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Deforestation is the clearance of forested areas. It has heavily impacted tropical rainforests in both positive and negative ways. Below are some examples of this!
Advantages
Advantages
More space -
An extensive amount of space is beneficial to tropical rainforests. It contributes to more space for farming, growing crops/ agriculture, development, and construction. Furthermore, this will lead to an economic increase.
Provides sustainable materials -
Deforestation can be viewed as a positive factor for the community. The reason for this is that it produces crucial and valuable materials such as wood, bamboo, and timber. These materials can be utilised for manufacturing and the construction of buildings or furniture.
Disadvantages
Disadvantages
Habitat Loss -
Habitat loss is a negative factor of deforestation. It results in exotic creatures not occupying somewhere to live. This means that the population of animals will decline and there is a high chance that rare species could become extinct as there would be a limited supply of nutrients and shade.
Global warming -
Global warming affects deforestation in tropical rainforests as drought, fires, floods, heatwaves, and storms contribute to climate change. Therefore, it has an impact on the water availability in the rainforest and the biodiversity of the species that live in this biome. For a fact, 10% of the damage caused in tropical rainforests is purely from global warming!
Case Study - The Daintree Rainforest
Case Study - The Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is located in the north-east section of Queensland, Australia. It is known for being the world's oldest rainforest! The Daintree Rainforest has been affected by deforestation. This is because people have been chopping down trees to construct roads and develop infrastructure in this location, which totals to 50% of the rainforest being destroyed. This action threatens species as there is a high chance of animals being hit by cars. However, there are other various human alterations that harm this biome as well as deforestation. The human alterations include mining, hunting, and pollution. Aquatic animals and plants, such as the capybara and algae, are affected by polluted waters.
Water Pollution
Water pollution, created by human activities, contaminates and damages the quality of the water, making it difficult for flora and fauna to absorb nutrients. In the Daintree Rainforest, a common species named the Estuarine Crocodile has been affected by acid rain. Acid rain is caused by the releasing of gases from human activity. Acid rain has had an impact on this species as the toxic water quality leads to a decrease in its population.
Mining
Mining has significantly affected the Daintree Rainforest. About 45% of the Daintree Rainforest has been wiped out due to the human activity of mining. Although mining occupies some positive factors such as extracting scarce minerals, there are other alterations that resolve this problem. Moreover, mining has heavily impacted the Daintree Rainforest as it has wiped out half of the forest itself.
Hunting
The human activity of hunting has greatly affected the Daintree Rainforest. The reason for this is because it contributes to the declination of the population of extravagant wildlife such as crocodiles, fish, turtles, and many more that this rainforest has to offer. These animals have immensely decreased in population in the last decade due to the continuous action of hunting.
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