The Effect of De-forestation on the Environment
The subject of deforestation and the effects that it has on the environment have been
heavily debated for a long time; particularly over the last few years. Governments and
large lumber companies see large profits in the mass deforestation of forests and state
that their actions are having few, if any, harmful effects on the environment. Most
people disagree with this and think that the environmental effects are devastating and
will become irreversibly disastrous in the very near future. Whether or not the pros
outweigh the cons will be hotly debated for years to come but the fact is that
deforestation is harmful to the environment and leads to declining wildlife populations,
drastic changes in climate and loss of soil.
The loss of forests means the loss of habitats for many species. Current statistics show
that as many as 100 species become extinct every day with a large portion being
attributed to deforestation (Delfgaauw, 1996). "Edge effects" are the destruction or
degradation of natural habitat that occur on the fringes of fragmented forests. The
effects for the animals include greater exposure to the elements (wind, rain etc...),
other non-forest animals and humans (Dunbar, 1993). This unnatural extinction of species
endangers the world's food supply, threatens many human resources and has profound
implications for biological diversity.
Another negative environmental impact of deforestation is that it causes climate changes
all over the world. As we learned in elementary school, plant life is essential to life
on earth as it produces much of the oxygen that is required for humans and other
organisms to breathe. The massive destruction of trees negatively effects the quantity
and quality of the air we breathe which has direct repercussions on the quantity and
quality of life among both humans and animals alike. With this reduced amount of vital
plant life comes the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere. With
these increased levels of CO-2 come unnatural changes in weather patterns both locally
and globally. "The removal of forests would cause rainfall to decline more than 26%. The
average temperature of soil will rise and a decline of 30% in the amount of moisture will
evaporate into the atmosphere" (Delfgaauw, 1996). This leads to the global warming
phenomenon which is also directly related to the declining amounts of forest areas on the
earth.
Soil erosion caused by deforestation is also a major concern among even the most amateur
environmentalists:
"When rain falls, some may sink to the ground, some may run off the
surface of the land, and flowing down towards the rivers and some may
evaporate. Running water is a major cause of soil erosion, and as the
forests are cut down, it increases erosion" (Delfgaauw, 1996).
The removal of wood causes nutrient loss in the soil, especially if the period between
harvests isn't long enough (Hamilton and Pearce, 1987). Some areas also become
"unbalanced" with the removal of tree roots as this removal can cause serious mud slides
and unstability which can be seen in the in the tropical rain forests of Australia
(Gilmour et al., 1982; as cited in Hamilton and Pearce, 1987) and Malaysia (Peh, 1980; as
cited in Hamilton and Pearce, 1987). It should be mentioned that recent logging
techniques have decreased the amount of soil erosion under most circumstances but it is
nearly impossible to stop erosion from happening.
Whether or not you are a radical environmentalist or just a regular citizen, the
consequences of deforestation affect us all. Living in BC we don't have to drive very far
to see land that has been clear-cut or to see massive protests by people of all ages who
want to "save the forests" or "save the environment". It is evident that reforestation
projects are underway and in many cases are quite successful. Millions of dollars are
spent each year (provincially, nationally and internationally) on reforestation and many
experts agree that this is helping provided that the time between harvest is long enough
for the area to mature properly. The projections we hear through the media make the
situation sound quite bleak but the fact is that private and public awareness have lead
to a decreasing amount of deforestation activity (from what is projected) in many areas
such as the Brazilian Amazon Basin (Dunbar, 1993). Forests are an important part of
maintaining the earth's biological and ecological diversity as well as major factors in
the economic well being of many areas. If we can maintain a balance between the two and
continue the reforestation efforts, the negative environmental affects could be greatly
reduced. Regardless, the negative environmental affects do exist and the severity of them
will be debated for many years to come.
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