Cutting down trees has negative environmental impacts: - It destroys habitats for many organisms, exposing them to danger and lack of shelter and food. - Without trees to hold the soil, rain washes away fertile land causing erosion and polluting waterways. - Burning trees releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air which can lead to issues like global warming as the atmosphere's balance is disrupted.

1. Think about it…
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When humans cut down trees in forests, trees are
depleted. What are other effects of this activity?

2. Fish
• Fish from the sea is one of our
food sources.
• When the fish in the sea
cannot reproduce fast enough
to replace those that we catch,
the population of fish will
decrease.
• The negative impact is that
some fish become
endangered or do not exist
anymore.
Depletion of natural resources
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3. • We clear large areas of forests by burning or cutting down
trees to make more space for farming or housing.
• These activities lead to deforestation which has a very
negative impact on the environment.
Deforestation
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4. • When trees are cut down in huge numbers, habitats of
organisms are destroyed.
• These organisms, especially their young, become more
exposed to danger and die more easily as they lack
shelter and food.
Deforestation
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5. • As trees are cut down, the soil on the ground becomes
more exposed to the Sun.
• The ground becomes dry as the water in the ground
dries up very quickly and there is less rain.
• The drier soil on the top of the ground also gets blown
away more easily by the wind.
• As a result, the ground becomes less fertile for farming
or growing trees.
Deforestation
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6. • There are fewer trees to hold onto
the soil on the ground.
• Thus, when rain falls, it can
remove and wash away the soil
easily, causing soil erosion.
• When the soil is washed into
water bodies, such as rivers and
lakes, the water becomes
muddy and polluted.
• This causes plants living in
these water bodies to die
because they are not able to trap
light to make food.
Deforestation
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7. • As trees are burnt, thick smoke and ashes produced
contribute to air pollution and causes haze.
• Smoke and haze can cause irritation to the eyes, breathing
difficulties and damage to the respiratory system.
Deforestation
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8. • Burning down trees produces carbon dioxide.
• The amount of carbon dioxide in the air increases as there
are fewer trees to take in carbon dioxide.
• Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, which traps some
of the Sun’s heat on the Earth.
• Too much carbon dioxide can cause too much heat to be
trapped on the Earth.
• This raises the temperature on the Earth’s surface, leading
to global warming.
Deforestation
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