Deforestation: A Disaster created by Humans

Deforestation is one of the most pressing environmental issues that the world is facing currently. It is the conversion of forested land to non-forested land by humans. Deforestation occurs when a land dominated by naturally occurring trees is converted to provide certain services in response to human demand.

The indiscriminate felling of trees has resulted in a reduction of 3.16% in the global forest cover from 1990 to 2015. Although India has seen an increment in the total forest cover of ca. 1%, still there are certain regions in the country that have sought a decrease in the forest cover. The main reasons attributed to the reduction in forest cover are shifting cultivation, rotational felling, other biotic pressures, diversion of forest lands for developmental activities, etc. Continuous illicit cutting of trees has impacted the microclimatic conditions, hydrological cycle, soil quality, biodiversity, etc. of the country, thereby making the country more vulnerable for an uneventful happening. Sustainable forest management practices, alternatives for shifting cultivation, promotion of plantation outside the forest and the usage of certified forest products, etc. are some of the measures that can be adopted to curb the rate of deforestation.

Facts

A fully functioning forest has a great capacity to regenerate. But exhaustive hunting of tropical rainforest wildlife can reduce those species necessary to forest continuance and regeneration.

• 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon forest.

• Forests cover 30% of the earth’s land.

• One and a half acres of forest is cut down every second.

• Loss of forests contributes between 12% and 17% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. (World Resources Institute).

• If the current rate of deforestation continues, it will take less than 100 years to destroy all the rainforests on the earth.

• The rate of deforestation equals the loss of 20 football fields every minute.

• The total world forest loss to date is 7.3 million hectares per year.

• Tropical rainforests which cover 6-7% of the earth’s surface, contain over half of all the plant and animal species in the world!

• Up to 28,000 species are expected to become extinct by the next quarter of the century due to deforestation.

• Half of the world’s tropical forests have already been cleared.

• 4500 acres of forests are cleared every hour by forest fires, bulldozers, machetes etc.

• 1.6 billion people across the globe depend on forest products for their livelihoods thereby adding more to deforestation.

• There are more than 121 natural remedies in the rain forest which can be used as medicines.

• Industrialized countries consume 12 times more wood and its products per person than the non-industrialized countries.

• Worldwide more than 1.6 billion people rely on forests products for all or part of their livelihoods.

• Tropical forests, where deforestation is most prevalent, hold more than 210 gigatonnes of carbon.

• The world’s forests store 283 billion tons of carbon present in the biomass.

Impacts

Indian Economy derives it’s raw material, land and water resource from Forests. Industries like pulp and paper, textiles, rubber, SMEs, mining, steel and another metallurgical process directly or indirectly dependent on forest areas. Hence, the effects of degrading the forest resource have bad effects on the Indian economy too.

• Deforestation has been the major cause in loss of biodiversity. The biodiversity that India boasts has attracted a large number of foreign tourists and foreign currency in the past. Thus, any further deforestation would bear a direct negative influence on the Indian economy.

• Despite rapid industrialisation in the past few decades, India is still an agrarian economy. As deforestation leads to a loss in lands under agriculture, it becomes imperative for India to prevent it as well as expedite its industrialisation process.

• Deforestation drives up CO2 % in the atmosphere. Being a greenhouse gas, it is largely responsible for global warming and would affect the entire world. Surely, India can’t be an exception. It would then have to divert more of its funds to the issues like climate change.

• India exports timber and non-timber forest produce. Thus, deforestation without simultaneous afforestation will reign in such exports in the future.

• According to a recent report, deforestation has led to a drop in monsoon in India by almost 20%. India certainly won’t like to lose these highly erratic, though important, southwest monsoons on which much of its agriculture depends.

• Removal of trees decreases soil fertility. Consequently, to preserve this fertility more fertilisers have to be provided at subsidised rates.

• Undoubtedly, the pharma sector is the best performing sector in India. This sector depends to a large extent on the medicinal herbs provided by these forests. Thus, deforestation can adversely affect this sector.

Solutions

• Government Regulations - The best solution to deforestation is to curb the felling of trees by enforcing a series of rules and laws to govern it. Deforestation in the current scenario may have reduced; however, it would be too early to assume. The money-churner nature of forest resources can be tempting enough for deforestation to continue.

• Banning Clear-Cutting of Forests - This will curb the total depletion of the forest cover. It is a practical solution and is very feasible.

• Reforestation and Afforestation - Land skinned of its tree cover for urban settlements should be urged to plant trees in the vicinity and replace the cut trees. Also, the cutting must be replaced by planting young trees to replace the older ones that were cut. Trees are being planted under several initiatives every year, but they still don’t match the numbers of the ones we’ve already lost.

• Reduce Consumption of Paper - Your daily consumption of paper includes printing paper, notebooks, napkins, toilet paper, etc. Try to reduce consumption, reduce waste of paper and also opt for recycled paper products. Make life simple such as printing/writing on both sides of the paper, using less toilet paper, avoiding paper plates, and napkins and wherever possible, go paperless.

• Educate Others - Still, many are entirely unaware of the global warming problem we’re facing. Educate your friends, family, and community by sharing the deforestation facts, and its causes and effects. You can make an impact!

• Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly Companies - Try to purchase from companies that are committed to reducing deforestation. Asian Pulp and Paper, Disney, L’Oreal, Hershey, Unilever, Willmar International are deforestation-free. 

• Reduce Consumption of Deforestation Prone Products - Palm oil is a common ingredient in absolutely everything we see around us. Make it a simple habit to get a quick peek at the ingredients. Soybeans are another deforestation hotspot.