Reasons for deforestationDeforestation is the clearance of trees and this process has been becoming increasingly present throughout many rainforests, with one and a half acres of rainforest being lost every second. This startling statistic is due to a variety of factors. All of these contributing factors play an important role in determining the deforestation of rainforests.
Logging- Commercial logging companies cut down mature trees in the rainforest and although they claim they use a selective process on the trees and leave enough time for the rainforest to replenish itself this is not true. They may only fell one tree but the impact that the heavy machinery has on the surrounding trees leaves the soil damaged and tears down the surrounding canopy. Not only is there this direct impact but the roads built to access the trees also destroy much of the rainforest and give easier access to farmers that will not care for the land, causing it further destruction.
Industry (Mining and Fuelwood)- Mining involves the direct destruction of rainforest when companies clear land for mines and roads to make those mines more accessible. This causes the displacement of the indigenous people and extreme pollution in the surrounding environment. With such a high demand for wood to heat peoples houses and burn for fuel, fuelwood also contributes to the direct felling of trees in the rainforest Agriculture- There are many different types of agriculture
in the Amazon. The biggest of these being cash crops, cattle ranching and
shifted cultivators (commonly referred to as slash and burn farmers). Shifted
cultivators are usually poor people who have been pushed off their land by the
government and, in order to make a living, began roaming the rainforest looking
for any remaining that that they could use to grow crops. However this is very detrimental
on the environment and the soil does not stay fertile for long which causes
them to move onto yet another area of land, leaving the wake of destroyed
forest in their path. Cattle ranching and cash crops also cause large-scale
deforestation, with huge areas of land being cleared for space to hold either
crops or cattle, and like shifted agriculture this practice extinguishes the
soil’s nutrients and fertility. Because the latter practices are done with only
the profit in mind, little care is taken for the environment and the land is
always left damaged due to the pesticides, monoculture plantations and destruction
caused by the cattle, leaving it barren.
This graph shows the major contributors to deforestation. Cattle ranching being the biggest, followed by small agriculture, then large scale, then logging and finally other. Cattle ranching is one of the largest contributors due to the intensity of it's clearing of the land and the high demand for beef that causing it to have such a high market and therefore a popular industry.
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Effects of deforestationHow does deforestation impact the environment around it and also the world as a whole?
This picture shows an area of Amazon rainforest after deforestation
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