“Conservation of forests is crucial from environmental and ecological standpoints”. Discus as what impact forest has over environment and ecology.
Introduction
Forest is the most important element in our earth. The conversion of forested lands through human proceedings represents one of the causes of global environmental change and one of the great drivers of biodiversity loss. Forests are cleared, and people using tree for wood produce, conversion to agriculture, road-building, house hold, and in multitude other ways. The effort to use and control the forest has been a continuous matter in the renovation of the earth, in many societies, in many lands, and at most times. Deforestation has important implications for life on this planet. For thousands of years people are deforesting the earth, for the most part to clear land for crops or farm animals. Although tropical forests are largely limited to developing countries, they aren’t just meeting local or national needs; economic globalization means that the needs and wants of the global population are bearing down on them as well. Deforestation is clearing Earth’s forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama is lost each and every year.[1]At this rate of deforestation the world rain forest could completely become extinct in hundreds years. The biggest reason of deforestation is agriculture. Logging operations, which supply the world’s wood and paper products, also cut incalculable trees each year. Some of them performing unlawfully also build roads to access more and more far-off forests which lead to added deforestation. Forests are also cut as a result of growing urban cover.
Not all deforestation is intentional. Some is caused by a mixture of human and natural factors like wildfires and subsequent overgrazing, which may put off the expansion of young trees.
Why tree is important and the impact over environment:
In botany, a tree is a plant with an extended stem, or trunk, supporting leaves or branches. Trees tend to be long-lived, some reaching several thousand years old. The tallest known specimen on Earth is 115.6 m (379 ft) and they have a theoretical maximum height of 130 m (426 ft).subsistence of tree on the earth for 370million years.
Trees play an important role in sinking erosion and moderating the climate. They remove carbon dioxide from the environment and accumulate huge amount of carbon in their process. Forests give a home for many species of animals and plants. Trees give us shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses.
Some forest:
- Primary forest: is a forest that has never been logged.
- Secondary forests: forests regenerating through natural processes after significant human or natural disturbance.
- Disturbed forests: disturbance by people, including clearing, felling for wood extraction, anthropogenic fires, road construction, etc.
- Frontier forests: forests that maintain the natural range of species and forest functions (WRI definition).
Forest influences the environment, the climate and humanity.
· Forest affect climate at the global level as well as regionally and locally.
· Forest ecosystems are source of wood, timber, fruit or honey and some have medicinal value.
· Forest work for water flowing, soil formation or erosion.[2]
· Earth’s atmosphere elements like global cycling of carbon, oxygen, and other gases are control by forest.
· Forest encouragements for people who live in them and have often recognized forest, forest grove’s or even individual trees as blessed or substance.
By these points we can understand how important forests to humanity are. Forest also provide environmental services, it protect the ground from erosion.
Causes of Deforestation:
Deforestation has many causes. Population pressures, profits, and internal social and political forces can all drive up the rate of forest loss. Poor countries with increasing populations, unbalanced allocation of wealth and power, and possibly corrupt governments are mainly susceptible.
There are many reason of deforestation and the single biggest cause is conversion to cropland and pasture which meet daily needs. Increase commercial activity and industrial-scale causing the deforestation. Encourage of economic development create unintentional deforestation such as road and railway expansion projects. Other factor like agricultural subsidiaries and tax breaks, low domestic cost of land, labor and fuel support deforestation. By the development of technology industrial-scale are raising which creating subsequent deforestation more likely. Poverty cited cause of tropical deforestation; multiple scientific experiments direct that explanation is an oversimplification.
Effects of conversion of tree:
Most people who cut down trees do not plant another tree in their place. Although planting two for every three cut can make prevention. Tree takes long time to grow so it is important to plant more trees every time. Following dangers are for deforestation:
•Destruction of carbon sinks: Carbon sinks are vast stores of carbon.
•Soil Erosion: Deforestation makes soil flat to erosion by agent such as wind and water. The roots of trees hold the particles of soil together thus, preventing the fertile top soil from being carried away.
• Animal habitats: Animals and marine and fresh water animals, all other animals need forests as their habitats. These forests give a place for the animals to roam and also supply their food. Destruction of the animal’s habitats accurately kills the animals.
•Medical Plants: Some trees are used as herbs. Cinchonas have been used as cure against Malaria. Some trees also use as home treatment.
•Windbreakers: lack of these trees enables strong winds and or storms e.g. Hurricanes and Tornados.
•Greenhouse effect and global warming: Nature balances the flow of energy and nutrients. Forests plan a very vital role in these cycles. Accretion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere acts as a blanket that traps long wave energy of heat and prevents it from evasion the surface of the earth back into the atmosphere. This fact is greenhouse effect. This heat causes global warming.
Control conversion of deforestation:
Reducing emissions
Efforts to stop 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. However, these processes tend to be incomplete to environments with good rainfall, no dry season and very young soils. This is because on older and less fertile soils trees grow too slowly for economic, even as in areas with a burly dry season there is a risk of forest fires destroying a tree crop before it matures.
Farming
New methods developed to protect the forest and reduce the effects of deforestation. Hybrid crop, greenhouse, autonomous building gardens and hydroponics this are some methods. These systems have low addiction on fossil fuels and agro-chemicals, are highly self-maintaining, highly productive, and with strong positive impact on soil and water quality.
Monitoring deforestation
Deforestation is assessed by quantifying the amount of area deforested, measured at the present time. Quantifying the harm and its possible consequences is a more important task, while conservation hard work are more alert on forested land protection and development alternatives land use to avoid sustained.
Forest management
Deforestation can cause environmental damage sufficient in some cases to cause societies to collapse and the efforts to stop or slow deforestation program takes for many countries. However, these policies tend to be limited to environments which have good rainfall, no dry season and young soil.
Sustainable practices
Global certification systems such as program for the endorsement of forest certification and forest certification manage the forest. Some nations have taken steps to help increase the amount of trees on using fuel from bamboo rather than wood results in cleaner burning, and since bamboo matures much faster than wood, deforestation is reduced as supply can be replenished faster.
Reforestation
In many parts of the world, especially in East Asian countries, reforestation and forestation are growing the area of forested lands. The quantity of woodland has greater than before 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 percent between 1992 and 2001. Based on these trends global forest cover is predictable to add to by 10 percent—an area the size of India—by 2050
Time to save the tree:
The way we can stop deforestation is by making people conscious of the dangers of cutting down trees and the penalty of this action. There are many probable and achievable solutions to this problem. . Perhaps demonstrate people real present events connecting deforestation that’s happening to South America’s rainforests.[3] Another way you can end this is to not waste paper and always reprocess your paper not just fling it away in the rubbish. Lastly, you can also plant as many trees in open areas to stop deforestation. You can make dissimilarity by doing these things and persuade others to do the same. The worst we can do is not to grow trees and just watch more trees getting cut down. Seeing how this will affect the environment we live in, let’s all do our best to create a difference.
The 2005 Forest Resource Assessment is the most complete assessment of forest to date, in terms of both satisfied and number of contributors. It tells us that forests cover up 30% of the land area of planet Earth and variety from uninterrupted primary forests to forests managed and used for a variety of purposes. The measurement also tells us that deforestation continues at an frighteningly high velocity, but that the net defeat of forest area is slowing downward thanks to forest planting, countryside reinstatement and natural expansion of forests on deserted land. Forests are increasingly being conserved and managed for multiple uses and principles. They play a vital role in climate change alleviation and in the protection of biodiversity as well as of soil and water resources. If managed sustain ably, forests also contribute significantly to local and national economies and to the well-being of current and future generations.
The appraisal of progress towards sustainable forest management depends on the context, the scale and the viewpoint practical. At the global level, the world’s forest resources come into view to be in comparatively high-quality form. However, at regional and sub regional level, this picture changes radically enlightening considerable differences, with disturbing trends in numerous tropical sub regions.
Conclusion:
Forest ecosystems provide important human goods and ecosystem services. Deforestation has already detached about half of the world’s forests, and in your lifetime threatens to eradicate most of the remaining tropical forests. Many moderate forests are re-growing. Forests are managed for numerous uses, to reinstate as much of possible of natural ecosystem purpose, and in some cases to effort to restore “old-growth” or pre-disturbance circumstances. To meet the worlds demand for wood, better environment, we need to protect our forests.
Reference:
“American Forests.” American Forests. Web. 15 May 2012. <https://www.americanforests.org/>.
Cilmatico. 06 Dec. 2011. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.climaticoanalysis.org/tag/deforestation/>.
Deforestation. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.angelfire.com/la/deforestation/>.
Global changes,unimac.edu, Retrieved from http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/deforest/deforest.html
“How To Stop Deforestation.” How to Stop Deforestation. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-stop-deforestation-2855.html>.
Hope For The Rain Forests. Web. 16 May 2012. <http://www.lizasreef.com/hope%20for%20the%20rain%20forests/rain_forests_of_the_world.htm>.
“Rainforest Facts.” Rainforest Facts. Web. 15 May 2012. <http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm>.
[1] Environment blog http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview.
[2] The Hubbard brooks ecosystem study, soil formation or erosion. http://www.hubbardbrook.org/
[3] Creating a school program that will educate younger people about this cause so when they grow older they will know the threats of deforestation and probably warn others of this matter.