The Amazon actually helps furnish water to some of the soy farmers and beef ranchers who are clearing the forest. In terms of climate change, cutting trees both adds carbon dioxide to the air and removes the ability to absorb existing carbon dioxide. If tropical deforestation were a country, according to the World Resources Institute , it would rank third in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, behind China and the U.
The numbers are grim, but many conservationists see reasons for hope. A movement is under way to preserve existing forest ecosystems and restore lost tree cover. Organizations and activists are working to fight illegal mining and logging—National Geographic Explorer Topher White, for example, has come up with a way to use recycled cell phones to monitor for chainsaws.
In Tanzania, the residents of Kokota have planted more than 2 million trees on their small island over a decade, aiming to repair previous damage. And in Brazil, conservationists are rallying in the face of ominous signals that the government may roll back forest protections.
For consumers, it makes sense to examine the products and meats you buy, looking for sustainably produced sources when you can. Nonprofit groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council and the Rainforest Alliance certify products they consider sustainable, while the World Wildlife Fund has a palm oil scorecard for consumer brands. All rights reserved. Climate Deforestation Forests cover about 30 percent of the planet's land mass, but humans are cutting them down, clearing these essential habitats on a massive scale.
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The soils converted into roads become compacted and rarely allow for new tree growth once logging operations have ended. In addition, forest roads give people easy access to previously remote areas.
The result is increased disruption of forest ecosystems by human activities such as littering, hunting, and the release of exhaust fumes from ATVs, which themselves cause a significant amount of ecological damage.
Pulp and paper mills discharge waste water effluent into waterways which may expose aquatic life to harmful chemicals. Research in indicated the Corner Brook mill discharged effluent into the Humber Arm which contained wood fibres that smothered organisms living on the bottom. In , Kruger admitted that it released harmful toxins into Humber Arm. It also built a secondary treatment plant to reduce solid wastes in its effluent. Paper mills also emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
Kruger has built air sampling stations near its Corner Brook mill to detect emissions that exceed provincial standards. All users of Newfoundland and Labrador forests — whether they are large multinational corporations, small local companies, or private residents — must adhere to government regulations stipulating how, where, and in what quantities wood may be cut.
Central to the province's forest management is the Forestry Act, which requires that all forest resources must be harvested in a sustainable manner. The provincial government has divided the province into 24 management districts — 18 on the island and six in Labrador. The Forest Resources Branch issues an annual allowable cut AAC for each district, a quota which seeks to establish the maximum number of trees that can be harvested in a given year without depleting the resource. Officials must take into account a variety of factors when calculating AACs, including the age, abundance, and species of existing trees; their expected rates of growth; and the volume of trees that will likely be destroyed by fires, insect infestations, and other natural occurrences.
Forest workers survey each district every five years to determine the existing wood supply and revise the AACs. Newfoundland and Labrador's forests are an abundant and valuable natural resource.
They cover 45 per cent of the island and 60 per cent of Labrador; they also contribute to our economy and our standard of living. The development of intensive livestock production, combined with meat consumption increases in developed countries, is thus the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon forest. Indonesia and the island of Borneo are emblematic symbols of the global phenomenon of deforestation. This region in Southeast Asia is naturally one of the richest reserves of forest and biodiversity in the world.
But at the same time, it is also one of the regions that have been suffering the most deforestation in recent decades. According to FAO , between and alone, Indonesia lost about 9 million hectares of its forests, largely due to deforestation caused by palm oil. One of the most important causes of deforestation in Indonesia and Borneo is unquestionably the production of palm oil.
According to FAO, between and , nearly 6 million hectares of palm oil plantations have gradually replaced Indonesian forests. This makes the palm oil industry one of the biggest contributors to deforestation in Southeast Asia — and it is expected to continue to be so. Certifications are starting to appear, including sustainable palm oil labels that aim to prove it comes from certified forests and workers are fairly paid like RSPO.
Despite industries still posing serious environmental problems, the media spotlight on this topic is beginning to shift the lines. Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation. In fact, it experiences more deforestation than Asia: about 2 million hectares of forest disappear each year in Africa.
Woodcutting of forest reserves and the development of cocoa and palm oil plantations are among the main causes of deforestation in Africa, together with land cleaning for mining activities.
Unconventional production practices that illegally take down trees and use dangerous chemicals threaten forests and wildlife. In this way, exploiting crops such as palm oil, wood, coffee or avocados has side effects that affect the environment and the surrounding ecosystems. Some of the animals under greatest threat are:.
How can we stop deforestation? According to OECD , the human population is expected to continue to increase and reach over 9 billion people by At the current rate of consumption, and with more people inhabiting Earth, the need for more space to grow food and extract natural resources is only likely to increase — depending, of course, on tech development such as artificial foods.
As the demand for food or raw materials like cotton or minerals increases, so does the need to turn forests into farmland, pastureland, or mining spots. Under this broader perspective, how can we stop deforestation? According to the WWF , livestock-caused deforestation is responsible for the discharge of 3. In this way, reducing your meat consumption is also a big step to stop not only deforestation but also global warming on a larger scale.
Remember: a lot of space is needed to grow both animals and the food they consume, while other nutritious foods could be grown and result in larger food quantities using the same space. Why not saving meat for important occasions only? As consumers we can choose to buy less industrial and transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil.
Instead, we can go for a home-made approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet and our health. However, if you are not willing to make such changes — because they are time consuming — you can still consume more responsibly while keeping your lifestyle.
To this regard, you can buy products from brands adopting eco-friendly business practices. When it comes to food, buying directly to small farmers using agroforestry practices is the best choice for the planet.
Your smartphone, your laptop or your car, to name a few, are all made of aluminium, plastic and rare Earth minerals, among other materials. To get these, just like foods like coffee or cacao land was clear to build mining sites, roads and factories and where built to transport and transform them, powerplants provide them with energy…. Since diesel and petrol are mixed with biofuels, choosing other transportation methods such as walking, cycling or car-sharing can be good ways of reducing palm oil importations and production and to help stop deforestation.
If you start adopting the behaviors mentioned above to help stop deforestation you can lead by your example. Teach your family, friends or colleagues what deforestation is and why it is happening, the causes and consequences of deforestation, and what solutions individuals, consumers and organizations can adopt.
What is being currently done do stop deforestation? Efforts to replant deforested areas are taking place every day. Unfortunately, some replanting is done with the goal of quickly growing trees to be exploited in the short-term by the logging industry. These often consist of monotypic plantations less resilient, more appealing to harmful environmental management practices such as eucalyptus or pines. This is no small effort: there are 1. Image credits to deforestation on Shutterstock , trees deforestation on Shutterstock and palm oil deforestation on Shutterstock.
Log in and interact with engaging content: show how they matter to you, share your experience First Name. Last Name. What Is Deforestation? Then you should find out some examples of how Life is interconnected: 2 — The Effects of Deforestation on Local People and Their Livelihoods Healthy forests support the livelihoods of 1.
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