We aren't the only ones who need them.
We aren't the only ones who need them.
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The futuristic world affected by deforestation has many different predictions. While we can’t predict the future, even the more “optimistic scenarios” do not “indicate a promising future.” Currently, deforestation is the number one cause of habitat and biodiversity loss in the Amazon but could be passed by climate change in the near future. Trees can’t spread out as easily, or “migrate” because they are static, or slow to move. As borders around forests are created by deforestation, it becomes even more difficult for trees to reproduce and forests to expand. This leads to the extinction of different types of trees and even more biodiversity loss, not only to the trees but to the plants and animals relying on them. As trees are cut down, forest biomes are becoming savannas. By protecting forests, we are protecting their biodiversity. Forests play a key role in our environment and weather patterns, provide clean air for us to breathe, and protect the plant and animals living within them. As the size of forests decreases, all of these things are affected. “That’s why the preservation [of conserved areas] and the creation of corridors between them are so necessary, allowing biological dispersion and the migration of animals.” By preserving forests, we are protecting our climate and biodiversity (Gonzales.)
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Not only do animals living in wooded areas need the forest, but the forest needs them. Animals provide many benefits to the health and well-being of forests, such as uprooting trees to provide more light to the forest floor and eating fruit to assist with the process of pollination which produces more plants. The unique ecosystems of forests help meet the basic needs of humans as well as animals. Ecosystems can purify water, and even produce oxygen, which humans rely on to breathe. In other words, humans rely on forests for many important resources. “The livelihoods of as much as a fifth of the world's population are directly linked to forests, which also provide a home for 300 million people.” These forests are going away at an alarming rate, so much so that they account for one-sixth of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to providing services to humans and animals, forests keep our world in check as their weather patterns can keep global temperatures cool. By collecting water vapor, or producing clouds, rainforests can reflect light from the sun away from the Earth which prevents global temperatures from rising. By taking away this layer of protection, global temperatures may continue to rise (Chambers).
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