The first is the water cycle. Deforestation is one of the significant cause of global warming due to objects that produce carbon substances to cause the earth to getting hotter. Thankfully, lots of people are looking for ways to stop deforestation and speak for the trees. For example, deforestation can cause a loss in biodiversity and can also indirectly contribute to … Human-driven and natural loss of trees—deforestation—affects wildlife, ecosystems, weather patterns, and even the climate. The carbon cycle is hugely disrupted by deforestation. Deforestation results in a more drastic temperature variation from day to night, much like a desert, which could prove fatal for many inhabitants. Rivers overflow. It also simultaneously eliminates one of the best natural air cleaning systems the planet has supplied us with, which are those very same forests. It's easy to think of soil as compact and unmoving, but that isn't always accurate. Forests play a vital role in so many things. Forests still cover about 30% of Earth’s land, but humans have been cutting them down at an increasingly alarming rate. Healthy forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, acting as valuable carbon sinks. Among the other effects of deforestation, soil erosion is the most common one. When they are degraded, it can set off a devastating chain of events both locally and around the world.Loss of species: Seventy percent of the world's plants and animals live in forests and are losing their habitats to deforestation, according to National Geographic. Deforestation and climate change are inextricably linked. Reduction in water quality is responsible for more than two million deaths and billions of illness annually across the globe. READ MORE: 10 Eco Lessons We Can Learn From The Lorax. It’s true that lumber and wood pulp (for paper) do account for significant forest loss. The trees of the rainforest that provide shelter for some species also provide the canopy that regulates the temperature. Soil erosion as an eventuality of deforestation can also lead to silt … Deforestation is one of the leading causes of wildlife endangerment, and that’s even before the effects of deforestation-related climate change are calculated into the mix. There’s simply no way we can fight the climate crisis if we don’t stop deforestation. Forest ecosystems help to enrich the soil. Deforestation happens for many reasons, but the major causes of deforestation are all linked to industrialization. When trees are wiped out, then oxygen levels decrease. Environmental degradation can also lead to severe public health issues. According to WW, scientists estimate a third of all arable land has been lost to erosion since the 1960s. The causes and effects of deforestation don’t make sense unless the only thing we care about is money. Instead, we can recycle the materials we already have to avoid cutting more trees for things like toilet paper, boxes, office supplies, etc. But the risks from deforestation go even wider. As large amounts of forests are cleared away, allowing exposed earth to whither and die and the habitats of innumerable species to be destroyed, the indigenous communities who live there and depend on the forest to sustain their way of life are also under threat. Others are quite immediate, such as the loss of a food or known medicine source. We can support some of the conservation NGOs listed in this article. 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. The increasing popularity of palm oil is one of the major causes of deforestation because, like corn and soy, it has oozed its way into so many of our modern consumer products. Forests are home for numerous species of animals and plants, but unfortunately, this habitat is getting lost due to the cutting of trees. We’re losing the greatest source of biodiversity on the planet in order to grow food that will be shipped thousands of miles away. READ MORE: The 20 Biggest Forests in the World. Numerous NGOs are focused on the conservation of forests, particularly those in the Amazon and Indonesia, which account for a huge percentage of the planet’s biodiversity. Deforestation is the clearing, destroying, or otherwise removal of trees through deliberate, natural, or accidental means. More of his work can be found at Jonathon Engels: A Life About. The plant’s roots actively engage in maintaining the topsoil and retaining moisture in it. The effects of deforestation impact the entire planet. 26. Large-scale mining operations—for gold, copper, diamonds, and more—have also devastated forests, cutting them away to dig massive open pits all around the world. From mammals to birds, insects, amphibians or plants, the forest is home to many rare and fragile species. Tree roots cause gaps in the soil. And still other effects, such as terrain change, are both immediate and will reverberate for many years. The downfall of deforestation on the environment would then cause the world’s climate to be devastating at best. With our forests being cleared out on a massive scale in a hundred years these forest could completely vanish. Causes of Deforestation. Here are some of the more prominent examples of deforestation around the world: 19. Even Palawan, which is a protected biosphere reserve in the Philippines known for some of the world’s best beaches, is falling victim to the palm oil industry. Where the forest floor once absorbed water and released it into streams and rivers, now rain flows straight to rivers and then down to the ocean, where it becomes salinized. 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