to provide for the growing demand. Sustainable techniques would not

equate to an immediate increase in agricultural yield, but guaranteed in the long

term. Actions would also result in the preservation of the rainforest; its species and

surroundings.

Agricultural development is necessary wherever possible on Earth, especially with

projected population growth. However, this does not entitle farmers and

governments to act on the ideology of by whatever means necessary. With a

precautionary mindset, actions include developing sustainable agriculture

production. Goals include:Improving economic well-being of inhabitants without

risking future needs

Utilizing resources in a manner that does not degrade them

Using resources to promote equity and social justice

Maintaining biological and ecosystem diversity

Improving the quality of the environment for the future


THE EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION ON OUR

ENVIRONMENT TODAY

a) Demand for land for cultivation.This has been seen both in Kenya and other parts of the world especially

countries that have Agriculture as the backbone of their economy. Trees have

been cut down to obtain land for cultivation of both subsistence and cash

crops, both by governments and individuals.

b) Need for firewood

People, especially those who live in rural areas where electricity and gas are

unavailable, resort to use of firewood as a source of heat. Here, wood is cut

down and burnt.c) Need for land to build industries

industries require a lot of land and while industrialization is important for

every country, it is the bane of large tracts of forest. People need jobs in order

to provide for their daily needs.

d) Need for land to build houses

With the worldwide increase in population, land to build houses for people to

live in is very much required.e) Need for wood for furniture, pencils, paper e.t.c


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Whereas the above needs are important and have to be satisfied, cutting down trees

is not the most probable solution to these problems. Why? This is because, most

people who cut down trees do not plant others in their place. Also, if all the above

needs are to be met by cutting down of trees, even planting two for every tree cut

will not prevent desertification. This is because trees take so long to grow and

mature, especially so for hard wood trees. Deforestation has the following dangers:

Destruction of carbon sinks:Carbon sinks are huge stores of carbon, e.g. Swamps and forests

Soil Erosion:

Deforestation makes soil prone to erosion by agents such as wind and water. The

roots of trees hold the particles of soil together thus, preventing the fertile top soil

from being carried away. Soil erosion leads to loss of productivity of the land due to

loss of mineral nutrients and soil microorganisms

Destruction of animal habitats:

Apart from domesticated animals and marine and fresh water animals, all otheranimals need forests as their habitats. These forests do not only provide a place for

the animals to roam day but also provide their food and act as a source of protection

from predators through camouflage. Destruction of the animals habitats literally

kills the animals.

Medicinal Plants:

Some trees are used as herbs. Trees such as the Cinchona have been used as

treatment against Malaria since time immemorial. Destruction of these forests leads

to destruction of medicinal plants that could be used as treatment for variousailments.

Trees act as windbreakers:

Absence of these trees enables strong winds and or storms e.g. Hurricanes and

Tornados. I write this in the wake of a Tsunami at the Indonesian coast where about

150 people have just lost their lives. Hurricanes like Katrina are still fresh in our

memories. I cannot over emphasize this point.

Greenhouse effect and global warming:

Nature balances the flow of energy and nutrients. Forests plan a very vital role inthese cycles e.g. the carbon cycle where deforestation causes carbon dioxide to

remain in the atmosphere. Accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere acts

as a blanket that traps long wave radiation of heat and prevents it from escaping the

surface of the earth back into the atmosphere. This phenomenon is known as the

greenhouse effect. The trapped radiation is converted into heat. This heat causes

global warming.

Destruction of forests also causes modification of climate of an area mostly leading

to desertification and aridity.

www.tigweb.org


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Deforestation and Climate Change

Throughout history forests have spread and retreated as the environment changed now

they are fast disappearing. They shelter the vast majority of land animals and hold

most of the land biodiversity. These beautiful and complex ecosystems are essential to

the environment and help to regulate the atmosphere. Hence deforestation and climate

change are closely connected and have the ability to control one another.

Unfortunately the

forests, which should be

our first line of defense

against rising carbondioxide levels, are

vanishing rapidly. 80%

of our previously

forested areas are gone

drastically reducing the

planets ability to absorb

carbon dioxide and

contributing to the high

levels of the green housegas by releasing it

after being cut down making the situation worse. The fact that deforestation can

further affect the atmosphere should stir us into action to prevent any further reduction

in the world's forests. We will just be adding to the devastating effects of climate

change if we don't take action to stop further deforestation.

Major Carbon Storehouses

It has become increasingly apparent that forests play a vital role in climate control by

storing carbon and water and recycling it. It is a fact that the destruction of green

area is a contributory factor in climate change and eliminates their ability to

regulate the climate. It has been estimate the 18% of all carbon emissions

come from deforestation and we are effectively turning our prize weapon

against global warming against ourselves instead.

Mature forests are the largest stores of carbon dioxide though all plants store

carbon. Other stores include the soil, vegetation frozen underneath the arctic

permafrost even the algae in the sea. The world largest forests such as the

Amazon represent our largest carbon stores, it's destruction would undoubted

lead to quick and devastating climate change.



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Climate Change

A combination of deforestation

and the burning of fossil fuels

releasing much larger amounts

of carbon dioxide in theatmosphere than would occur

naturally whilst simultaneously

disabling the planets ability to

absorb and cope with this

influx in green house gases has

lead to the current climate

changes and noticeable global

warming. The main effects of

of climate change have been a rise in temperature throughout the year leading to

widespread environmental change species moving their ranges further north to follow the

increase in temperature. Melting of the polar icecaps leading to a reduction in range for

polar species. A consequent rise in sea levels leading to flooding of low lying land. More

violent and extreme weather systems leading to the devastation of affected areas and

causing huge loss of life.

This isn't a prediction of what will happen in the future it's happening now and maybe

irreversible already. So now a immediate damage limitation exercise need to take place to

ensure the climate doesn't get out of control this has to involve the protection andrestoration of the worlds forests

Amazon Rainforest Deforestation

The Amazon is the largest and

most incredible of the world's

rainforests.

Where is the Amazon

rainforest?Located in northern part of

South America it spans 9

different countries including

60% of Brazil.The Amazon

basin is a giant record-breaking

river system, it's waterways

densely crowded by trees, plant

and

animal life. The diversity and scale of the Amazon rainforest is difficult to imagine. Only

a tiny fraction of the plant and animals species which live there have been seen by

humans and even fewer recorded by science.



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It is so huge that the atmosphere of the planet would change dramatically if it were

destroyed. It takes in so much carbon dioxide that it is currently the largest factor in

preventing global warming. However with more and more of the Amazon being

destroyed by deforestation this may change.

The effects of loosing the Amazon on the planet would be on scale simply incomparable

to current figures on climate change. The massive levels of carbon dioxide released

would cause the planets temperature to rocket causing untold catastrophe.

The Roots of Deforestation in the Amazon

Every year gigantic areas of the Amazon are cut down or burned to make way for agriculture.

Small farmers do it to provide food for an impoverished people whilst large companies do it on

a much larger scale. Logging also plays a huge part on a small scale locals use the wood to

build and to use as fuel whilst large companies again do the same on a much larger scale.

Local use of the forest doesn't have much impact and the clearer areas grow back quickly once

left but the large scale destruction by big corporations has a lasting effect in permanently

reducing the forest in size and splitting it in to smaller and smaller remnants. This causes

animal and plant species that can never be brought back to become extinct as their habitat

changes or is destroyed. The massive demands these companies make mean that the land is

quickly depleted and little can grow or recover on this land. Humans can have a devastating

effect on the environment.

The Outcome of Deforestation in the Amazon

The Amazon is a unique and vital

natural resource, where will we get

wood once it and forests like it are

gone. We need to work with nature in a

sustainable way to preserve the

wonders and life giving properties of

this ecosystem.

The destruction of the Amazon would

result in widespread flooding (worlds

largest river system and flood plain),

massive climate change resulting in the

deaths of millions and the vast

resources and natural treasures of the

Amazon (most not yet discovered) being lost. Including plants with medicinal properties,

which may hold the key to curing many currently difficult to treat illnesses. The Amazon

protects not only from floods but drought, soil erosion and thus famine.

The homes of the tribal people who live there will also be lost, some previously

unknown tribes. People who have had no contact with the modern world were



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recently seen shooting arrows at a plane that went overhead, they too will be

affected and could loose their home and way of life.

Finally we will loose one of the worlds most spectacular natural wonders leaving

the world a poorer place for our descendants if they manage to survive in the

changed planet we leave behind.

Deforestation Facts

The Planet's forests and

woodlands are under and ever

increasing pressure from

deforestation, to provide timber

for the lumber and paper trades.

Land for development,

agriculture as well as activitiessuch as mining and hydropower.

These pressures show no sign of

stopping or slowing down.

Such activities threaten the way

of life of the indigenous peoples

and the lives of the dazzling array

of plants and animals that

live there causing extinction on a massive scale. So why is deforestation on the increase?Greed and the need to feed and provide for an ever-increasing human population. Yet there

is such waste if we used the world's resources sustainably we could provide plenty for all

and still protect the balance of nature. But while once fertile land turns to dust, we cut

down more forests to replace it and we have only ourselves to blame.

Nature strikes back in a variety of ways, fires, storms, cyclones, flooding and drought are

just a few, yet we are the cause of it all, nature is simply responding to the conditions we

create by releasing carbon dioxide. Forests provide protection from these disasters by

taking in green house gasses, slowing down climate change yet we still cut them down

hastening our own demise. Forests are also instrumental in preventing flooding and

drought by acting as sponges that absorb water when there is a lot and are able to retain it

when there is little.

The Truth of how our Forests Disappear

We are destroying the last of our precious natural resources, just as we are beginning to

wake up to how vital they are. Rainforest once covered 14% of the land now it's down to

a mere 6%.Scientists predict that the rest could disappear in less than 40 years.

Thousands of acres are cut down each second with dire consequences for thecountries involved and the planet as a whole. rest could disappear in less than 40

years. Thousands of acres are cut down each second with dire consequences for the

countries involved and the planet as a whole.www.effects-of-deforestation.com


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groups of plant species) and as

these plants disappear before

science can record them so does

the opportunity to gain useful

knowledge and possible medical

cures.

Currently 121 registered drugsare produced from plants, 25% of

pharmaceutical ingredients come

from forests, yet not even 1% of

the world's flora has been tested

for medicinal properties and we

are rapidly loosing the chance to

do so. 50% of the world's flora and fauna is thought to be vulnerable to extinction in the

near future.

Mankind's Drive to save Nature

If we don't stop abusing nature then its total annihilation (us included) is the only

possible outcome. Yet nature is resilient and the possibility of repairing the damage is

within our reach if only we take the big steps necessary to make amends.

Sustainable use of the world's forests will allow nature and it's life-giving properties to

flourish whilst providing everything we need. Balancing the needs of every living thing

with capitalism is never easy but even the greediest corporation has to sit up and listen if

we make a stand. It will be too late when resources start to dry up so dont wait for

governments and big corporations to get on board but support the green moment now.

We are now aware of the damage our actions are having and it will be our biggest test to

see if we can change in time to save the planet. The Earth can provide for us endlessly if

only we work with her and not against.

How to Stop Deforestation

Satellite images of what until only a few years ago was a rich and abundant rainforest

teaming with life, thousands of creatures per square meter, some rare, some endangered,

some never seen by human eyes. Now show nothing but a deserted and desolate arid

wasteland upon which little grows next to a track that heavy trucks use to cart timber and

equipment from the remaining patch of forest now miles away. The statistics are equally

desolate 80% of all forested areas have been compromised since 2003. As deforestation

continues unabated the remaining pockets of forest get smaller and smaller and

more widely dispersed. Controlling deforestation is a divisive issue. We can plot the

rate of the rainforests disappearance, but are we simply plotting our own demise. If

we are no careful we may find nature flourishing without us there to witness it.



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Only now are we waking up to the fact

that we need to do something and fast

as it may already be too late.

If we don't act then all life on the planet

may be at risk. Forests are the lungs of

the planet keeping the atmosphere

supplied with oxygen and taking outcarbon dioxide and storing it in the

plant's cells. This finely tuned system is

being affected by man as once a tree is

burned carbon dioxide is released into

the atmosphere and withfar fewer trees much less oxygen is being released. This system is what makes the planet

habitable for all life. We should be thanking and preserving the forests for this life giving

service not destroying and abusing it. We need to restore this natural balance before things

get out of control.

Simple things you can do to preserve

the plant

Though distant forests seem

miles away from your life

living in the urban or suburban

sprawl the choise you makedaily influence the lives of

plants and creatures on every

continent. One example of

this is palm oil, used in a

wide variety of products

found on your

supermarket shelf. Palm oil comes from the Indonesian islands such as Borneo, where

rainforest is cut down to supply room for evermore of this crop. Without the heavy canopyand root system of the rainforest the soil quickly erodes and nothing can grow not even oil

palms so more land has to be found. This trade is quickly driving the orangutan to

extinction in the wild. A simple choice not to buy products containing palm oil can make a

huge difference. This is just one example among many but by being aware of where the

things you buy and use daily come from and how they are produced allows you to make

decisions, which will help save the planet. The two simple rules are buying local

(less food miles) and buy only sustainable or recyclable products.

Other things you can do include using energy and fuel efficiently and as little aspossible by making our home, work and transport as carbon neutral as possible.

Minimizing our carbon footprint doesn't mean cycling everywhere or sitting in a

cold damp house through the winter, it just means not wasting energy; by not

leaving electric items on standby and switching off what we don't need.www.effects-of-deforestation.com


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Making sure our appliances and cars are as efficient and environmentally friendly

as possible and going for those green energy tariffs.

One thing we can all do is lobby government to make the necessary large-scale

changes in legislation needed to preserve the environment. However there is no

need to wait for government action, you have the power to act now!

Future PathsThe deforestation of the planet will only stop if enough people say No! The

decision rests with humanity; the consequences of this decision are immense and

will influence the lives and deaths of millions. Many thousands of lives have

already been lost to global warming and preserving the forests may be the factor

that tips the scales back into our favor.

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Deforestation - Man's Sin