Peasant farmers often deforestate to rise crops for self-subsistence, and are driven by the basic human need for food. Most tropical countries are very poor and farming is a basic way of life for a large part of the population. Farmers in these countries do not have the money to buy necessities and must raise crops for food and to sell.
One main cause of deforestation in the Amazon is the spread of highways. Recent development of regions in the Amazon resulted in a need for new roads and highways. The opening of highways over the last 20 years promoted new and easy access to forested areas. This expansion combined with government incentives for development of the region, made it possible for activities which causes rapid deforestation, such as land speculation, cattle ranching, timber extraction, clearing for cash crops like rubber, cocoa and sugar cane and exploration for oil and minerals.
Unsuccessful farmers tend to be unstable, selling out and moving on to new frontiers where they will deforest again, which is very evident in satellite images of the Amazon. The issue is no longer how to prevent migration to the Amazon from the rest of the country but how to ensure that the farmers already in the Amazon remain on the deforested land. This would in turn reduce migration and further deforestation inland.
The poor farmers in the Amazon depend on the resources from the forest for their very survival. Land is needed for crops; trees are burned and used for fuel, and fodder for their animals. The Amazonians do not have very much experience with agriculture and they do not have very much technology. They simply use slash and burn farming, with the belief that setting fire on the forest will rejuvenate the land (which holds true for some forests). In some pine forests, fire can help spread seeds and the heat helps release nutrients in the soil, however, this does not happen in a rain forest. Last year, there were 20,469 forests set in the Amazon, a 28% increase since 1996. The land becomes very dry and useless and the farmers move on to another area and deforest again.
Another cause of deforestation is not the result of farmers but overseas companies looking for more rare and exotic woods which have increased in the last few years by 28%. Many Asian companies buy into logging companies in the Amazon with permits and begin to deforest in numerous amounts.
There are various harmful consequences of deforestation. Hundreds of thousands of species are killed as they lose their habitats due to forest fires, cutting down of trees etc. deforestation also accelerates global warming because when the tree decomposes it releases the CO2 it absorbed when growing to make carbohydrates, fats and proteins. When a large number of trees are removed from an area, it causes soil erosion because there is no vegetation to reduce the impact of hard rain on the soil and there are no roots to hold the soil in place. It causes desertification (arable land is transformed to desert).
Deforestation could also result in landslides and avalanches. Trees sustain freshwater supplies, so if they are cut down, it affects the availability of one of life’s basic needs. Climate changes occur if forests are cut down, and the oxygen levels are also affected. Fewer trees also mean the loss of jobs for forest workers and there is a loss of future markets for ecotourism. Heavy rainfall and high sunlight damages the topsoil once the trees are gone and the forest takes much longer to regenerate and the land is unsuitable for agriculture.
Some indigenous peoples' way of life and survival are threatened by the loss of forests. Among these groups are the Waorani of the Amazon's tropical rainforest, the Sami of Lapland's taiga and the Kyuquot of Vancouver Island's temperate rainforest. Often, the stakeholders associated with forest areas are not always consulted before clear cutting occurs. This has sometimes led to non-violent and violent confrontation and fuelled bitter rivalries between area residents, the forest sector and environmentalists.
The climate becomes more extreme due to deforestation. The occurrence and strength of floods and droughts increases. Forests store large amounts of carbon which are released once the trees are cut down or burnt. Deforestation and burning of biomass will be responsible for 15% of the greenhouse effect between 1990 and 2025. The stress of such environmental change may cause some species to be more susceptible to the effects of insects, pollution, disease and fire.
Rising sea levels brought on by global warming have the potential to threaten the locations of many major cities, much fertile agricultural land, the purity of freshwater supplies and the survival of some nations. The clearing of forestland results in increased erosion and landslides. Soil from areas of reduced forest cover can fill reservoirs created by dams. Thus a dam's ability and future capacity to generate hydroelectricity and provide irrigation would be significantly reduced. Forests play a crucial role in the management of fisheries. Logging has directly and indirectly damaged spawning grounds, blocked river channels, raised water temperatures and caused water levels in streams to fluctuate dangerously.
The loss of fuel wood means depriving soil of nutrition which leads to a receding forest. This causes an increase in rainfall and risk of flooding and soil erosion. A loss of trees also emits a higher concentration of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that in effect increase the temperature. Deforestation also leads to a drier atmosphere that increases the risk of forest fires. As trees continue to get cut down, the watershed protection of the forest diminishes, leading to excess flooding and billions of dollars worth of damage. Deforestation affects the earth tremendously; leaving us with pollution due to an excessive amount of carbon dioxide in the air, soil erosion, stream erosion, loss of fisheries and water supply, as well as the loss of recreation.
Trees protect the soil from the rain and wind. When they are cut down, the rain leaches out the nutrients from the soil and the wind blows the soil away. Even if the trees are replanted, they may not be able to grow in the impoverished soil. IN rainforests, half of the rainfall is evaporated from the surfaces of soils and leaves or transpired by plants. The other half runs into streams and rivers and eventually reaching the ocean. When trees have been cut down, the recycling of water becomes inefficient leading to lower rainfall in the region.
There are a few solutions to minimising the amount of deforestation that occurs. Replanting the clear cut areas to increase afforestation will be of help in the long term. More National parks/Reserves could be made. Alternative materials could be used instead of wood, such as plastic. The government should restrict the amount of land that can be deforested annually. Also. Using recycled materials will be of great help, as that means less trees need to be cut down to meet our demands.
Deforestation has a major impact on the environment, such as rising sea levels, soil erosion, air pollution, loss of medicinal compounds in the forest, extinction of species, loss of ecotourism etc. A good way to prevent people from cutting or burning down trees is to improve their living conditions, so that they won’t have to depend on deforestation for their livelihood. It must be reduced because thousands of species annually are being extinct. These species may have cures for cancer and AIDS.
