Saturday, August 28, 2010

Deforestation: Major environmental problem


Deforestation is a main environmental concern in the world. Deforestation includes the cutting down, burning, and destructing of forests. Numerous researches suggests that deforestation may be the first link in a chain of environment degradation that includes erosion, climatic changes, loss of biodiversity and genetic endowment, air pollution, decline in watershed functions, and the apparent loss of hardwood, fuel wood, and aesthetic stocks.

Population explosion is major basis for decline of the rain forests. These forests are being cut down at a petrifying rate to supply man with lumber, pasture land, and farm land. The outcome of such human activities is deforestation; the world's most valuable environment is being ruined. Plants and animals life is gradually diminishing as the natural habitats are bested. Deforestation occurs because people need land for agricultural. Large companies clear vast amounts of land, often for cattle pastures to fill the beef market. They also use the land for large plantations and use pesticides and irrigation systems that are very harmful to the land. The chemicals which are used to destroy pests also kill other animals and cause a lot of damage to surrounding areas. The rain washes the chemicals into the water system killing the aquatic life. The use of Land in such a way affects negatively the surrounding areas. It also can take centuries to re-grow.

There is solid cause of deforestation which is mainly related to a competitive global economy. It forces countries to utilize their only resource for funds. This process takes place at local and national level. Locally, people use land for farming to generate income because of poverty and population growth. Nationally, governments sell logging concessions to cover debts and develop industries. People are using their rainforests only for a short-term solution and could not assess the long term effects of their distractive activities. It is predicted that half the rain in tropical countries comes from evaporation of moisture from the covering of the trees. As trees and plants are destroyed, the moist awning of the tropical rain forest rapidly reduces. Evaporation and Evapotranspiration processes from the trees and plants return large quantities of water to the local atmosphere, promoting the formation of clouds and precipitation. Due to less evaporation, more of the Sun's energy is able to warm the surface and the air above which leads to increase in temperatures and the drying of land. Today, it is novel policies and program of development; rapid industrialization, urbanization and growing consumerism that have resulted in the large scale destruction of the forests. Due to the difficulty of deforestation, a major environmental issue, many clashes have arisen between environmental activist groups and those concerned in deforestation activities. The solutions to crisis of deforestation lie in dealing with the root cause. To resolve the issue, experts have to consider the economic problems that lie at the heart of the situation. Many proposals have been offered such as sustainable wood sources. If deforestation continues at its current rate then in just 100 years, there will be no more rainforests left at all and people will be the most sufferers.

Governments and environmentalists are facing major challenge- what steps must be taken to stop deforestation so that current environmental conditions would not get poorer. Scarcity and over population are main causes which alarms to governments. Policies must be made to overcome such problems so that we can save our forest and animals. Environmentalists and forestry supporters have been telling people and governments to instantly act on the problem regarding continued deforestation practices all around the world. Deforestation could be gradually stopped if people would be more environmentally mindful. That means, to speed up efforts in stopping deforestation. We must start participating in recycling programs. Governments should also implement legislations that would successfully prevent the deforestation process. Government must encourage reforestation which is the sought-after healing process

Everyone must understand that rainforest are splendid, exceptional gift of nature on our valuable Earth. If preventive measures are not taken immediately to stop the effects of deforestation, humans will be under grip of severe crisis. They may lose animals, plants, and there are great possibilities for dreaded diseases that are killing off our own race. All people must join their hands to work out a plan that is appropriate for businesses, governments, and most importantly the environment. Another important threat to human is that deforestation leads not only to species annihilation but also to loss of the genetic diversity that could help certain species adjust to a changing world. People are well familiar with the environmental crisis which can happen due to deforestation. Still they are destroying speedily.

The effects of deforestation can be devastating. It can lose the land of its natural aesthetic. In coming years, dangerous consequences will be visible. Deforestation can damage to the environment, usually stemming from its ability to cause land erosion. When an area is cleared, the soil under the surface is essentially stripped of the roots that provided it structural integrity and support. Without this support, the force of water, gravity, or both can cause the land to move, either as one piece, or more commonly, steadily and incrementally. Soil erosion due to deforestation is the main cause of Costa Rica's environmental calamity such as flooding, desertification and sedimentation in rivers, long-term hydroelectric shortages, loss of wildlife diversity, and the obvious depletion of the wood resources. Such a severe climate change can be arrested through reducing tropical deforestation. Deforestation bans and moratoria can effectively work if implemented properly.

Deforestation of is a severe environmental destruction which can not be revived if damaged at current rate. People cut down trees to meet out their own need without considering future outcome. They do not recognize about the damage they are doing. The deforestation affects the plant life. People have general impression that if trees are cuts down, it will grow back in a few years. Plants will ultimately grow back, but the forest will be changed into a secondary forest and may never be the same.

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