.

Humans have always and probably always will depended on forests to a lesser or greater
degree. Trees provide food, shelter from the elements and predators not just to humans
but the vast majority of life on land. Unfortunately the forests resources and appeal is its
downfall.

Deforestation is probably one of

the greatest challenges we face. We
need the forests to maintain the
atmosphere alongside the burning
of fossil fuels our destruction of the
forests is a major contributory
factor to the rising levels of carbon
dioxide and global warming, the
effects of which we are only now
beginning to feel.

Deforestation: Deforestation is
the removal of a forest or stand of
trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use.[1] Examples of
deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use.

The term deforestation is often misused to describe any activity where all trees in an area
are removed. However in temperate mesic climates, the removal of all trees in an area—
in conformance with sustainable forestry practices—is correctly described as
regeneration harvest.In temperate mesic climates, natural regeneration of forest stands
often will not occur in the absence of disturbance, whether natural or anthropogenic.
Further more , biodiversity after regeneration harvest often mimics that found after
natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss after naturally occurring rainforest
destruction.

Disregard or ignorance of intrinsic value, lack of ascribed value, lax forest management
and deficient environmental laws are some of the factors that allow deforestation to occur
on a large scale. In many countries, deforestation, both naturally occurring and human
induced, is an ongoing issue. Deforestation causes extinction, changes to climatic
conditions, desertification, and displacement of populations as observed by current
conditions and in the past through the fossil record.

Deforestation in Bangladesh: Bangladesh is situated in north eastern part of South Asia

between 20° 34' and 26° 38' north latitude and between 88° 01' and 92° 41' east
longitude. It lies in the active delta of three major rivers viz Padma, Meghna and Jamuna
and their numerous tributaries. The country covers an area of 1,47,570 sq.km and
bounded by India from the west, north and most of east. Myanmar lies on the
southeastern edge and Bay of Bengal on the south. Bangladesh is noted for its estuarine
environment, yet less than 10% of its total water flow originates from its own catchments
and rest comes from India, Nepal and Bhutan. Normally, 20% of the country gets flooded
during the monsoon period
There are lots of controversial estimates among the organizations on the scale of forest
area and deforestation rate in Bangladesh. The total area of Bangladesh is 14.12 million
ha. Or which 1.30 million ha comprising 9.2% of the total area under the management of
the Forest Department (ADB,1992). Other estimate says that the total natural forest cover
769000ha, which constitutes 5.9% of total land area. Again, in the country the area of
plantation is 335000 ha, which constitutes 2.5% of the total Land area (Haque,2000). Just
over 5% of the forest land is protected. The average annual destruction of forest land in
Bangladesh was 8000 ha in 1980 and subsequently it increased to 38000 ha in 1980-
1909(FAO,1993). Probably the rate of destruction of forest is more severe than the
official statistics. It is difficult to get the real picture indeed.
From 1990 to 2000, Bangladesh gained 200 ha of forest per year through reforestation
rate of 0.02% and next five Bangladesh lost its forest cover at a rate of 13000 ha year. In
other words from 1990 to 2005. Bangladesh lost around 11000 ha forest, that represents
5.4% of its forest land and woodland.
According to environmental science, 25% of a country’s land area should be covered
with forests for a balanced ecology. Bangladesh, however, has only 6% that is forested.
50% of the country’s forests have been destroyed in the last 20 years. This is known as
deforestation. Indiscriminate felling of trees in the greater parts of Dhaka, Mymensingh,
Rajshahi, Rangpur and Dinajpur have resulted in an alarming depletion of the forests.
Some 30 years ago, the forest area in Tangail was 2,000 acres; today it is down to 1,000
acres. Similarly, the forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts have been over-exploited by the
tribal people, mainly for jhum cultivation.

In 1910, the country’s population was 40 million but now it has more than tripled to 140
million. In the 1980s, the rate of destruction of forests in the country was 8,000 hectares
per year. Now it has gone up to 37,700 hectares per year. The annual deforestation rate is
3.3%.

Deforestation leading to desertification in the country started in the central Barind area in
the north-west of Bangladesh. It is feared that if this process continues a large part of
Bangladesh will turn into desert.

Forest officials blame illegal encroachment by the local people and over-exploitation of
forest resources as the immediate reasons for the fast depletion of woodlands in
Bangladesh. In the Chittagong Hill Tracts, substantial loss of forest resources is attributed
to commercial exploitation of immature trees for sale on the black market. Commercial
use of forest land for monoculture of rubber and for fuel wood has also had a negative
impact on the country’s forests.

A massive expansion of commercial shrimp culture recently appeared to be the latest

threat to the forests in the southern coastal areas, especially in Satkhira and Cox’s Baza
Figure:Deforestation (Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh)

Causes of deforestation

The destruction of the forests is occurring due to various reasons, one of the main reasons
being the short term economic benefits. Given below are some more common causes of
deforestation:

Used for Urban and Construction Purposes: The cutting down of trees for lumber that is
used for building materials, furniture, and paper products. Forests are also cleared in
order to accommodate expanding urban areas.

To Grow Crops: Forests are also cut down in order to clear land for growing crops.

To Create Grazing Land: Forests are cut down in order create land for grazing cattle.

Used for Fuel: Trees are cut down in developing countries to be used as firewood or
turned into charcoal, which are used for cooking and heating purposes.

Logging: Logging is almost single handedly responsible for clearing acres of forest land.
With not so very stringent laws and easily bendable ones, most developed countries have
not only wiped out their own forest for timber, but have indiscriminately cleared forest
cover from their colonies or poor countries. Presently, logging is the most important
direct threat to forest regions world over.

Agriculture: An alarming rate of forest land is being converted into agricultural land and
plantation to sustain a large population for use of crops and presently, bio-fuel. With
forests being cleared, growth in agricultural land is becoming a major cause of carbon
emissions. Cleared patches of forest land when used for growing subsistence crops,
degrades the soil's fertility after a few years of its use, forcing the farmer to clear more
land, eventually clearing out an entire forest.

Urban Sprawl: With a population so out of control, and few measures to curb it, 'the lots
of people' need to be accommodated somewhere, and where better than the vast acres of
forest land! Construction, and the need for building material, furniture and paper products
are eating into the dense forest. New cities now stand where many a great forest once
stood.

Mining: Forest not only contain precious life, but also precious minerals, that we humans
so desire. This desire to dig up the Earth to acquire them, especially from poor or
development countries in lieu of monetary aid and technical know-how has resulted in
loss of forest land.

Lack of Political Will: Most damages to the environment stem from weak or an
indifferent attitude towards a way of life we fail to understand. Most forest protection
laws never get passed or are followed to the hilt, because some one needs to make a
profit, and someone needs a favor.

Some of the other causes of deforestation are: clearing forests for oil and mining
exploitation; to make highways and roads; slash and burn farming techniques; wildfires;
and acid rain. Large-scale deforestation for agricultural and industrial purposes
transforms rich and diverse habitat in barren arid land. The resources are quickly repeated
and another massive are of forest has to be destroyed to provide yet more. The damage to
the land and soil has been done and little can grow on these areas once they have been
finished with. Deforestation needs to be stopped before we end up with a planet that is
little more than an arid wasteland incapable of supporting life.

Effects of Deforestation

The process of deforestation is often a complex pattern of progressive fragmentation of

the forests. Mistakes of this sort could lead to forest destruction. Along with this
destruction is the extinction of many species, heavy soil erosion, greenhouse effect,
silting of rivers and dams, flooding, landslides, denuded upland, degraded watershed, and
even destruction of corals along the coast trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold,
for fuel or as timber, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock, plantations of
commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without sufficient reforestation has
resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It has adverse impacts on
biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested regions typically incur
significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade.
Tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, pollution - all these are the ill effects of deforestation. Read
on to know how to prevent deforestation and restore the green cover of our planet...

Owing to growth in population coupled with human greed, there has been widespread
cutting of trees, all over the world. The trees, plants and forests are being cut, to make
space for human habitation, industries, livestock pastures, etc. This practice is what is
termed as deforestation.

Extinction of Thousands of Species - Destruction of the forests leads to a tragic loss of

biodiversity. Millions of plants and animal species are in danger of disappearing as a
result of deforestation. Tropical forests are much more biologically diverse than other
forest and a very serious effect of deforestation in tropical countries is the loss of
biodiversity.

Heavy Soil Erosion - One function of the forest is that its roots hold the soil in place.
Without trees soil erosion and landslides easily happen. When heavy rains and typhoons
come, soil is easily carried to lower areas especially to communities at the foot of the
mountains.
Disruption of the Water Cycle: Trees contribute in a large way in maintaining the water
cycle. They draw up water via their roots, which is then released into the atmosphere. A
large part of the water that circulates in the ecosystem of rainforests, for instance, remains
inside the plants. When these trees are cut down it results in the climate getting drier in
that area.

Loss of Biodiversity: The unique biodiversity of various geographical areas is being lost
on a scale that is quite unprecedented. Even though tropical rainforests make up just 6
percent of the surface area of the Earth, about 80-90 percent of the entire species of the
world exist here. Due to massive deforestation, about 50 to 100 species of animals are
being lost each day. The outcome of which is the extinction of animals and plants on a
massive scale.

Flooding and Drought: One of the vital functions of forests is to absorb and store great
amounts of water quickly when there are heavy rains. When forests are cut down, this
regulation of the flow of water is disrupted, which leads to alternating periods of flood
and then drought in the affected area.

Greenhouse Effect - Deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere. The conitnued degradation of our forest heightens the threat of global
warming because the trees and other plants that takes up carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere to be used for photosynthesis are gone. The burning of wood or its decay
contributes to the release of more carbon which combines with oxygen in the atmosphere
thus increasing further the levels of carbon dioxide that causes greenhouse effect.

Silting of Rivers and Dams - Deforestation results in the silting of rivers sediments
deposit which shortens its life span and clogs irrigation system. As a result of
deforestation, the reservoirs behind many dams are filled with sediments more rapidly
than expected.

Landslides - The roots of the trees bind soil to it and to the bedroock underlying it. That
is how trees prevent soil from getting eroded by natural agents like wind or water. When
trees are uprooted, there will be nothing to hold the soil together thus increasing the risk
for landslides which can cause seriously threaten the safety of the people and damage
their properties.

Denuded Upland - After several harvests of the forest the cleared land is no longer
suitable for planting trees. It has become a desert. The transformation of a forest to a
semi-desert condition is called desertification.

Degraded Watershed - When Forest Mountains are denuded, watersheds are degraded
and this leads to the loss of sustained water supplies for lowland communities. This is
because trees affect the hydrological cycle. They can change the amount of water in the
soil, groundwater, and in the atmosphere.

Destruction of Corals along the Coast - Coral areas are degraded and coral reefs are
affected by siltation. As a result of deforestation there is an increase of flooding during
the rainy seasons and decreased stream flow in dry seasons.

Historic Factors: Many factors such as war, industrialization, colonization, etc. were
responsible for speedy deforestation in many countries.

Population Growth: More people means more inhabited land. More inhabited land
means more deforestation.

Urbanization: Increase in areas occupied by the cities forces the forests to recede.

Climate Change: If the climate of a particular area has changed drastically, then its first
causality is the local vegetation. Thus, climate change, in most cases, leads to
deforestation.
CO2 Emission Increase: Much has been said on the subject of global warming, and
many intend to do a lot about it, but sadly, little has been done yet. CO2 emissions have to
be capped to save the environment.

Ground Water Table: The water holding capacity of the soil also gets reduced when
there are no trees. This is because the quality of the soil gets affected when it cannot stay
in one place due to erosion. If soil is not able to retain water, then obviously the ground
water levels will be reduced.

The forest provides us with many products and important services. It stops soil erosion,
refreshes the air, and protect us from typhoons and other calamities. But if rampant
deforestation is not controlled it will result to several problems. In one way or another,
the denuded forests will back fire and people will certainly lose to the harmful effects of
deforestation.

Effects of Deforestation on the Environment

Rainforests are the richest and most diverse areas on the planet and are home to the vast
majority of the worlds species, many yet to be seen or classified by science. Any one can
wander into a rainforest and will fairly quickly discover a new species.

This biodiversity took many millions of

years to evolve and can be destroyed with
the swipe of a powerful saw. There is no
possibility of getting back the estimated
50,000 species that go extinct every year a
figure that is increasing. The chance to
explore this forest world is disappearing fast
and won't come again once it's gone, a
chance future generations won't thank us for
denying them.

Not only are countless species being lost but

also the chance to increase or knowledge of
the world, chemicals and medicines
unknown to science are out waiting to be
discovered. The preservation of the
rainforest also means the chance to explore
these opportunities and make new
discoveries and advance human knowledge.
Effects of Deforestation on Society
The indigenous people, whose home and way of life is turned upside down by the arrival
of the lumber lorries, will feel much of the effects of deforestation. They survive by
living in harmony with the forest and it's inhabitants but are often forced to leave or
change their way of living in order to survive. This displacement of people and the
consequent loss of that culture makes the human race a little poorer. Those that live on
the edges of the forest are also affected, as they can no longer gather resources from it for
themselves.

These people are unused to living in towns and cities a totally alien culture and are
unlikely to have the money, skills or education to make a decent living having learned to
live off the land.

Nature cannot be completely replaced by our own efforts even after all our recent
advances in technology she does it better than us. Nature serves us in far better ways than
the best designed structures and industry, yet we treat her with nothing but contempt and
unless we stop the consequences will be dire.

At present, forests are considered among the most endangered on the planet. Everyday at
least 80,000 acres of forest vanish from Earth. The Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations show that the rates of deforestation has not abated and has
actually increased by 8.5% from 2000-2005 compared during the 1990s. FAO has
approximated that about 10.4 million hectares of tropical forest have been permanently
destroyed from 2000-2005 compared to 10.14 million hectares in the period of 1990-
2000.

Deforestation has both positive and negative effects.

a. Positive effect

1. After a deforestation activity the land is left bear with only shrubs. This is the first
effect of deforestation. People can use the land to construct houses, carry out agricultural
activities or even build industries for the production of goods for consumption. Roads and
other social facilities can also be constructed in a deforested area.

2. After deforestation the trees that are being felt are being use as a source of fuel
especially in the developing countries. The trunks and branches are left to get dry and is
sold for use in local bakeries and private homes.

3. It gives lots of people, who would otherwise be jobless, employment, which in turn
increases their standard of life etc.

4. It supplies the economy with raw materials, such as pulp for paper, wood for chairs,
desks, whatever.
5. It gives room for grazing land and land for crops, which can give someone a job, which
increases their standard of life (particularly in 3rd world countries)

6. Deforestation often occurs to make communications or transportation easier, which

improves an areas accessibility, which in turn helps their economy etc.

7. It gives room for things such as offices, hospitals, schools or whatever to be built,
which help a community a lot more than a bit of forest.

8. On a very small scale, such as practiced by the native people of the amazon (I think its
the amazon), deforestation leaves the ground more fertile, so crops can be grown.
(However this is only done on completely different patches, with years between when
they deforest the same patch again.)

9. Often, it helps the transport of a valuable material, such as oil (there was a case
recently, cant remember where), which is clearly much more beneficial than a few
thousand trees.

10. Some forests are full of plants and trees which are not native to the area, which
destroy animal habitats and other plant life, such as Ageratina Adenophora.

11. In relation to points 1,2 and 3, deforestation gives many communities the opportunity
to make positive changes in their lives, like building a community.

b. Negative effect:

The negative effects of deforestation will not only stop with plants and animals facing
extinction, it will also make climate change problem much worse than it already is.
Together with oceans our forests, particularly rainforests are the largest carbon sinkers on
this planet, helping regulate climate and temperature increase by sinking large quantities
of carbon dioxide from the atmopshere. The more forests we destroy the less carbon will
they sink, and to make irony even bigger by destroying them we usually emit large
quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere (burning).
Deforestation has many negative effects on environment. The two most negative effects
of deforestation are climate change and extinction of species.

Despite these negative consequences of deforestation forests and rainforests are still
being cleared in many parts of the world. The laws are still not strict enough to save
forests and rainforests, and to make matters even worse tropical rainforests are mostly
located in poor developing countries. As the population in these countries keep on
growing people need more food to survive so they destroy forests to make room for farms
and cattle pasture. In order to fix this poverty factor rich countries should ensure better
forest funding that would give poor people enough money to survive without clearing
forests.

Instead of cutting trees we should plant them because planting trees and afforestation
activity helps in saving our planet, especially if it is done on global level. Sadly, global
action to plant as many trees as possible hasn't still happen while deforestation rates keep
on growing. Unless world does something really fast deforestation will create global
environmental disaster in years to come.

1. Deforestation causes a lot of negative climatic effects. It causes a fall in the rate of
transpiration and evaporation of moisture into the atmosphere which consequently
reduces the amount of rainfall in the area. This is because the number of trees for
transpiration to occur is reduced and the absolute penetration of the sun into the soil that
leaves the soil dry respectively. There is also the reduction of oxygen in the atmosphere
as fewer trees will only give out little oxygen as they take in little carbondioxide.

2. Deforestation also increases soil erosion that leads to soil impoverishment. This is
because the rain that falls in the deforested carries away the fertile soil and leaves the soil
with little or no soil nutrients. Or soil diffusion whereby the soil nutrients are carried right
into the depth of the soil leaving the surface with little soil nutrients.

3. The immediate effect of deforestation caused by fire is pollution. Also animals which
are used as food escape to seek refuge elsewhere.
Negative Effects of Deforestation on the Ecosystem

There are numerous diverse types of ecosystems in existence. The tundra, marine
ecosystems such as a coral reef and the rainforest are just three examples of more than
twenty different ecosystems that we are aware of and interact with on a regular basis.
Your garden and surrounding area is an ecosystem and by its very definition, even the
busiest city is a bionetwork. One area of the ecosystem that is of worldwide concern
today is that caused by deforestation due to the sudden and rapid population growth.

The sheer increase in numbers of feet that walk the earth has resulted in an unexpected
demand for food, shelter and the means to generate an income. This has resulted in
indiscriminate and systematic destruction of forests the world over, including the
precious rain forests. Unless rigorous measures are put into place to replenish these
destroyed natural resources, the future of this planet looks very bleak indeed.

Environmental problems

Atmospheric

Deforestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography.Deforestation is a

contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the
enhanced greenhouse effect. Tropical deforestation is responsible for approximately 20%
of world greenhouse gas emissions.According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change deforestation, mainly in tropical areas, could account for up to one-third of total
anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions.But recent calculations suggest that carbon
dioxide emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (excluding peatland
emissions) contribute about 12% of total anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions with a
range from 6 to 17%.Trees and other plants remove carbon (in the form of carbon
dioxide) from the atmosphere during the process of photosynthesis and release oxygen
back into the atmosphere during normal respiration. Only when actively growing can a
tree or forest remove carbon over an annual or longer timeframe. Both the decay and
burning of wood releases much of this stored carbon back to the atmosphere. In order for
forests to take up carbon, the wood must be harvested and turned into long-lived products
and trees must be re-planted.Deforestation may cause carbon stores held in soil to be
released. Forests are stores of carbon and can be either sinks or sources depending upon
environmental circumstances. Mature forests alternate between being net sinks and net
sources of carbon dioxide (see carbon dioxide sink and carbon cycle). In deforested areas,
the land heats up faster and reaches a higher temperature, leading to localized upward
motions that enhance the formation of clouds and ultimately produce more rainfall.

Reducing emissions from the tropical deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in
developing countries has emerged as new potential to complement ongoing climate
policies. The idea consists in providing financial compensations for the reduction of
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deforestation and forest degradation".
Rainforests are widely believed by laymen to contribute a significant amount of world's
oxygen,although it is now accepted by scientists that rainforests contribute little net
oxygen to the atmosphere and deforestation will have no effect on atmospheric oxygen
levels.However, the incineration and burning of forest plants to clear land releases large
amounts of CO2, which contributes to global warming.Scientists also state that, Tropical
deforestation releases 1.5 billion tones of carbon each year into the atmosphere.Forests
are also able to extract carbon dioxide and pollutants from the air, thus contributing to
biosphere stability.

Hydrological

The water cycle is also affected by deforestation. Trees extract groundwater through their
roots and release it into the atmosphere. When part of a forest is removed, the trees no
longer evaporate away this water, resulting in a much drier climate. Deforestation reduces
the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as atmospheric moisture.
Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that erosion, flooding and landslides ensue.
Forests enhance the recharge of aquifers in some locales, however, forests are a major
source of aquifer depletion on most locales.Shrinking forest cover lessens the landscape's
capacity to intercept, retain and transpire precipitation. Instead of trapping precipitation,
which then percolates to groundwater systems, deforested areas become sources of
surface water runoff, which moves much faster than subsurface flows. That quicker
transport of surface water can translate into flash flooding and more localized floods than
would occur with the forest cover. Deforestation also contributes to decreased
evapotranspiration, which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects
precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to
downwind forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans. According to
one study, in deforested north and northwest China, the average annual precipitation
decreased by one third between the 1950s and the 1980s.

Trees, and plants in general, affect the water cycle significantly:

 their canopies intercept a proportion of precipitation, which is then evaporated

back to the atmosphere (canopy interception);
 their litter, stems and trunks slow down surface runoff;
 their roots create macropores – large conduits – in the soil that increase
infiltration of water;
 they contribute to terrestrial evaporation and reduce soil moisture via
transpiration;
 their litter and other organic residue change soil properties that affect the capacity
of soil to store water.
 their leaves control the humidity of the atmosphere by transpiring. 99% of the
water absorbed by the roots moves up to the leaves and is transpired.

As a result, the presence or absence of trees can change the quantity of water on the
surface, in the soil or groundwater, or in the atmosphere. This in turn changes erosion
rates and the availability of water for either ecosystem functions or human services.The
forest may have little impact on flooding in the case of large rainfall events, which
overwhelm the storage capacity of forest soil if the soils are at or close to
saturation.Tropical rainforests produce about 30% of our planet's fresh water.

Soil

Deforestation for the use of clay in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The hill depicted
is Morro da Covanca, in Jacarepaguá

Undisturbed forests have a very low rate of soil loss, approximately 2 metric tons per
square kilometer (6 short tons per square mile).Deforestation generally increases rates of
soil erosion, by increasing the amount of runoff and reducing the protection of the soil
from tree litter. This can be an advantage in excessively leached tropical rain forest soils.
Forestry operations themselves also increase erosion through the development of roads
and the use of mechanized equipment.

China's Loess Plateau was cleared of forest millennia ago. Since then it has been eroding,
creating dramatic incised valleys, and providing the sediment that gives the Yellow River
its yellow color and that causes the flooding of the river in the lower reaches (hence the
river's nickname 'China's sorrow').

Removal of trees does not always increase erosion rates. In certain regions of southwest
US, shrubs and trees have been encroaching on grassland. The trees themselves enhance
the loss of grass between tree canopies. The bare intercanopy areas become highly
erodible. The US Forest Service, in Bandelier National Monument for example, is
studying how to restore the former ecosystem, and reduce erosion, by removing the trees.

Tree roots bind soil together, and if the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the
soil in place by also binding with underlying bedrock. Tree removal on steep slopes with
shallow soil thus increases the risk of landslides, which can threaten people living nearby.
However most deforestation only affects the trunks of trees, allowing for the roots to stay
rooted, negating the landslide.

Ecological

Deforestation results in declines in biodiversity.The removal or destruction of areas of

forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity. Forests
support biodiversity, providing habitat for wildlife;moreover, forests foster medicinal
conservation.With forest biotopes being irreplaceable source of new drugs (such as
taxol), deforestation can destroy genetic variations (such as crop resistance)
irretrievably.Since the tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and
about 80% of the world's known biodiversity could be found in tropical rainforests,
removal or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in a degraded
environment with reduced biodiversity

It has been estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single
day due to rainforest deforestation, which equates to 50,000 species a year. Others state
that tropical rainforest deforestation is contributing to the ongoing Holocene mass
extinction. The known extinction rates from deforestation rates are very low,
approximately 1 species per year from mammals and birds which extrapolates to
approximately 23,000 species per year for all species. Predictions have been made that
more than 40% of the animal and plant species in Southeast Asia could be wiped out in
the 21st century.Such predictions were called into question by 1995 data that show that
within regions of Southeast Asia much of the original forest has been converted to
monospecific plantations, but that potentially endangered species are few and tree flora
remains widespread and stable.

Scientific understanding of the process of extinction is insufficient to accurately make

predictions about the impact of deforestation on biodiversity.Most predictions of forestry
related biodiversity loss are based on species-area models, with an underlying assumption
that as the forest declines species diversity will decline similarly.However, many such
models have been proven to be wrong and loss of habitat does not necessarily lead to
large scale loss of species. Species-area models are known to overpredict the number of
species known to be threatened in areas where actual deforestation is ongoing, and
greatly overpredict the number of threatened species that are widespread.

Economic impact

Damage to forests and other aspects of nature could halve living standards for the world's
poor and reduce global GDP by about 7% by 2050, a major report concluded at the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bonn. Historically utilization of
forest products, including timber and fuel wood, have played a key role in human
societies, comparable to the roles of water and cultivable land. Today, developed
countries continue to utilize timber for building houses, and wood pulp for paper. In
developing countries almost three billion people rely on wood for heating and cooking.
The forest products industry is a large part of the economy in both developed and
developing countries. Short-term economic gains made by conversion of forest to
agriculture, or over-exploitation of wood products, typically leads to loss of long-term
income and long term biological productivity (hence reduction in nature's services). West
Africa, Madagascar, Southeast Asia and many other regions have experienced lower
revenue because of declining timber harvests. Illegal logging causes billions of dollars of
losses to national economies annually.

The new procedures to get amounts of wood are causing more harm to the economy and
overpowers the amount of money spent by people employed in logging. According to a
study, "in most areas studied, the various ventures that prompted deforestation rarely
generated more than US$5 for every ton of carbon they released and frequently returned
far less than US$1". The price on the European market for an offset tied to a one-ton
reduction in carbon is 23 euro (about US$35).

Rapidly growing economies also have an affect on deforestation. Most pressure will
come from the world's developing countries, which have the fastest-growing populations
and most rapid economic (industrial) growth. In 1995, economic growth in developing
countries reached nearly 6%, compared with the 2% growth rate for developed
countries.‖As our population grows, new homes, communities, and expansions of cities
will occur. Connecting all of the new expansions will be roads, a very important part in
our daily life. Rural roads promote economic development but also facilitate
deforestation.About 90% of the deforestation has occurred within 100 km of roads in
most parts of the Amazon.

Forest transition theory

The forest transition and historical baselines.

The forest area change may follow a pattern suggested by the forest transition (FT)
theory, whereby at early stages in its development a country is characterized by high
forest cover and low deforestation rates (HFLD countries).

Then deforestation rates accelerate (HFHD, high forest cover – high deforestation rate),
and forest cover is reduced (LFHD. low forest cover – high deforestation rate), before the
deforestation rate slows (LFLD, low forest cover – low deforestation rate), after which
forest cover stabilizes and eventually starts recovering. FT is not a ―law of nature,‖ and
the pattern is influenced by national context (for example, human population density,
stage of development, structure of the economy), global economic forces, and
government policies. A country may reach very low levels of forest cover before it
stabilizes, or it might through good policies be able to ―bridge‖ the forest transition.

FT depicts a broad trend, and an extrapolation of historical rates therefore tends to

underestimate future BAU deforestation for counties at the early stages in the transition
(HFLD), while it tends to overestimate BAU deforestation for countries at the later stages
(LFHD and LFLD).

Countries with high forest cover can be expected to be at early stages of the FT. GDP per
capita captures the stage in a country’s economic development, which is linked to the
pattern of natural resource use, including forests. The choice of forest cover and GDP per
capita also fits well with the two key scenarios in the FT:

(i) a forest scarcity path, where forest scarcity triggers forces (for example, higher prices
of forest products) that lead to forest cover stabilization; and

(ii) an economic development path, where new and better off-farm employment
opportunities associated with economic growth (= increasing GDP per capita) reduce
profitability of frontier agriculture and slows deforestation.

In 2011 Conservation International listed the top 10 most endangered forests,

characterized by having all lost 90% or more of their original habitat, and each harboring
at least 1500 endemic plant species (species found nowhere else in the world).[119]

Top 10 Most Endangered Forests 2011

Endangered Remaining Predominate
Region Notes
forest habitat vegetation type
Rivers, floodplain
wetlands, mangrove
Tropical and
Asia- forests. Myanmar
Indo-Burma 5% subtropical moist
Pacific (Burma), Thailand,
broadleaf forests
Laos, Vietnam,
Cambodia, India.[120]
Tropical and
Asia- See note for region
New Caledonia 5% subtropical moist
Pacific covered.[121]
broadleaf forests
Western half of the
Tropical and Indo-Malayan
Asia-
Sundaland 7% subtropical moist archipelago including
Pacific
broadleaf forests southern Borneo and
Sumatra.[122]
Asia- Tropical and Forests over the entire
Philippines 7%
Pacific subtropical moist country including 7,100
 broadleaf forests islands.[123]
Forests along Brazil's
Tropical and Atlantic coast, extends
South
Atlantic Forest 8% subtropical moist to parts of Paraguay,
America
broadleaf forests Argentina and
Uruguay.[124]
Mountains of
Asia- Temperate See note for region
Southwest 8%
Pacific coniferous forest covered.[125]
China
California Tropical and
North See note for region
Floristic 10% subtropical dry
America covered.[126]
Province broadleaf forests
Coastal Forests Tropical and
Mozambique, Tanzania,
of Eastern Africa 10% subtropical moist
Kenya, Somalia.[127]
Africa broadleaf forests
Madagascar & Tropical and Madagascar, Mauritius,
Indian Ocean Africa 10% subtropical moist Reunion, Seychelles,
Islands broadleaf forests Comoros.[128]
Tropical and Forests scattered along
subtropical moist the eastern edge of
Eastern broadleaf forests Africa, from Saudi
Africa 11%
Afromontane Montane Arabia in the north to
grasslands and Zimbabwe in the
shrublands south.[129]
Table source:[119]

Deforestation Statistics
Given below is a compilation of deforestation statistics which gives a grim picture of the
forest cover of various regions of the world. Continue reading, to know more about
deforestation and the alarming rate at which it is occurring.
Deforestation is the practice of clearing the natural forests for the purpose of agriculture,
logging etc. It is one of the numerous environmental issues which are threatening the
basic existence of several plant and animals species of the world today. Even if you are
not sure as to why does deforestation happen, a look at the deforestation statistics is good
enough for you to understand how it can trigger a series of domino effects on the
lifeforms of the planet. It's obvious that humans will bear the brunt of the same in the
long term, but the effects of deforestation are bound to be much more prominent on the
life forms endemic to the particular region.

Deforestation Statistics Worldwide

The statistics of deforestation reveal that seven countries of the world amount to around
60 percent of the total deforestation on the planet. These seven countries include Brazil in
Latin America, Canada and the United States in North America, Indonesia and China in
Asia, Russia in Europe and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. The data
compiled by the World Resources Institute reveals that the planet has already lost 80
percent of its forest cover to deforestation, and going by the alarming rate at which the
trees are being cut, it won't take much time for that figure to reach the 100 percent mark.

Deforestatiom rate of natyral forest of some countries from 2005 to 2009(butler,2009)

Country Ha/year
Brazil 3466000
Indonesia 1447800
Russian Federation 532200
Maxico 395000
U.S.A 215200
Sudan 117807
Nigeria 82000

The West African region, which boasted of lush green tropical forests in the 19th century,
has been stripped of 90 percent of its forest cover over the last century. The same trend of
deforestation continues in the two remaining rainforest biomes in South America and
Asia respectively. Going by the statistics compiled by the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agriculture is the most important cause of
deforestation on the planet. While subsistence farming accounts for 46 percent of the total
deforestation in the world, commercial agriculture is responsible for 32 percent. Other
prominent causes of deforestation include logging at 14 percent, and fuel requirements at
5 percent.
Amazon Deforestation Statistics
Even though the vast area of Amazon Basin may make it look insignificant, the rate of
deforestation in the Amazon is much higher than in any other part of the world. The
Amazon rainforest which roughly account for about 2,488,642 square miles, has lost 15
percent of its forest cover since 1970 alone. For instance, Brazil, which is home to
approximately one-thirds of the remaining rainforests of the world, has been experiencing
an average loss of 21,536 square miles of forest cover annually, over the last few years.
This, however, appears to be insignificant as it accounts to only 0.8 percent of the total
forest cover of the country. The rainforest deforestation statistics reveal that 60-70
percent of the deforestation in Amazon can be attributed to cattle ranches, while a
significant part of the remaining 30 percent can be attributed to small-scale subsistence
agriculture. Recent studies pertaining to the facts about deforestation have revealed that
deforestation for the purpose of large scale farming is relatively low.
As far as the deforestation statistics for the United States are concerned, the country has
lost 831 square miles of the forest cover between 2001 and 2005. Regeneration of
depleted forest cover, new forest plantations, declaring forested areas as reserved etc. are
some of the popular deforestation solutions being implemented around the world today.
Even though the forest cover raised by these methods is inferior as compared to the
primary forest cover, it can still keep the various problems associated with deforestation
at bay.
 Deforestation rate of Amazon from 1889 to 2009(Butler,2009)

The UN Forum for Forests is the global body responsible for driving forward the
"management, conservation and sustainable development" of forests. But it has
succeeded only in securing a weak non-legally binding international agreement on forest
sustainability.

The Millennium Development Goals include a single indicator (number 25) which calls
vaguely to reverse the loss of "land area covered by forest". The result is that national
poverty reduction strategies, together with the development aid that supports them, have
tended to neglect the plight of tropical forests and the people who live there.

A rights-based approach is now a valid tool, thanks to the UN Declaration on the Rights
of Indigenous Peoples. However, this was adopted as recently as 2007 and few
governments have prepared new legislation. Indonesia points to the complexity in
framing laws to recognise the rights of about 500 ethnic groups.

Global environmental campaigns have therefore played a major role in slowing the pace
of deforestation. Three approaches of varying success are consumer boycotts, product
labelling and laws banning imports of illegal timber.

The unregulated ravages of oil palm plantations have been met by a flurry of consumer
boycott actions, many focused on supply chains linked to improper land use by the
Indonesian producer, Sinar Mas, and its subsidiary Asia Pulp and Paper.

In a controversial 2010 campaign linking popular confectionary to the death of orang-

utans, Greenpeace forced Nestlé into an embarrassing termination of its palm oil contract
with Sinar Mas. Similar sensitivities have persuaded major traders in Brazil to agree on a
moratorium in purchasing beef or soy products that originate in forest regions.
In general the rich countries have made inadequate efforts to support these certification
schemes. Most imported tropical timber is illegally harvested and only a tiny proportion
of the global market in palm oil is certified.

More positively, the 2008 US Farm Bill included the world’s first law banning the import
or purchase of illegal timber. And in 2010 the European Parliament approved similar
legislation. Bringing public pressure to bear on the world’s other major timber importers -
China, Vietnam and Japan - will be more difficult.
Biodiversity conservation in the Sundarbans reserved forests is the biggest ongoing
project, its objective being to promote and implement biodiversity conservation and
sustainable forest management. This can only happen through massive afforestation of all
available land along roads, railways, canal banks and in the depleted Sal forests.

Also, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, afforestation has taken place, along with
rehabilitation of Jhumia families, in order to protect the soil and the environment.

The Department of Forest alone cannot achieve these goals, but it needs the active
support of the local people and the private sector, who have vested interests in the forests.

People should be taught how they can live in harmony with the forest without destroying
it. Sustainable development programmes need to be spread among the people so that they
benefit from the resources of the forest while at the same time saving it.

How to Prevent Deforestation

In recent times, the ill effects of deforestation have come to light in the form of various
environmental catastrophes taking place all over the world, such as tsunamis, hurricanes
and earthquakes. Not to mention, how great a contributing factor deforestation is to air
and water pollution as well as soil erosion. That's why, it is necessary that awareness
should be spread about the fact that if the human race has to survive, the ecology and the
environment have to be maintained and not be tempered with, in any form. Various steps
should be taken, both at the individual and the governmental level, to prevent
deforestation from happening.

Reducing emissions

Major international organizations, including the United Nations and the World Bank,
have begun to develop programs aimed at curbing deforestation. The blanket term
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) describes these
sorts of programs, which use direct monetary or other incentives to encourage developing
countries to limit and/or roll back deforestation. Funding has been an issue, but at the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties-15
(COP-15) in Copenhagen in December 2009, an accord was reached with a collective
commitment by developed countries for new and additional resources, including forestry
and investments through international institutions, that will approach USD 30 billion for
the period 2010 – 2012.[130] Significant work is underway on tools for use in monitoring
developing country adherence to their agreed REDD targets. These tools, which rely on
remote forest monitoring using satellite imagery and other data sources, include the
Center for Global Development's FORMA (Forest Monitoring for Action) initiative [131]
and the Group on Earth Observations' Forest Carbon Tracking Portal.[132] Methodological
guidance for forest monitoring was also emphasized at COP-15 [133] The environmental
organization Avoided Deforestation Partners leads the campaign for development of
REDD through funding from the U.S. government.[134]

Farming

New methods are being developed to farm more intensively, such as high-yield hybrid
crops, greenhouse, autonomous building gardens, and hydroponics. These methods are
often dependent on chemical inputs to maintain necessary yields. In cyclic agriculture,
cattle are grazed on farm land that is resting and rejuvenating. Cyclic agriculture actually
increases the fertility of the soil. Intensive farming can also decrease soil nutrients by
consuming at an accelerated rate the trace minerals needed for crop growth.[citation
needed]
The most promising approach, however, is the concept of food forests in
permaculture, which consists of agroforestal systems carefully designed to mimic natural
forests, with an emphasis on plant and animal species of interest for food, timber and
other uses. These systems have low dependence on fossil fuels and agro-chemicals, are
highly self-maintaining, highly productive, and with strong positive impact on soil and
water quality, and biodiversity.

Monitoring Deforestation

Reducing and monitoring deforestation is a new chapter of this dense keywords lifetime.
There are multiple methods that are appropriate and reliable for monitoring deforestation.
One method is the ―visual interpretation of aerial photos or satellite imagery that is labor-
intensive but does not require high-level training in computer image processing or
extensive computational resources‖.[135] Another method includes hot-spot analysis (that
is, locations of rapid change) using expert opinion or coarse resolution satellite data to
identify locations for detailed digital analysis with high resolution satellite images.[135]
Deforestation is typically assessed by quantifying the amount of area deforested,
measured at the present time. From an environmental point of view, quantifying the
damage and its possible consequences is a more important task, while conservation
efforts are more focused on forested land protection and development of land-use
alternatives to avoid continued deforestation.[135] Deforestation rate and total area
deforested, have been widely used for monitoring deforestation in many regions,
including the Brazilian Amazon deforestation monitoring by INPE.[41] Monitoring
deforestation is a very complicated process, which becomes even more complicated with
the increasing needs for resources.

Forest management
Efforts to stop or slow deforestation have been attempted for many centuries because it
has long been known that deforestation can cause environmental damage sufficient in
some cases to cause societies to collapse. In Tonga, paramount rulers developed policies
designed to prevent conflicts between short-term gains from converting forest to
farmland and long-term problems forest loss would cause,[136] while during the 17th and
18th centuries in Tokugawa, Japan,[137] the shoguns developed a highly sophisticated
system of long-term planning to stop and even reverse deforestation of the preceding
centuries through substituting timber by other products and more efficient use of land that
had been farmed for many centuries. In 16th century Germany landowners also
developed silviculture to deal with the problem of deforestation. However, these policies
tend to be limited to environments with good rainfall, no dry season and very young soils
(through volcanism or glaciation). This is because on older and less fertile soils trees
grow too slowly for silviculture to be economic, whilst in areas with a strong dry season
there is always a risk of forest fires destroying a tree crop before it matures.

In the areas where "slash-and-burn" is practiced, switching to "slash-and-char" would

prevent the rapid deforestation and subsequent degradation of soils. The biochar thus
created, given back to the soil, is not only a durable carbon sequestration method, but it
also is an extremely beneficial amendment to the soil. Mixed with biomass it brings the
creation of terra preta, one of the richest soils on the planet and the only one known to
regenerate itself.

Sustainable practices

Certification, as provided by global certification systems such as PEFC and FSC,

contributes to tackling deforestation by creating market demand for timber from
sustainably managed forests. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), "A major condition for the adoption of sustainable forest
management is a demand for products that are produced sustainably and consumer
willingness to pay for the higher costs entailed. Certification represents a shift from
regulatory approaches to market incentives to promote sustainable forest management.
By promoting the positive attributes of forest products from sustainably managed forests,
certification focuses on the demand side of environmental conservation."[138] Some
nations have taken steps to help increase the amount of trees on Earth. In 1981, China
created National Tree Planting Day Forest and forest coverage had now reached 16.55%
of China's land mass, as against only 12% two decades ago [139]

Reforestation

Main article: Reforestation

In many parts of the world, especially in East Asian countries, reforestation and
afforestation are increasing the area of forested lands.[140] The amount of woodland has
increased in 22 of the world's 50 most forested nations. Asia as a whole gained 1 million
hectares of forest between 2000 and 2005. Tropical forest in El Salvador expanded more
than 20% between 1992 and 2001. Based on these trends, one study projects that global
forest will increase by 10%—an area the size of India—by 2050.[141]

In the People's Republic of China, where large scale destruction of forests has occurred,
the government has in the past required that every able-bodied citizen between the ages
of 11 and 60 plant three to five trees per year or do the equivalent amount of work in
other forest services. The government claims that at least 1 billion trees have been
planted in China every year since 1982. This is no longer required today, but March 12 of
every year in China is the Planting Holiday. Also, it has introduced the Green Wall of
China project, which aims to halt the expansion of the Gobi desert through the planting of
trees. However, due to the large percentage of trees dying off after planting (up to 75%),
the project is not very successful.[citation needed] There has been a 47-million-hectare
increase in forest area in China since the 1970s.[141] The total number of trees amounted
to be about 35 billion and 4.55% of China's land mass increased in forest coverage. The
forest coverage was 12% two decades ago and now is 16.55%.[142]

An ambitious proposal for China is the Aerially Delivered Re-forestation and Erosion
Control System and the proposed Sahara Forest Project coupled with the Seawater
Greenhouse.

In Western countries, increasing consumer demand for wood products that have been
produced and harvested in a sustainable manner is causing forest landowners and forest
industries to become increasingly accountable for their forest management and timber
harvesting practices.

The Arbor Day Foundation's Rain Forest Rescue program is a charity that helps to
prevent deforestation. The charity uses donated money to buy up and preserve rainforest
land before the lumber companies can buy it. The Arbor Day Foundation then protects
the land from deforestation. This also locks in the way of life of the primitive tribes living
on the forest land. Organizations such as Community Forestry International, Cool Earth,
The Nature Conservancy, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation International,
African Conservation Foundation and Greenpeace also focus on preserving forest
habitats. Greenpeace in particular has also mapped out the forests that are still intact [143]
and published this information on the internet.[144] World Resources Institute in turn has
made a simpler thematic map[145] showing the amount of forests present just before the
age of man (8000 years ago) and the current (reduced) levels of forest.[146] These maps
mark the amount of afforestation required to repair the damage caused by people.

Forest plantations

To meet the world's demand for wood, it has been suggested by forestry writers Botkins
and Sedjo that high-yielding forest plantations are suitable. It has been calculated that
plantations yielding 10 cubic meters per hectare annually could supply all the timber
required for international trade on 5% of the world's existing forestland. By contrast,
natural forests produce about 1–2 cubic meters per hectare; therefore, 5–10 times more
forestland would be required to meet demand. Forester Chad Oliver has suggested a
forest mosaic with high-yield forest lands interpersed with conservation land.[147]

One analysis of FAO data suggests that afforestation and reforestation projects "could
reverse the global decline in woodlands within 30 years."[148]

Reforestation through tree planting could take advantage of changing precipitation

patterns due to climate change. This would be done by studying where precipitation is
projected to increase and setting up reforestation projects in these locations. Areas such
as Niger, Sierra Leone and Liberia are especially important candidates because they also
suffer from an expanding desert (the Sahara) and decreasing biodiversity (while being
important biodiversity hotspots).

Grow Trees
To reverse the damage that has been done due to deforestation, grow more trees.
Individuals should start this initiative by growing trees in their own backyards. Also,
cutting of trees should be checked. If at all trees need to be cut, it should be old and dead
trees which are going to collapse anyway, while the younger ones should be allowed to
grow. The government on its part should enforce a ban on cutting of trees. Fines and
punishments should be imposed if rules to safeguard trees are broken by anybody.

Spread Awareness
The government should stage campaigns and spread awareness on how deforestation has
affected humans adversely. Presentations should be made in schools and colleges on how
to safeguard forests. Children should be involved in "save the forests" campaigns,
because if such beliefs are ingrained from childhood itself, the chances of them being
carried forward to adulthood, increase manifold. Along with the Government, various
non governmental and community organizations, should take it upon themselves, to
involve the people in putting an end to cutting of trees.

Recycle
One of the effective deforestation solutions is to recycle the products made from paper,
plastic and glass that you use, such as shopping bags, bottles, books, etc. Also, buy
products that are recycled. It is not just households, but even businesses, who should
focus on using recycled products, because if everybody starts doing this, it will reduce the
need for raw materials considerably and thus, less trees will be cut. On an individual
level, people should completely give up on using products that require trees to be cut.
Another thing that people can do is to avoid using firewood and coal in their fireplaces.
No doubt, this is an intelligent way to reduce your carbon imprint on this earth and
prevent global warming and deforestation as well.

Follow Crop Rotation

Farmers should make use of environment savvy techniques like crop rotation. Crop
rotation involves using the same piece of land to grow two different kinds of crops,
instead of growing the same in two different pieces of land. This saves land plus makes it
more fertile too, lessening the need to convert forest land into farmland.
Adopt Vegetarianism
Be a vegetarian. If you cannot give up on meat, reduce its intake to the minimum, as a
whole lot of crops and plants get wasted in feeding the animals. When animals are left to
graze in the forests, plants and trees get destroyed. So, as much as possible, make your
diet from fruits and vegetable. This will save the environment and keep you in the best of
health too. .

Legislation: By making suitable changes in the law, so that cutting trees in a forest
area becomes a major crime, in my opinion, will not only lead to deforestation being
controlled in a major way, bit its flow may also be reversed.

Wildlife Sanctuaries: Sanctuaries are very important, not only to save wildlife, but to
save trees as well. Sanctuaries go a long way in protecting all wildlife. More on
wildlife conservation.

Cities: All cities, let alone new cities, have to be managed properly. Their expansion
has to be curtailed or at least done in a systematic manner, so that there is enough
green cover, and new trees have be planted where ever possible.

Incentive to Corporate: Tax cuts should be granted to corporations, to get them

actively interested in reforestation.

Commercial Forest Plantations: There can be special forest plantations for all the
wood that is needed for the industry. This way the wood can be cut in a controlled
and regulated environment.

Water Management: Improper water management affects deforestation in a big way.

If the wildlife doesn't have water, then the entire ecosystem will falter. The
construction of new dams should be planned properly, so that any one area isn't
deprived of water, and the other area has abundance of it.

As said earlier, causes of deforestation are many, but they all lead towards an increase in
greenhouse gases, and damage to the eco-system. The Copenhagen Climate Change
Summit's initiative 'Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation',
(REDD) combined with many other such initiatives seems to be promising and a way
ahead to save the forest and the planet by understanding and practicing deforestation
solutions. However, saving the forest has to transcend from being a group responsibility
to an individual concern.