Evaluate the impact of deforestation in Indonesia.
Evaluate the impact of deforestation in Indonesia. Indonesia is the larges archipelago in the world with over 3000 islands including Borneo, Java and Sumatra. The islands lie on or close to the Equator. The climate is equatorial - hot and wet - and the typical vegetation is tropical rainforest giving Indonesia the name of the 'Amazon of south-east Asia'. Indonesia had 10% of the world's tropical rainforest but rapid deforestation is a major issue for the country. Deforestation is a global issue; it brings both advantages and disadvantages to the countries that have areas of rainforest and to those who depend on the rainforest products. Many are opposed to the development of rainforests because of the negative impact on the ecosystem and the indigenous people. This loss of rainforest and the associated fauna and flora is particularly significant in Indonesia because the country has the largest number of mammal species in the world, with over 20 000 plant species and 17% of the worlds birds. Several species of both flora and fauna are facing extinction and continued deforestation is likely to lead to reduced bio-diversity, reduced biomass and lower rates of net primary productivity. The impact f this is worsened because there are no replanting policies in place to replace the deforested areas. There are serious conflicts between indigenous people such as the Moi people and
What are the effects of Deforestation?
Deforestation Vegetation, in particular trees, absorb carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide throughout their lives by the process of photosynthesis. This carbon is stored in the carbohydrates produced. Although some of this is used up quickly in respiration, which returns the carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, some is changed to fats and proteins. As man has evolved, however, he has slowly overrun the forests. Some figures say that at the moment, and area of woodland the size of Wales is destroyed every week. This causes several problems: * Less carbon dioxide is absorbed form the atmosphere * When trees are burnt or decay through the action of microbes, this carbon and methane is released * More carbon is being released than is being absorbed So the amount of carbon in the atmosphere has increased. So what? Well, it is thought by many scientists that this increase in the percentage of carbon dioxide could enhance the Greenhouse effect. On a smaller scale, the destruction of trees destroys habitats and can lead to the expansion of deserts as the nutrient rich soil around the trees is held together by the tree roots. Without these, the soil is erroded away. The levels of CO2 and methane are slowly rising. These gases thicken the atmosphere, reducing the amount of energy radiated by the Earth's surface and keeping it warmer than it would be otherwise. Increased levels
Water Pollution
Water Pollution Water pollution occurs when a body of water is adversely affected due to the addition of large amounts of materials to the water. The sources of water pollution are categorized as being a point source or a non-source point of pollution. Point sources of pollution occur when the polluting substance is emitted directly into the waterway. A pipe spewing toxic chemicals directly into a river is an example. A non-point source occurs when there is runoff of pollutants into a waterway, for instance when fertilizer from a field is carried into a stream by surface runoff. Types of Water Pollution Toxic Substance -- A toxic substance is a chemical pollutant that is not a naturally occurring substance in aquatic ecosystems. The greatest contributors to toxic pollution are herbicides, pesticides and industrial compounds. Organic Substance -- Organic pollution occurs when an excess of organic matter, such as manure or sewage, enters the water. When organic matter increases in a pond, the number of decomposers will increase. These decomposers grow rapidly and use a great deal of oxygen during their growth. This leads to a depletion of oxygen as the decomposition process occurs. A lack of oxygen can kill aquatic organisms. As the aquatic organisms die, they are broken down by decomposers which lead to further depletion of the oxygen levels. A type of organic
What is Deforestation?
Deforestation occurs when a large area with trees is cleared off completely. At this current point of time, this unwanted process has reached its maximum level at various parts of the world. Since 1950, a fifth of the world's forest cover has been removed. At least 55% of the world's 30 to 40 million hectares of rare but incredibly productive temperate rainforest has been logged or otherwise cleared. Current rates of loss for rainforests and other ecosystems are over 20 million hectares a year, 40 hectares a minute. According to reports by World Resources Institute (WRI) and Rainforest Alliance, tropical forests account for 80% of that loss. An area almost the size of Washington State is destroyed each year, and at current rates, tropical forests will be reduced by almost half from existing levels in the next 45 years. There are many causes that bring about this phenomenon. Unfortunately, there are also many consequences that occur. About 2.9 billion tons of carbon is accumulated into the atmosphere every year. It has been estimated that deforestation could account for about 20 percent of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere. One of the main reasons for exploiting the forest is to attain the wood and timber from it. These raw materials can be used for many different purposes. Since wood has properties such as durable, light-weight, easily worked, waterproof material and
