Why do we need deforestation

Growing the trees that produce the oil requires the leveling of native forest and the destruction of local peatlands — which doubles the harmful effect on the ecosystem. Forests can be found from the tropics to high-latitude areas. Forests provide more than a home for a diverse collection of living things; they are also an important resource for many around the world.

In countries like Uganda, people rely on trees for firewood, timber and charcoal. Families send children — primarily girls — to collect firewood, and kids have to trek farther and farther to get to the trees.

Collecting enough wood often takes all day, so the children miss school. The UN's State of the World's Forests report found that over half the global population relies on forested watersheds for their drinking water as well as water used for agriculture and industry. Deforestation in tropical regions can also affect the way water vapor is produced over the canopy, which causes reduced rainfall.

A study published in the journal Ecohydrology showed that parts of the Amazon rainforest that were converted to agricultural land had higher soil and air temperatures, which can exacerbate drought conditions.

In comparison, forested land had rates of evapotranspiration that were about three times higher, adding more water vapor to the air. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. As climate change continues, trees play an important role in carbon sequestration, or the capture and storage of excess carbon dioxide. Deforestation not only removes vegetation that is important for removing carbon dioxide from the air, but the act of clearing the forests also produces greenhouse gas emissions.

Globally, forests are under threat — large-scale efforts are needed to protect these ecosystems and the many benefits they provide. One Belgium, every year According to satellite data 1 , 2 , from through , global tropical forest loss averaged 3.

Every six seconds In , the world lost an entire soccer field worth of primary rainforest every six seconds. Brazil under siege Between and , Brazil lost , square kilometers , square miles of tree cover — an area larger than the state of California — to deforestation.

Stand up for forests, they need you Forests are vital to the health of the planet — providing our air, food and water. As trees disappear, deforestation will cost us all. Your donation will help us support communities around the world as they protect forests. Donate Now. Increasing pressure By , the global demand for food could double. What are the effects of deforestation? Subscribe Breaking news about deforestation, straight to your inbox. Sign Up. The development of intensive livestock production, combined with meat consumption increases in developed countries, is thus the main cause of deforestation in the Amazon forest.

Indonesia and the island of Borneo are emblematic symbols of the global phenomenon of deforestation. This region in Southeast Asia is naturally one of the richest reserves of forest and biodiversity in the world.

But at the same time, it is also one of the regions that have been suffering the most deforestation in recent decades. According to FAO , between and alone, Indonesia lost about 9 million hectares of its forests, largely due to deforestation caused by palm oil. One of the most important causes of deforestation in Indonesia and Borneo is unquestionably the production of palm oil.

According to FAO, between and , nearly 6 million hectares of palm oil plantations have gradually replaced Indonesian forests. This makes the palm oil industry one of the biggest contributors to deforestation in Southeast Asia — and it is expected to continue to be so.

Certifications are starting to appear, including sustainable palm oil labels that aim to prove it comes from certified forests and workers are fairly paid like RSPO.

Despite industries still posing serious environmental problems, the media spotlight on this topic is beginning to shift the lines. Africa is also a large area suffering from deforestation. In fact, it experiences more deforestation than Asia: about 2 million hectares of forest disappear each year in Africa. Woodcutting of forest reserves and the development of cocoa and palm oil plantations are among the main causes of deforestation in Africa, together with land cleaning for mining activities.

Unconventional production practices that illegally take down trees and use dangerous chemicals threaten forests and wildlife. In this way, exploiting crops such as palm oil, wood, coffee or avocados has side effects that affect the environment and the surrounding ecosystems.

Some of the animals under greatest threat are:. How can we stop deforestation? According to OECD , the human population is expected to continue to increase and reach over 9 billion people by At the current rate of consumption, and with more people inhabiting Earth, the need for more space to grow food and extract natural resources is only likely to increase — depending, of course, on tech development such as artificial foods. As the demand for food or raw materials like cotton or minerals increases, so does the need to turn forests into farmland, pastureland, or mining spots.

Under this broader perspective, how can we stop deforestation? According to the WWF , livestock-caused deforestation is responsible for the discharge of 3. In this way, reducing your meat consumption is also a big step to stop not only deforestation but also global warming on a larger scale.

Remember: a lot of space is needed to grow both animals and the food they consume, while other nutritious foods could be grown and result in larger food quantities using the same space. Why not saving meat for important occasions only?

As consumers we can choose to buy less industrial and transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil. Instead, we can go for a home-made approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet and our health.

However, if you are not willing to make such changes — because they are time consuming — you can still consume more responsibly while keeping your lifestyle. To this regard, you can buy products from brands adopting eco-friendly business practices.

When it comes to food, buying directly to small farmers using agroforestry practices is the best choice for the planet. Your smartphone, your laptop or your car, to name a few, are all made of aluminium, plastic and rare Earth minerals, among other materials.

To get these, just like foods like coffee or cacao land was clear to build mining sites, roads and factories and where built to transport and transform them, powerplants provide them with energy…. Since diesel and petrol are mixed with biofuels, choosing other transportation methods such as walking, cycling or car-sharing can be good ways of reducing palm oil importations and production and to help stop deforestation.

If you start adopting the behaviors mentioned above to help stop deforestation you can lead by your example. Join our community of educators and receive the latest information on National Geographic's resources for you and your students. Skip to content. Image Deforestation Trees are cut down for timber, waiting to be transported and sold. Photograph by Esemelwe. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Google Classroom. Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Trees are cut down for timber, waiting to be transported and sold.

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