Shae Doyle

Deforestation is the destruction of trees caused by mankind, fire and even flooding. Deforestation has always been a threat but if it continues there will be no world for future generations to come.

One of the most dangerous effects of deforestation is the loss of animal habitats which leads to the extinction of animals and plant species. 70% of land animals and plant species live in forests. As shown in the David Attenborough documentary animals are dying from being left exposed to their predators. There are only 84 Amur Leopards left around the world as of 2020 there are only 400 Sundar Tigers left and now in 2022 there are only 60 Rhinos left, your children aren’t even going to know what a Rhino is if we don’t make a change. Where are these animals going to live if we keep taking away their homes? In a zoo? I went to the Melbourne Zoo recently and it is so cruel there isn’t enough room for the animals to live how would you like to be locked in a tiny cage for the rest of your life? Its not just animals that need trees to survive we need to make a change.

We as humans need trees to survive as trees produce the oxygen which we need to breath, cutting down trees would be like cutting out our lungs. At the current rate of deforestation 27%of the amazon will be without trees by 2030. 17% of the amazon rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, amazon conservation reports that destruction rose 21% in 2020, a loss the size of Israel. Australia has lost 19% of open forests, 11% of woodland forests and 28% of mallee forest since 1750.

Forests and trees store carbon. When they are degraded or completely cleared by fire or mankind a process referred to as deforestation, this stored carbon has the potential to be released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide is contributing to climate change which is potentially a bigger issue then deforestation. If we continue with deforestation at the same rate with no interventions global warning will end our world. We can make a start with not just one but with both issues by using electric cars to help pollution or doing something as simple as planting a tree.

If we work together, we can make a change. Where we no longer have animals losing their habitats and going extinct, we wont be contributing to global warming more than we already are and we are keeping our world alive for our future generations.