Forest and its uses, Deforestation, Causes of deforestation, Harmful effects of deforestation, Solutions, Historical Movements in India, Conclusion, References.

2. CONTENT
 FOREST AND ITS USE
 DEFORESTATION
 CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION
 HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION
 SOLUTIONS
 HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
CONCLUSION

3. FOREST
 A forest is a highly complex, constantly changing environment made up of a variety of living things (wildlife, trees,
shrubs, wildflowers, ferns, mosses, lichens, fungi and microscopic soil organisms) and non-living things (water,
nutrients, rocks, sunlight and air). Trees are the biggest part of this complex community.
 The six major groups of forest in India. These are subdivided into 16 major types of forests.
 The six major groups of forest in India are:
1. moist tropical
2. dry tropical
3. montane sub tropical
4. montane temperate
5. sub alpine
6. alpine.

4. Commercial Uses
 Forest supply wood used as fuel
 Raw materials as pulp, paper, board, timber etc.
 Minor forest products like gums, resin, dyes etc.
 Many plants are utilized in preparing medicines and drugs.
 Provides variety of animal products honey, ivory, hides etc.
 Many forests lands are used as mining, grazing, recreation
and for dams.

5. Ecological Uses
1) Production of Oxygen
2) Reducing Global warming
3) Pollution Moderators
4) Regulation of Hydrological cycle
5) Soil conservation
6) Wildlife Habitat

6. Aesthetic Value
 Gene Reserve of important and rare species.
 Aromatic & Medicinal oil.
 Craft products: Bamboo products such as hat, mat, Basket
and other items.
 Touristic Value: Eco Tourism provides a growing Income.

8. Deforestation
 Deforestation is the full or large scale removal of a forest, or area of tress, in order
to clear land for human development.
 Deforestation is the direct or indirect human induced conversion of forested land to
non-forested land.
 According to UN conference in 1992 deforestation is defined as “ Land degradation
in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including
climatic variation and human activities.”

9. The Data Behind Deforestation
 Forests cover approximately 31% of the total land surface of the Earth.
 Tropical forests harbour over half of all land-based animal and plant species in the
world.
 Between the years 2000 and 2012, over 568 million acres of forest has been claimed by
deforestation.
 Approximately 9 million acres of virgin tropical forest was cut down in the year 2018.
 The Amazon rainforest, which is the source of 20% of the world’s oxygen supply, loses
approximately 1.32 acres of its area every minute due to deforestation.

10. Causes of Deforestation
 Overgrazing
 Jhum Cultivation
 Charcoal Production
 Firewood Collection
 Forest Disease
 Landslides
 Forest fire
 Increase in population
 Agriculture
 Urbanization, industrialization &
Road construction.
 Commercial & Illegal logging
 Construction of dam reservoirs
 Mining
 Palm oil production

11. Root Cause
 Population Growth
As the population grows, the needs also increase and utilize more forest resources.
 Increasing population directly affects forest, to meet the demands of rapidly growing
population, agricultural lands, housing and settlements (expansion of cities) are created
permanently by clearing forests.
 Forests shrink to a great extent to meet the requirements like for construction of roads,
development of houses, mineral exploitation and expansion of industries.
 More population more water is required- Dams for irrigation, energy and water,

12. According to the FAO, agriculture causes around 80% of deforestation. Due to overgrowing demand
for food products, many trees are chopped down for crops and for cattle grazing.
According to the same report, 33% of agriculture-caused deforestation is a consequence of subsistence
agriculture – such as local peasant agriculture in developing countries.
Commercial or industrial agriculture (field crops and livestock) cause around 40% of forest loss –
in the search for space to grow food, fibers or biofuel (such as soybeans, palm oil, beef, rice, maize,
cotton and sugar cane).
It is also particularly interesting to note livestock is believed to be responsible for about 14% of global
deforestation. The main reasons why have to do with the large areas require both to raise livestock but
also to grow its (soy-based) food.
Agriculture is the Number 1 cause of Deforestation (~80%)

13. New Constructions (~15%)
 The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation.
 More specifically, 10% of deforestation can be attributed to new infrastructures that serve the
current human lifestyle in four main ways: transportation, transformation and energy generation.
 On one hand, roads, rails, ports or airports have been built to move all sorts of goods – from cereals
and fruits to spices, minerals or fossil fuels – either directly to trade centers or to transformation sites.
So while at first there were only fruit trees, roads soon arrived to allow transporting fruit to other
regions. And while some goods were and are collected manually, others such as coal, oil, natural gas,
biomass, but also meat, dairy or spirits, required the construction of large extraction, transportation
and/or transformation infrastructures.

14. How Urbanization Is Causing Deforestation (~5%)
 The populational shift that is leading people to move from rural areas to urban areas is also
contributing to deforestation (5%, according to FAO).
 This urban growth in which 68% of the world’s population is expected to live in cities by 2050 is
leading to an exponential growth of housing and consumption sites. And as cities become larger so they
can host more people, they challenge the natural boundaries surrounding them, often leading to
deforestation.

15. Commercial logging
 It involves cutting trees for sale as timber or pulp.
 It employs heavy machinery to remove cut trees and build roads.
 Logging roads enable people to access the interiors of the forest, which in results in deforestation .
 In Africa, 75% of land being cleared by poor farmers is land that has been previously logged.

16. Illegal logging
Illegal logging, which accounts for approximately 80% of all logging activities, involves the harvesting
and sale of timber in violation of the law. Corrupt government officials may accept bribes from illegal
loggers and offer access to protected forest areas in return. Therefore, corruption can be viewed as an
indirect cause of deforestation.
Illegal logging activities are very common that destroy the livelihoods of the people depending on
forests. Wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture need a substantial amount of wood
supply. Wood is used as fuel most commonly and so large amount of trees are cut down for fuel supplies.
Firewood and charcoal are used as fuel.

17. Construction of dam reservoirs
 For building big dams, large scale devastation of forests takes place which breaks the natural
ecological balance of the region.
 Floods, droughts and landslides become more prevalent in such areas. Forests are the repositories of
invaluable gifts of nature in the form of biodiversity and by destroying these we are going to lose
these species even before knowing them.
 These species could be having marvellous economic or medicinal value. These storehouses of
species which have evolved over millions of years get lost due to deforestation in a single stroke.
 In India and South America, rainforests have been destroyed by the building of hydroelectric dams.
It was the dominant view that new dams had to be built or otherwise these countries would suffer an
energy crisis.

18. Mining
Mining is one of the main causes of deforestation. Mining occurs so as to extract precious metals and
gemstones such as Manganese, tantalum, cassiterite, copper, tin, nickel, bauxite (aluminum ore), iron ore,
gold, silver, and diamonds which are found in many tropical rainforests. These metal such as gold is then
used to make jewellery.
 Mining is a destructive activity that damages the rainforest ecosystem and causes problems for people
living nearby and downstream.
 Forests are cleared to establish the mines and construct roads to transport the materials. While
deforestation and chemical pollution from mining can impact the rainforest environment, it can affect
aquatic habitats even more.
Reduced water flows caused by deforestation can seriously affect local fish populations. Nowadays natural
resources are becoming scarce and rainforests have many quantities of raw materials such as plants,
timber, gold and iron, all of which are currently being exploited illegally.

19. Palm Oil
 Palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already
endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino.
 A report by Greenpeace finds that palm oil suppliers to the world’s largest brands have cleared more than 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles)
of rainforest — an area the size of the city of Los Angeles — since the end of 2015.
 Greenpeace says palm oil-fueled deforestation remains rampant in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia because global consumer brands like
Unilever, Nestlé and PepsiCo continue to buy from rogue producers.
 These brands have failed to commit to their zero-deforestation pledges and are poised to fall short of their own 2020 deadlines of cleaning up their
entire supply chain from deforestation, Greenpeace says.
 Greenpeace has called for a transformation in the palm oil industry, particularly in Indonesia, the world’s biggest producer of the commodity.
 Greenpeace researchers found that 12 of the world’s largest brands — Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Hershey, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal,
Mars, Mondelez, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever — were still sourcing from at least 20 palm oil groups that actively cleared
rainforests in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.
 The palm oil produced from these plantations winds up in some of the most well-known products on the market, including Kit Kat chocolate bars,
Colgate toothpaste, Johnson’s baby lotion, Doritos tortilla chips, and Pop-Tarts pastries, among others.

20. Overgrazing
 Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended
periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods.
 It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, or
by overpopulations of native or non- native wild animals.
 Overgrazing reduces the usefulness, productivity, and biodiversity of the land and is
one cause of desertification and erosion.
Overgrazing is also seen as a cause of the spread of invasive species of non-native
plants and of weeds.

21. Jhum cultivation
Jhum cultivation which is popularly known as shifting cultivation is one of the oldest types of cultivation
practices of India and is practiced majorly in the northeastern states of India. This cultivation has a
particular pattern that has to be followed according to the cycle or the period of Jhum cultivation.
Initially, the vegetation or the forest on the land is cleared where the cultivation needs to be practiced and
then the farming begins. After the harvest, the land is allowed to have its vegetation back.
Everything that has been useful to the human population has also been exploited injudiciously. Same is the
case with Jhum Cultivation. Shift farming can cause deforestation of a surrounding if farmers keep moving
around in a particular area clearing the vegetation for cultivation. This has to be kept in check. Repeated
cultivation on the same land can lead to infertility of the soil and make the land barren and can then take
more than a century to replenish cultivation standards.

22. Forest Fire
 We lose a large number of trees each year due to forest fires in various portions worldwide. This happens due
lightning and other natural phenomena such as extreme summers and winters.
 The fire caused, by man or nature, results in huge loss of forest cover.
 It is important to note that natural factors have a very small stake in the overall deforestation of the Earth’s land
surface (anthropogenic factors account for almost all of it).
 Some fires are incidental while the majority of them are deliberate
 The landslide lead to the deforestation in the mountains is a question of worry. It happened largely in the regions
where growing actions are proceeding for the previous few years. The building of highways and railways mainly in
hilly lands as well as the structure of large irrigation plans have resulted in enough deforestation and speeded the
natural procedure of denudation.
Landslides

23. Fuel wood
The maximum amount of forest is destroyed for the fuel wood. Around 86% of the fuel wood is
utilized in rural regions in comparison to the 14% in urban parts and hence lead to more
deforestation.
 Many diseases caused by parasitic fungi, rusts, nematode and viruses cause death and decay of
forest plants that result in demise and deterioration of jungle. Fresh saplings are devastated owing
to the occurrence of nematodes.
 Diseases such as heart rot, blister rust, oak wilt, phloem necrosis and Dutch elm diseases etc
damage the forest in large numbers.
Forest Disease

24. Effects of Deforestation
 Climate Imbalance and Climate Change
 Deforestation also affects the climate in many ways. Forests are the lungs of our planet. Trees take in
carbon dioxide and release oxygen and water vapor in the air, and that is why tropical rainforests are
extremely humid.
 Trees also provide shade that keeps the soil moist. All these are compromised with the lack of trees. It
leads to the imbalance in the atmospheric temperature, drier climate, further making conditions for the
ecology difficult that leads to climate change.
 Several animals and plant species that form the flora and fauna across the world are vastly accustomed to
their natural habitat. Therefore, haphazard clearance of forests would make it very difficult for them to
survive or to shift from their native environment or adapt to new habitats.

25. Effects of Deforestation
 Tropical forests, they hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon, according to WWF. The
destruction of these trees has two big negative side-effects.
 Firstly, taking down trees means release back of stored Co2 into the atmosphere.
 Secondly, fewer trees available means reducing the planet’s overall ability to capture and
store CO2.
 Both these effects negatively contribute to the greenhouse effect and to climate change. As
a matter of fact, while food and agriculture account for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions,
deforestation is estimated to be responsible for 10-15% of all anthropogenic CO2
emissions.

26. Effects of Deforestation
 When a forest is cut down, the humidity levels come down and cause the remaining plants to dry out.
The drying out tropical rainforests increases fire damage that destroys forests rapidly and harms wild
animals as well as humans.
 Forests and climate are linked intrinsically. Forest loss and degradation are both a cause and an effect of
our changing climate. At the same time, deforestation is self-perpetuating.
 Therefore, these occurrences are dangerous and fuel further deforestation. Also, the loss of trees allows
for flooding, soil erosion, desertification, and higher temperatures to occur more rapidly and
exponentially.
 Decrease in Rainfall: In the absence of forest, rainfall decreases considerably because forests bring
rains and maintains high humidity in atmosphere.

27. Effects of Deforestation
 Increased Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Trees help to mitigate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas
emissions, but they become carbon sources once they’re cut, burned, or otherwise removed. It’s estimated
that deforestation is responsible for around 20% of greenhouse gas emissions and 1.5 billion tons of
carbon is released every year by tropical deforestation.
 Increase in Global Warming: Trees play a major role in controlling global warming. The trees
utilize greenhouse gases, restoring the balance in the atmosphere. With constant deforestation, the ratio of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has increased, adding to our global warming woes.
 Acidic Oceans: The oceans are becoming more acidic with an increased supply of carbon dioxide from
deforestation and burning fossil fuels. Oceans are already 30 percent more acidic since the Industrial
Revolution, putting ocean species and ecosystems at an extreme risk.

28. Effects of Deforestation
 Loss of Biodiversity: Deforestation leads to a huge loss of biodiversity. About 80% of the global
biodiversity is located in tropical rainforests. Forests not only provide habitats for wildlife but also
foster medicinal conservation. The forest acts as a critical medium to preserve the wide variety of
species. It also destroys the microbial community that is responsible for the production of clean
water, the removal of pollutants and the recycling of nutrients.
 Though a few species are killed directly in forest clearances, many will face a slower death sentence
due to a lack of food and breeding rates decline. White-cheeked spider monkeys are endangered
largely specifically because of the enlargement of farmland and road construction. Because of water
pollution from mining operations and agricultural runoff the giant otter is now endangered.

29. Effects of Deforestation
 It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal, and insect species every day which equates to
50,000 species a year. It’s also been estimated that 40% of the animal and plant species in Southeast
Asia could be wiped out in the 21st century. A recent study of the Brazilian Amazon predicts that up
to 90% of extinctions will occur in the next 40 years.
 Wildlife Extinction & Habitat Loss: One of the most dangerous and unsettling effects of
deforestation is the loss of animal and plant species due to their loss of habitat. 70% of land animals
and plant species live in forests.
 Not only does deforestation threaten species known to us, but also those unknown. The trees of the
rainforest that provide shelter for some species also provide the canopy that regulates the
temperature.

30. Effects of Deforestation
 Deforestation results in a more drastic temperature variation from day to night, much like a desert,
which could prove fatal for many inhabitants.
 Due to the massive felling down of trees, various animal species are lost. They lose their habitat and
also forced to move to a new location. Many of them are even pushed to extinction.
 Our world has lost innumerable species of plants and animals in the last couple of decades. A study
of the Brazilian Amazon forecasts that up to 90% of predicted extinctions will occur until the next
40 years.
 Deforestation for Food May Lead to Food Insecurity in the Future: Today, 52% of all the land
used for food production is moderately or severely impacted by soil erosion. In the long term, the
lack of healthy, nutritious soil can lead to low yields and food insecurity.

31. Effects of Deforestation
 Life Quality Decrease: Millions of people in the world depend on forests for hunting, small-scale agriculture,
gathering, and medicine. Common materials we use every day such as latex, cork, fruit, nuts, natural oils, and resins
are found in the tropical forests. Deforestation disrupts the lives of millions of people. In Southeast Asia,
deforestation has contributed to social conflict and migration. Poor people from Brazil have been lured from their
villages to soy plantations where they can be abused and forced, at gunpoint, to work under inhumane conditions.
 Increase the man animal conflict: Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) refers to the negative interactions
between human and wild animals, with undesirable consequences for both people and their resources and wildlife
and their habitats (IUCN 2020). HWC, caused by competition for shared natural resources between human and
wildlife, influences human food security and the well-being of both human and animals. In many regions these
conflicts have intensified over recent decades as a result of human population growth and the transformation of land
use.eg: Deforestation is correlated with incidents of human-elephant conflict(HEC).

32. Effects of Deforestation
 Increase the Zoonotic diseases: loss of forest habitat increases contact between humans and nonhuman
primates and other organism directly or indirectly therefore the transmission of diseases from animals to
humans. For example: In Malaysia, the geographic shift of the fruit bat population (as a consequence of
deforestation) facilitated the transmission of the Nipah virus. Fruit bats, which are known to be vectors of
the disease, lost their natural habitat due to deforestation and started feeding in the orchards surrounding
habited areas. Through proximity, the Nipah virus spread from fruit bats to pigs, and then to humans.
 Increase the Vector Borne Diseases: Deforestation has been identified as one anthropogenic change that
influences vector-borne disease prevalence, although contrasting pictures of the effects of deforestation on
vector-borne disease transmission have been reported eg:. These conflicting findings are likely attributable
to the inherent complexity of vector-borne disease systems, which involve diverse groups of vectors, hosts
and pathogens, depending on geography.

33. Effects of Deforestation
 Analysis of data compiled from published field studies for 87 mosquito species from 12 countries revealed
that about half of the species (52.9%) were associated with deforested habitats. Of these species that are
favored by deforestation, a much larger percentage (56.5%) are confirmed vectors of human pathogens,
compared to those negatively impacted by deforestation (27.5%).
 Moreover, species that serve as vectors of multiple human pathogens were all favored by deforestation,
including Anopheles bancroftii, Anopheles darlingi, Anopheles farauti, Anopheles funestus s.l., Anopheles
gambiae s.l., Anopheles subpictus, Aedes aegypti, Aedes vigilax, Culex annulirostris, and Culex
quinquefasciatus. Our quantitative analysis of vector and non-vector species, demonstrates that the net
effect of deforestation favors mosquitoes that serve as vectors of human disease, while the obverse holds
true for non-vectors species.

34. Effects of Deforestation
Expansion of Deserts: Deforestation removes the trees which hold the soil together by their roots. Removing
the trees leaves the soil bare to wind and other elements which leads to desertification since the top soil is
blown away, dried out or washed away by rain.
Deforestation is one of the leading human induced issues that lead to desertification. like overgrazing, once
the trees are cut down there is nothing left to prevent the soil from blowing and washing away. This process
can result in soil degradation meaning the soil eventually turns to dust and the nutrients in the soil are
deteriorating making the soil unusable causing desertification overtime.
Loss of medical Plants: There are many species of plants, which have been used in India for centuries as
insecticide, fungicide, in medicine and in bio-fertilizers. Deforestation may lead to the extinction of these
valuable plants.

35. Effects of Deforestation
 Flooding and Erosion: Without trees to secure fertile soil, erosion often occurs and sweeps sacred
land into nearby rivers. Erosion also causes contaminants in the soil to leach into the water supply
which will greatly decrease the quality of our drinking water.
 Trees are also crucial for our local water cycles as they assist in returning water vapor to the
atmosphere. Forests serve as nature’s water purification plants and as the rain water percolates
within the soil and is held in place by intricate root structures of many layers of trees. When the
protective forest canopy and roots have been destroyed, the soil will lose its proportions to retain
water and is washed away into rivers and streams.

36. Effects of Deforestation
Water in the Atmosphere: The trees also help control the level of water in the atmosphere by
helping to regulate the water cycle. In deforested areas, there is less water in the air to be returned
to the soil. This then causes dryer soil and the inability to grow crops.

37. Effects of Deforestation
 Destruction of Homelands: As large amounts of forests are cleared away, allowing exposed earth
to whither and die and the habitats of innumerable species to be destroyed,
the indigenous communities who live there and depend on the forest to sustain their way of life are
also under threat.
• The loss of forests has an immediate and direct effect on their lifestyle that we in the highly
industrialized parts of the world, despite our own dependency on what the rainforest provides, will
never know. The level of immediacy is exponentially greater for indigenous peoples.
• The governments of nations with rainforests in their borders often attempt to evict indigenous tribes
before the actual clear-cutting begins. This is one of the pre-emptive effects of deforestation.

38. Effects of Deforestation
 Economy: Deforestation facilitates the generation of raw material for a wide range of industries.
Examples include the agriculture industry, the wood industry, and the construction industry.
 However, the overexploitation of wood and timber can have a negative impact on the economy. The
short-term economic gains made from deforestation are accompanied by reduced long-term
productivity.
 For example, overenthusiastic timber harvesting from a forest area may increase the overall output
temporarily, but the declining forest area will eventually cause the harvest to decline. The overall
forest output is greatly reduced by such practices.
 According to some reports, the global GDP may see a 7% decline by the year 2050 due to
deforestation and other factors.
 Therefore, a sustainable approach to the usage of forest resources is ideal for the economy.

39. SOLUTIONS
 Corporations: If corporations have the ability to destroy the world’s rainforests,
they also have the power to help save them
 Government: Governments are able to enact ambitious domestic and
international forest policies that have wide-ranging effects
 Individuals: As individuals, we contribute significantly to deforestation with our
lifestyle, hence we have the responsibility to keep ourselves in check

40. Corporations
Implement anti-deforestation policies: Corporations can implement anti-deforestation policies
that require suppliers and other stakeholders to operate in ways that do not harm the environment.
Minimize paper wastage and encourage recycling: Corporations are huge consumers of paper.
Management can work towards a paper-free office by shifting towards email and soft-copies, and
also encourage their employees to recycle. When paper have to use utilize the both side of the
paper.
Provide found to reforestation and afforestation programmes.
Initiate reforestation campaigns to restore deforested lands.

41. Role of Governments and other Administrative Authorities
 The following strategies can be implemented by governments to combat deforestation:
 Implementation of security measures and strict laws to prevent illegal logging.
 Increasing the count and range of forests under government protection.
 Carefully planning the construction of infrastructure (roads, dams, etc.) in order to minimize the loss of forest area.
 Investing in new technologies in the agricultural industry (such as hydroponics) and helping farmers implement eco-friendly
agricultural practices (such as cyclic agriculture).
 Optimizing the management of forests by banning inefficient agricultural practices (such as slash-and-burn agriculture).
 Facilitating the production and use of wood alternatives to reduce the demand for timber. For example, bamboo can serve as an
alternative to wood fuel.
 Launching new reforestation campaigns to restore deforested lands.
 Investing in forest plantations – forests planted with high yielding trees can offer 5 – 10 times the output (per hectare) of a natural
forest.

42. Role of Governments and other Administrative Authorities
 Reforestation and Afforestation: The cutting down of trees must be countered by replacing old ones that were cut
with young ones. Trees are being planted every year, but they still don’t match the number of trees that we lost.
 Land skinned of its tree cover for urban settlements should be urged to plant trees in the vicinity and replace the cut
trees. Also, the cutting must be replaced by planting young trees to replace the older ones that were cut.
 Trees are being planted under several initiatives every year, but they still don’t match the numbers of the ones we’ve
already lost.
 Support organizations that push for anti-deforestation: Governments have the resources to allow anti-
deforestation organizations to get their message across and increase their sphere of influence. This is a good way to
indirectly solve deforestation.
 Legislation: The best solution to deforestation is to curb the felling of trees by enforcing a series of rules and
laws to govern it. Deforestation in the current scenario may have reduced; however, it would be too early to assume.

43. Governments
Strictly implement the forest conservation laws and if anyone/group or company
violate the law take strict action against them.
By making suitable changes in the law, so that cutting trees in a forest will not only
lead to deforestation being controlled in a major way, but its flow may also be
reversed.
Banning Clear-Cutting of Forest.
 Tax cuts should be granted to corporations, to get them actively interested in
reforestation.

44. How You Can Help
Educate Others: Many are completely unaware of this global problem we’re facing. By educating your
friends, family, and community of the facts, by cause and effect you’ll increase awareness and make an
impact.
Use Renewable Wood Resources: We can plant trees as a source of wood or use wood from second-
growth forests. Looking for a job? Contact your local tree-planting organization! Sustainable, locally
sourced wood can be used and charcoal for cooking or heating homes is a great alternative to fossil
fuels—if locally sourced.
Forest-derived Products: Make sure they’re 100% post-consumer content materials.
Reduce Consumption: Palm oil is in absolutely everything but a quick peek at the ingredients is a simple
habit to get into. Soybeans are another deforestation hotspot but try finding ways to reduce consumption,
avoiding it completely, or opting for organic, local (if possible) soy products.

45. How You Can Help
• Eat Less Meat: Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation. This one’s hard for some people and may
actually be dangerous but even having a meatless day or only eating meat for one meal a day will make an
extreme impact on the environment.
• According to the WWF, livestock-caused deforestation is responsible for the discharge of 3.4% of current
global emissions of carbon to the atmosphere every year. That’s why the late 2018 IPCC report stood out
that reducing meat consumption by 90% is the single biggest way to reduce global warming.
• Some studies also show that without meat and dairy consumption, global farmland use could be reduced
by over 75%. 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.

46. How You Can Help
Pressurize the companies to produce or use deforestation-free sources of palm oil.
Reduce Paper Consumption: Your daily consumption of paper includes printing paper, notebooks,
napkins, toilet paper, etc. Try to reduce consumption, reduce waste of paper and also opt for recycled
paper products. Make life simple such as printing/writing on both sides of the paper, using less toilet
paper, avoiding paper plates, and napkins and wherever possible, go paperless.
Use Recycled products: By purchasing recycled products, we are encouraging more and more
companies to produce recycled products, which deal less damage to our forests , creates less waste and
decreases the need for new raw materials
Forest-Friendly Policies: Purchase from companies who are committed to reducing deforestation.

47. How You Can Help
Purchase from Sustainable, Forest-Friendly Companies
Reduce Consumption of Deforestation Prone Products
Forestry Certification: If buying products from virgin forest fiber, make sure it bears a seal from a
credible forestry certification system. Such as the Forest Stewardship Council. Eg: Purchasing only
certified wood products and supporting the organizations that are fighting deforestation.
Purchasing only recyclable products and recycling them once used.
Although many will most likely say that their individual purchasing decision will have a minimal
impact, it is all of our responsibility to understand and educate others about the environmental
effects of deforestation.

48. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
 Bishnoi Movement
The Bishnoi tribe were protectors of trees and animals by the virtue of their cultural beliefs. When
Maharaja of Jodhpur ordered the construction of palace which would come at the cost of forest cover
near the Khejri village, the bishnoi community, under the leadership of Amrita Devi, hugged the trees
saying “A chopped head is cheaper than a felled tree.”
Several people were martyred before the maharaja was called to attention and he finally stopped the
felling of the trees, apologizing the community and declaring it a protected area. One of the first
successful movements made for the protection of ecosystem, this tree hugging silent protest of 1730,
went on to inspire Chipko movement as well. Even today, this forest area is protected under Indian
legislation.

49. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
 Chipko movement
Chipko movement, also called Chipko andolan, nonviolent social and ecological movement by
rural villagers, particularly women, in India in the 1970s, aimed at protecting trees and forests slated
for government-backed logging.
The movement originated in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand (then part of Uttar Pradesh) in
1973 and quickly spread throughout the Indian Himalayas. The Hindi word chipko means “to hug” or
“to cling to” and reflects the demonstrators’ primary tactic of embracing trees to impede loggers.

50. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
 Silent Valley Movement 1978
Save Silent valley was a social movement aimed at a protection of silent valley, an evergreen tropical
forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala in India. It was started in 1973 to save the Silent Valley
Reserve forest from being flooded by a hydroelectric project. The Valley was declared as Silent
Valley National Park in 1984. Nonetheless there is still controversy surrounding on the valley.

51. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
 Jungle Bachao Andolan, 1980s
The Jungle Andolan of Singhbum district for land, forest and water was the struggle for right over
and part of the socio-economic aspects of Jharkhand Movement. The movement was at peak in 1978
and the several police firings include Ichahatu police firing, Serengda police firing, Sarjomhatu police
firing and Eligada police firing. This movement survived till 1983 and 18 people were killed.
Government of Bihar tried to crush the movement, thousands of adivasis were beaten and cases
registered in police stations against thousands of people and put them behind bars. It was the longer
period in the history of Jharkhand Movement after independence of India.

52. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
Appiko Movement
The Appiko Movement was constructive in nature as compared to most movements which are done to
protect existing ecosystems. Appiko not only involved activism that aimed to protect the forest cover in
western ghats, but it also worked towards regeneration and restoration of denuded areas which were at
the risk of turning into rocky hills.
It recognized early on the consequences, and post restoration, seeked to maintain these ecosystem by
training and teaching citizens to adopt sustainable practices in their homes such as drawing energy
from biogas and using chulhas, to reduce dependency on firewood. The movement is a success as the
central government recognized the high depletion of natural resources in western ghats, and worked
with the movement. It only permits cutting of dead or dying trees, protecting the majority of the forest
cover.

53. HISTORICAL MOVEMENT IN INDIA.
 Narmada Bachao Andolan
The Narmada Bachao Andolan was a movement that started out to protect the resettlement of the
displaced tribal communities that were affected by the construction of dams across the river. But it
soon questioned the need for this massive construction itself, that would destroy the ecosystems around
the river.
The andolan was never a complete success and the protest demanded that the dam could be at least
built only upto the height of 80 m instead of the proposed 130 m. A final compromise was made on the
height of dam to 90 m. The movement was not only about the environmental damage but soon became
a matter of human rights as child labour was highlighted amongst the many issues faced during
development. Even the world bank withdrew from the project and it had to be funded by the
government and market borrowings. Today, the project is aimed at finishing in 2025.

54. CONCLUSION
 Deforestation is an important issue to be discussed. It has adverse effects on each living beings'life.
Deforestation has become a huge concern in today's life as there has been a rise in the decline of forests. Trees
are cut down in order to manufacture paper products as well as for livestock farming and so on.
 In order to feed the ever increasing population of the Earth, trees and forests are converted to farm lands. This
has become a threat to the world and it has been seen that rates of decline in the forests are increasing at a rapid
rate. This has led the planet to warm up and leading to high temperatures. This cycle would continue for the
following years to come unless necessary steps are taken to prevent deforestation. Deforestation has
caused fewer trees to grow. It has also gone a long way in eliminating valuable ecosystems in the planet.
 If major steps towards afforestation are not taken, then even the great adaptability of human beings may not be
enough to cope up with the harsh climate of the future. Deforestation does have solutions. It's just that the people
must step forward. The safe keeping of our precious planet lies with each and every member of its human
population. We are the ones accountable for our actions even though it is ourselves we are accountable too.

55. CONCLUSION

56. https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-what-is-definition-deforestation-
causes-effects/
https://byjus.com/chemistry/deforestation/
Burkett-Cadena, N. D., & Vittor, A. Y. (2018). Deforestation and vector-borne
disease: forest conversion favors important mosquito vectors of human
pathogens. Basic and applied ecology, 26, 101-110.
https://www.pachamama.org/effects-of-deforestation
https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-what-is-definition-deforestation-
causes-effects/
REFERENCES

57. https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-
deforestation.php
https://www.toppr.com/guides/science/forest-our-lifeline/deforestation/
http://www.akmindia.in/jhum-cultivation/
https://www.toppr.com/guides/science/forest-our-lifeline/deforestation/
http://www.akmindia.in/jhum-cultivation/
https://biomimictheory.com/collective-people-power/