What are the Effects of Deforestation?

The effects of deforestation have reached to the extent of being a global issue and that needs urgent and permanent solutions. It took decades and hundreds of years to see the devastating effects of deforestation locally and internationally. Protocols and regulations have been signed and efforts have been made to mitigate the effects at the international level. Kyoto protocol and REDD- Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation protocol are some of them. Though deforestation is international issue, it is a primary concern for developing countries which mainly depend on the productivity of soil and better climatic conditions for their sustenance. Farmers and residents who live in developing countries where there is no strict law enforcement and regulations concerning deforestation are primary victims of deforestation. The adverse effects of deforestations are soil erosion, loss of wildlife, global warming, poverty and starvation, etc.

Soil erosion: Roots of trees hold soil particles together and the soil particles will not be easily washed away by water or wind. When trees are cleared surface of the soil will be exposed to direct rain fall and heavy wind and also the fertile top soil is wiped or washed away. When this happens season after season for decades the land not only loses its top soil it also demineralizes. These conditions lead to loss of productivity and less crop yield per season that cannot feed the families that depend mainly on the limited plot of land. Furthermore, this leads the farmers to clear forests for the sake of fertile farm land which also aggravates the deforestation and gradually this leads to desertification-the transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert in which only few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil.

In addition, due to huge mass of soil materials and silt filling up the hydroelectric dams, then there is power shortage and interruption in the supply of the electricity to the towns and cities in different parts of the world. The power shortage due to dams fill up with soil and silt affects wild range of agricultural industrial sectors and human life in so many ways.

Loss of wild life: Thousands of wildlife species are endangered to extinction due to deforestation in many different places around the world. Deforestation makes many wildlife species homeless and cuts their food supply chain. The wildlife lives and dies due to the lack of food and home. The number of indigenous wildlife is endangered and vanishes in direct proportion to rate of deforestation.


Green house effect and global warming: Trees absorb an immense amount of carbon dioxide from atmosphere for photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is one of greenhouse gases that causes greenhouse effect and leads to global warming. Global warming is leading this plant in to chaos extremely adverse climatic conditions throughout the world. In the race to fight global warming, time is of the essence. Tropical deforestation is responsible for about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions - more than all the cars, trucks, planes, boats and trains in the world combined. This devastating deforestation is not only a huge threat to our climate: it is devastating wildlife while impoverishing indigenous peoples and local communities, as well.

The average temperature of earth surface was 0.74±0.18°C during 20th century is projected to increase up to 1.1 to 6.4°C if significant efforts have not been made to change the current trend of deforestation and other environmental challenges. Forests are sinks for carbon dioxide and sources of oxygen that animals including humans depend on for continued existence. In general, without forests it is hardly possible to see life on earth. Since tropical rain forest, the lung of our planet, started diminishing in alarming manner from different corners, international effort has made to decrease the rate and seek solutions.

Endangered Tropical rainforest illustrated as the lung of our earth. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from www.loveplantlife.com

Poverty and starvation: Many countries are under the shadow of fierce poverty and starvation not only because of their low economic level but also due to disruption of nature balance. The rivers and streams those had been the source of water supply for decades and drying up. Underground water wells are not staying for long time as they had been before. Because trees and forests that retain the water are not in place. The world society undersands the extent of this danger and help developing countries to understand the economic advantage of forest.

Solutions for Deforestation:

• Change the way of living of population who live around forest areas. Most of the populations who live adjacent to natural forest zones aue under poverty. Forest are their only source for fuel supply, and their agricultural way are primitive and they only feed their family by expanding the farming area. Know-how modern method of agriculture increase the land productivity and limit farm land expansion.

• Reforestation is opposite of deforestation and restoration of forest by planting trees. Many countries made a significant leap by increasing the lands coverage by reforestation.
• The international programs for developing countries should be linked with reforestation and environmental protection. If the safety net and poverty fighting programs linked with environmental initiatives they could also pave way for long term sustainable development, environmental and natural conservation and reforestation.

• Create other economic means to generate income and have planned family life

• Government and organizational incentives: there must be strong stand to empower developing countries to maintain their natural forest and continue reforestation.

• Empower of developing countries and put law enforcement in place to protect the forest areas in different regions and countries.

• Urban plantation: urban plantation plays a significant role in air cleanness of the cities. Urban plantation prevents the cities and towns from strong winds and storms. It also gives

Separate and secure forest areas from reckless public utilization

• Licensing exporting and transportation of timber products and create awareness to end users to buy from these suppliers.

• Wise and efficient use of wood products: wasteful use of paper and wood products costs lives of trees and anything related to this in the supply end of the chain. Therefore efficient use of materials and goods made from trees ensures optimum resource utilization.

Creating awareness is half way of taking actions regarding fighting the deforestation. Let’s care for tree and share what we know for others that they may do the same and take action to protect our forests.

“A people without children would face a hopeless future; a country without trees is almost as helpless. “ -Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States





Work cited:

Turner, W.et.al. (2009) A force to fight global warming. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from Academic Search Complete database.

Brown, M. (2010). Limiting corrupt Incentives in a global REDD regime. Retrieved December 7, 2010 from Environment Complete database.