Causes of Deforestation (continuned)

The main causes of deforestation are natural and man-made.

Natural incidents: Wild fire that can be caused by lightning or other human factors can destroy a lot of forest and every life in the forests in alarming speed. The damage is immeasurable and very difficult to replace, takes centuries to do so if not impossible. It costs billions of dollars to stop it and costs lives, it has complicated short term and long term costs.  Natural phenomena like tornados and volcanic eruptions cause similar damages to the natural forest and every life with in them.  Though it seems impossible to stop natural disasters, science has to find way to find solutions in the long term

 
Deforestation by wildfire

The second and major cause of deforestation is man-made.

Some of the reasons that lead people clear forest are:

Cutting down or burning forests to expand land for agriculture: Most of the people who live near the forests use the forests as the primary source of income. The number of these population highly concentrated in this regions are people who practice agrarian life style. They mostly live in very remote areas of different countries. In some countries they claim that the forest is their own property and assume that they can use it in the way they want to. In some causes it is very hard to communicate and create basic understanding between these groups of people so as to train and stop them to stop forest clearing. In addition, the forests location being in the remotest areas of the world and in developing countries that have so many socio-economic problems intensify the problem. The governments in these countries have no enough economic power to seek solutions for these and other similar problems. Furthermore, corruption and misuse of funds and budgets from international organizations end up with little outcome in this issue.

Using forests as basic source of income to live on: Cutting down forests to use as fuel and making charcoal and trading forest products as the basic means of income to live on. It is very common to see fire wood transported and traded in open market in towns by peasants from nearby villages. No one asks them how and where they brought this supply from. In most of my country it is common to see farmers leading their life mainly being dependent on the income that they get from the sale of firewood which is cut and traded by clearing forests.

Deforestation for fuel and means of income.

Clearing of forests for lumber production: lumber production clears a large number of trees at a time. Except very few certified lumber producers and traders only few run their business understanding and concerned about the effect of deforestation. Moreover, it very common to see forestry areas after massive lumber production left without substitute replenishing of trees in place. Most of the time governments do not invest the money from the sale of forestry by reforesting or replenishing the natural environment.

Lateral expansion of villages and cities: Expansion of cities and towns to forestry areas is another cause for deforestation. This is happening in every country where towns and cities expand laterally. Buildings and housing has to be designed to ensure maximum upward space utilization and stability. Whenever expansion is needed the forest cleared will not replenished as needed.

(To be continued …)
Work cited:

Acheson, J, et.al. (2008). Causes of deforestation: The Maine Case. Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Retrieved November 19,2010 fron Environment  Complete

López, R., & Galinato, G. (2005). Trade policies, economic growth, and the direct causes of deforestation. Land economics. Retrieved November 19,2010 from Environment Complete database.