Deforestation: Why Is It So Harmful?

by Mia de Castro

August 28, 2020

Deforestation is another issue that has drawn lots of attention over the past few years, especially with the Amazon Rainforest. However, many are still uncertain about the causes and deeper effects of deforestation. Why is it actually so detrimental to the environment?

Agriculture is the leading cause for deforestation. Cattle, as I have mentioned before, require lots of grazing space to be raised, and therefore accelerate deforestation. Forest is also cleared to produce crops. However, deforestation is not the result of solely agriculture, as wood extraction (for fuel or charcoal), infrastructure expansion, and mining also play a role. Deforestation is especially harmful because it results in a vicious cycle; land with less vegetation becomes more susceptible to larger wildfires, which, in turn, perpetuate the process. Moreover, as more land is cleared, more roads can be built that reach further into the jungle, leading to even more clearing.

Deforestation is not limited to the tropical countries in which it happens most often; we are also responsible for it as agriculture expands to meet the needs of a global market. Brazil has the most prevalent deforestation by cleaning roughly 163,000 square miles (roughly the size of California) of forest from 1990 to 2005. According to WWF, about one football field’s worth of forest is cleared every two seconds.

Nearby communities are also adversely affected. Trees regulate the moisture in the air and thus help bring water to many communities. Without many of these trees, less water is produced, and the soil is drier and poorer in quality. The lack of trees also allows much of the soil to be lifted off, causing soil erosion, which can pollute many nearby bodies of water, further harming communities’ access to water. Moreover, illegal logging threatens indigenous groups as many are forced off their lands.

Deforestation is extremely dangerous for biodiversity as forests are home to half of the world’s land-based plants and animals and three quarters of all birds. Additionally, forests are one of the largest carbon sinks in the world and help us regulate our ridiculous amount of carbon emissions. Furthermore, because the trees in these forests store carbon dioxide, lots of carbon dioxide is released when they are cut down.

Besides donating to organizations, such as WWF or the Amazon Conservancy, we can make lifestyle changes to combat deforestation. Limiting our meat consumption would do a lot in itself, as cleared land is used to grow feed and serve as grazing space. We should also avoid palm oil or check for sustainably-grown palm oil in our foods (it may say RSPO on the label). Palm oil is usually more prevalent in processed, packaged foods.