Deforestation

Abstract

 Deforestation is an issue of concern in that the rate at which people have converted forests to non-forested area is high. Many developing countries have turned forests into agricultural land due to factors which the paper will explain.  The purpose of this article is to study deforestation in a wider manner by looking at the driving force toward deforestation. The paper will also find the best ways or measures to stop deforestation from protecting the environment and re-establish the forest.  Since people view deforestation in a negative lens, the paper will address both the benefits and risks of deforestation and weigh both sides to evaluate the impact of deforestation.

Introduction

Deforestation is a human activity of transforming the forest into land use.  In the past, the U.S, Europe, and other parts of the world were thickly forested, but human activities have turned the forest into non-forested land by clearing trees. Today, deforestation has increased since the global population wants areas for agriculture, mining, among other activities.  Countries such as Brazil, Asia, Latin America, Mexico, the Philippines, and Indonesia have a higher rate of deforestation. It is essential to understand that economic forces is the primary factor driving deforestation since many countries focus on agricultural commodities to sustain livelihood and gain revenue. Economic factors are not the only drivers, and therefore, it is important to focus on other drivers in order to end deforestation. Note that  if measures to end deforestation are not implemented, there will be more  broader and challenging   impacts  such as   loss  of rainforest, soil erosion which will increase farming problems, desertification which will lead to loss of life,  greenhouse gas  which affect the climate, and biodiversity losses which will lead to loss of  beauty of the nature. Therefore, it is high time to end the rampant deforestation and preserve the earth's resources. Deforestation is caused by many factors, and the government needs to pay attention to this issue by creating and implementing rules and policies and ensure that the local community finds employment so that they can stop polluting the environment to gain income.

 

 

Pros and cons of deforestation

 Carrasco et al. (2017) assert that deforestation is associated with economic benefits in that when the forest is turned in a non-forested area, people find areas for agriculture where they ultimately yield high-value crops.  The research finds that people use the cleared land to cultivate crops such as banana, cocoa, cotton, maize, rice, sugar cane, and other crops.  They also use the land for cattle production, and they sell logged timber.  In general, deforestation is a source of employment in that when the land is made for agriculture use; people gain job opportunities in the farm and industry sector (Carrasco et al. 2017). People do not only benefit from farming yields, but deforestation is also a source of revenue since people engage in activities that bring profit.

On the cons of deforestation, Carrasco et al. (2017) state that people enjoy the agriculture benefits and ignore the consequences associated with the activity, such as environmental cost and the loss of the ecosystem. The article states that the forest ecosystem is the source of food, water, good climate, and survival.  Note that when turning the forested area into the non-forested area, the greenhouse gases are not absorbed, and therefore, they accumulate in the atmosphere and cause climate changes, including global warming (Carrasco et al. 2017). The latter increases drought and limited resources since the soil nutrients that could be used to grow cash crops is reduced. It means that farmers will only enjoy the marginal benefit for a short time since deforestation will affect the water flow, and they will not be able to generate income. The research also finds that deforestation will not only affect the economy, but it will cause soil erosion, climate change, and lack of nutrients as a result of damage to the ecosystem (Carrasco et al. 2017).

 

Cause and effects of deforestation

 Culas (2014) asserts that tropical deforestation is a global concern since it poses serious problems to the environment.  Deforestation is among the activities that cause emission of greenhouse gases and deforestation alone is responsible for emission of 25%.  Note that tropical rain forest which maintains the ecosystem is 41%   and the rain, as well as the ecosystem, are affected by deforestation (Culas, 2014). The latter occur in developing countries where citizens struggle with poverty.  People in low-income countries are forced by economic pressures to clear trees and use the land for cultivation. The authors refer to the causes as ‘direct causes,' which are; there is an increase in the use of forest products such as timberlands for building, and people want to use the forest as cropland (Culas, 2014).  Developing countries depend on exports of products, and therefore they export land-based products which are cultivated in the forest area.  Another point is that the export price is high in that the developing countries export different products to many countries, and this means that the demand for export products is high and, therefore, economic growth (Culas, 2014).  The second factor, which is cropland, occurs when the population is high, and farmers are forced to use the forestland for cultivation. The research shows that deforestation is high in developing countries. These include Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico, Argentina, and others. Population growth in these countries is high, and this is the reason behind deforestation.

 The species in the ecosystem are affected by deforestation in that when forest is cleared due to human activities, the species lose their habitats, and this leads to species extinction. Note that many species depend on these habitats to main their life and once the habits are destroyed, the species dies. Animals that have specific habitats are left in isolated areas, and they are unable to adapt to the secondary habitats (Culas, 2014). They become vulnerable to predation, and direct exposure to disasters and threats which increased human-wildlife conflict. Animals die in that they are forced to live to inhabitat fragments where they lack food and water. Deforestation lands to climate change in that greenhouse gases are emitted in large quantities. When carbon dioxide and other gases are emitted, they increase global warming.

 

How can we stop deforestation and the benefits of stopping?

Carrasco et al.  (2017) talks about deforestation and market failure by asserting that the commercial loggers do not care about the effect of deforestation. This means that the nation is not controlling the economy, and there is no global environmental benefits. For example, the government may ask for taxation from human activities. This will increase deforestation since the commercial loggers will contribute to exploit and many ill compete for the forestlands. Delacote & Angelsen (2015) assert that agricultural expansion in forestland will increase in developing countries.  Thus, solutions to stop deforestation should focus on agricultural expansion and illegal harvesting. To curb these activities, the government should implement a pay ecosystem service (PES Scheme). This means that people who use the forest as cropland should pay a fixed price to compensate for the environment. On illegal harvesting, the government should fine those who engage in illegal harvesting, and this will minimize excessive harvesting (Delacote & Angelsen, 2015). Organizational and communities should also be in the forefront to support ‘zero deforestation' and prevent human activities from producing forest products as timber.  Preventing deforestation is beneficial in that the emission of greenhouse gases will be reduced and thus reduce global warming. The animal species will find their habitats, and the developing countries will not live in poverty since there will be enough food and water.

Conclusion

 Almost all global forests have been turned into non-forested areas, and this has posed major risks to the human, wildlife, and environment. The research paper has found that the major cause of deforestation is conversion to agriculture or the demand for food influences people to use the forest as croplands. In addition, people are also improving their livelihood by harvesting wood. These activities are mostly done in developing countries where the level of poverty is high, and also the population is growing.  In developing countries, deforestation has contributed to the negative impact, and this is an issue to take into account to prevent further deforestation and protect the environment. The research shows that the government needs a serious commitment to ending deforestation. It should come up with effective policies that support the need to value natural resources.

 

 

 

References

 

Carrasco, L. R., Webb, E. L., Symes, W. S., Koh, L. P., & Sodhi, N. S. (2017). Global economic

trade-offs between wild nature and tropical agriculture. PLoS biology, 15(7), e2001657.

 

Culas, R. J. (2014). Causes of deforestation and policies for reduced emissions (REDD+): A

cross-country analysis. IUP Journal of Applied Economics, 13(4), 7.

 

Delacote, P., & Angelsen, A. (2015). Reducing deforestation and forest degradation: leakage or

synergy?. Land Economics, 91(3), 501-515.