Deforestation: What You Can Do to Combat it at Home.
- JewJuBee
- May 13, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 4, 2022
Deforestation refers to actions of cutting down a mass scale of forests that is a big issue now and that has been going on for a while. the need for cutting down trees derives from many different reasons. In Africa, the main reason is due to agriculture and fuel. Farmers need more land for crops and livestock, as well as the people of the sub-Saharan area, are dependent on wood for everyday activities like cooking. All the reasons come together to bring up the problem of deforestation that is causing problems of its own. Deforestation increases the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere leading to global warming. Another effect arises because the clearing of forests is taking habitats away from numerous species. Africa is greatly affected by deforestation. Also, the rising population after war has affected deforestation. Scientists in these areas hope to change things by limiting the number of carbon emissions released in these areas, caused by burning. There are many species of animals affected around the world by deforestation. These animals lose their homes due to humans cutting them down. They cannot control what people do. Here are a few specific animals affected in the Sub Saharan region.
The Chimp is a common animal in central Africa. Most of the time, they spend their days in treetops of forests. Through the process of deforestation, these chimps no longer can live in the trees and are forced to adapt to a new way of living which can be risky. The current status of chimpanzees is endangered.
These elephants can be found in thirty-seven African countries. A subspecies of the African Elephant is the Forest Elephant found specifically in the Congo Basin. These elephants are considered vulnerable, otherwise known as having a high risk of extinction in the Wild. The declining number of elephants partly comes from the loss of habitats as well as poaching.
There are many rhinos in the rhino family that can be found in Africa. Along with disease, natural disasters, and others, habitat loss is the main cause of the decrease in rhino population. An after-effect of deforestation for rhinos is poaching of the animals. With the forest areas being clear, poachers come and kill the rhinos, as well as other animals, for their skin and bones. In this case, poachers want rhino horns.
Giraffes are also affected by deforestation. Being herbivores, they rely on plants for food. Therefore, for these creatures, when the forests are cut down, they not only lose a habitat, but also a dependable food supply. This can then lead to giraffes wandering into people populated areas and then death.
Forests cover 30% of earth's land currently
Fuelwood in sub-Saharan African countries is consumed up to 200% times more than the annual growth rates of the trees
One and a half acres of forests are cut down every second
Up to 28,000 species are expected to become extent by the next quarter of the century due to deforestation
Agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation
Half of the world's tropical forests have already been cleared
13 million hectares per year in South America, Africa, and South East Asia are converted to agricultural land from forests.
It is expected that in 100 years there will be no more rain forests
Forests are one of the most important ecosystems on Earth. 80 percent of all terrestrial plants, insects, and animals call forests home. Nearly one-third of people in the world depend directly on forests for their livelihoods. Trees help regulate the climate, filter water through their root system, capture dust particles and pollutants from the air and stabilize soils against erosion. Ending deforestation is the best chance we must stabilize our climate, save wildlife species, and protect our well-being. Protecting the forest is our mutual responsibility, no matter how far away we live from the nearest one. Adopt some of these strategies to help prevent the loss of more trees.
Plant a tree: The most straightforward personal strategy to fight against deforestation is to plant a tree. Planting a tree could be considered a lifelong investment in the environment and your good mental health.
Use less paper: Two million trees are cut every day just to supply the paper demand of the United States.
Recycle paper and cardboard: If just 10 percent of all the paper used by the average American in one year were recycled, 25 million trees would be saved [11]. That makes 367 million pounds of carbon dioxide absorbed by these trees in one year.
Use recycled products: You may have noticed a little label “made from recycled paper” on your new notebook. The same label can be found on many other daily use items like books, paper bags, egg packaging, and even toilet paper. By choosing items made from recycled paper, you make a conscious effort to lower the demand for more timber.
Buy only sustainable wood products: As a consumer, you can help reduce the demand for more logging by ensuring that you only purchase products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The FSC is currently the best global standard in forest management and provides a system for interested parties to work towards responsible forest management.
Don’t buy products containing palm oil: A large percentage of the world’s palm oil production comes from Indonesia and Malaysia, where the virgin rainforest is being cleared at an alarming rate of 2.4 million acres a year to make way for new plantations.
Reduce meat consumption: Animal agriculture requires much larger areas of land compared to plant-based farming. For example, nearly one-third of the planet is converted into pasture for our domestic animals and 30% of available land is used to grow livestock feed rather than food for our direct consumption.
Do not burn firewood excessively: Global forests suffer already a great deal of damage from our excessive consumption when you want to make a fire in your fireplace, make sure you burn wood from sustainably managed forests that have enough time to naturally regenerate.
Practice eco-forestry: Eco-forestry is a restorative method of forest management, which is not based on economic productivity. In this practice, certain trees are selectively harvested while causing minimal damage to the rest of the forest.
Raise awareness: Major environmental problems such as deforestation often continue to occur because of a lack of awareness and knowledge about the problem. By educating people about the effects of their actions, such as palm oil consumption, the amount of deforestation can be reduced. Tell your friends and family about steps they can take to reduce global deforestation or show them this article.
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