2. WHAT IS IT?
• Deforestation refers to cutting , clearing and removal of
rainforest or related ecosystem into less bio-diverse
ecosystem such as pasture, cropland , or plantation.
• Deforestation is permanent destruction of indigenous
forest and woodland s. the term does not include the
removal of industrial forests such as plantation of guns or
pines.
3. IMPORTANCE
• Forests play an important role in removing CO2 from the air
due to photosynthesises
• Photosynthesis is a carbon sink
• Carbon sink : any process that takes CO2 and stores it.
• Forests need to remain intact or else the atmosphere will have
too much CO2
4. TYPES
• There are 4 different types of Deforestation:
• i) Natural reasons (i.e volcanic eruption) these reasons are
only occur for a small fraction
• ii) Land clearing to prepare for crops to be planted
• iii) Commercial logging and timber harvests
• iv) Slash and burn forest cutting for subsistence farming
5. CAUSES
• 1. Logging
• 2. Mining
• 3. oil and gas extraction
• 4. Cattle ranching
• 5. Agriculture: Cash Crops.
• 6. Local, National, and International factors: development, land titles,
government subsidies to attract corporations into developing countries, trade
agreements (NAFTA, CAFTA), civil wars, debt, lack of resources, and lack of law
enforcement.
6. EFFECTS/CONSEQUENCES
• Environmental impact
• 1. Habitat fragmentation. This disturbs the animals'
habitat and may force them to enter habitats which are
already occupied. This can pose many problems such
as territorial conflicts, homelessness (loss of habitat),
lack of food availability, migration disturbances, etc.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
• 2. Soil erosion occurs when trees and plants are removed; the rain water washe
the nutrients in the top soil away.
• 3. Climate change (more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, thus
increasing the effects of global warming).
• 4. Pollution (ground, water and air pollution from oil extraction and mining
chemicals
8. SOCIAL IMPACT
• Social conflicts and struggles over land and natural resources.
• Conflicts over racial and ethnic rights.
• Poisoning from oil and mining waste.
• Economic uncertainty (price fluctuations and high interest rates on outstanding
international loans with The World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
9. CLIMATE CHANGE
• Deforestation has a huge impact on global warming
• Causes 20% of the greenhouse gas emissions – more than all the automobiles i
the world combined
• One of the main causes of climate change
• 2 million tons of CO2 enters the atmosphere because of deforestation (audit
2003)
10. SOLUTIONS
• Corporations/Markets
They can use forest products wisely
Implement paper saving laws and policies
• Politics
• Politicians can implement national laws to help achieve zero deforestation
• Consumer Power
• As a consumer we can pressure the companies to implement paper saving laws
and policies and be more eco friendly
11. LARGEST RAINFOREST WORLDWIDE LIST IN DESCENDING
ORDER( FROM LARGEST TO SMALLEST
• Amazon basin of South America
• Congo river basin of Central Africa
• S.E. Asia
• New Guinea
• Madagascar
