Harmful Effects of Deforestation

Human beings always have been and probably alwaysdisappearing as a result of deforestation. Tropical
will be to some extent dependent on forests. Treesforests are much more biologically diverse than other
were their habitat, their environment, their source offorest and a very serious effect of deforestation in
food and their protection from enemies. Forests aretropical countries is the loss of biodiversity.
very important to man, and other organisms, and oneHeavy Soil Erosion - One function of the forest is that
of the biggest problems the world is facing today isits roots hold the soil in place. Without trees soil erosion
the threat of totally losing the forests due to massiveand landslides easily happen. When heavy rains and
deforestation and suffering the harmful effects oftyphoons come, soil is easily carried to lower areas
deforestation.especially to communities at the foot of the mountains.
Deforestation can be defined as the large scaleGreenhouse Effect - Deforestation increases the
removal of forests. Deforestation occurs whenamount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The
forests are converted to non-forest areas forconitnued degradation of our forest heightens the
urbanization, agriculture, and other reasons withoutthreat of global warming because the trees and other
sufficient reforestation. It is the permanent destructionplants that takes up carbon dioxide from the
of forests and woodlands.atmosphere to be used for photosynthesis are gone.
At present, forests are considered among the mostThe burning of wood or its decay contributes to the
endangered on the planet. Everyday at least 80,000release of more carbon which combines with oxygen
acres of forest vanish from Earth. The Food andin the atmosphere thus increasing further the levels of
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nationscarbon dioxide that causes greenhouse effect.
show that the rates of deforestation has not abatedSilting of Rivers and Dams - Deforestation results in
and has actually increased by 8.5% from 2000-2005the silting of rivers sediments deposit which shortens
compared during the 1990s. FAO has approximatedits life span and clogs irrigation system. As a result of
that about 10.4 million hectares of tropical forest havedeforestation, the reservoir behind many dams are
been permanently destroyed from 2000-2005filled with sediments more rapidly than expected.
compared to 10.14 million hectares in the period ofFlooding - One major importance of forest is that they
1990-2000.absorb water quickly in great amount during heavy
The process of deforestation is often a complexrains. But due to massive deforestation there are no
pattern of progressive fragmentation of the forests.trees to absorb the water thus resulting to the loss of
Mistakes of this sort could lead to forest destruction.many lives.
Along with this destruction is the extinction of manyLandslides - The roots of the trees bind soil to it and to
species, heavy soil erosion, greenhouse effect, silting ofthe bedroock underlying it. That is how trees prevent
rivers and dams, flooding, landslides, denuded upland,soil from getting eroded by natural agents like wind or
degraded watershed, and even destruction of coralswater. When trees are uprooted, there will be nothing
along the coast.to hold the soil together thus increasing the risk for
Extinction of Thousands of Species - Destruction oflandslides which can cause seriously threaten the
the forests leads to a tragic loss of biodiversity. Millionssafety of the people and damage their properties.
of plants and animal species are in danger of