Deforestation By Sid Steinberg and Ben Heller

What is Deforestation? The destruction of forests and trees Has many harmful effects on the environment Happening too quickly to recover

Causes of Deforestation Agriculture Logging Mining Dams Roads

Agriculture Leading cause of deforestation Farmers need land to grow crops and raise animals They remove forest land to make room for farms They use slash and burn to perform deforestation Slash and burn is cutting away and burning the forest

Logging Loggers cut down trees for their wood Logging is illegal in many areas, like National Parks The wood is used for many purposes, including paper production and as a building material

Mining Miners search for materials like gold, copper, and aluminum This clears the land, including the forest that occupies it Contaminates the ecosystem with runoff

Dams Generate hydroelectric energy Flood forests that are upstream Trees decay slowly when dams are built in tropical waters, depriving the water of oxygen

Roads Building the roads themselves destroys trees in the way Provides access to a larger area of the forest for loggers, miners, and farmers

Effects of Deforestation Disrupts water cycle and carbon cycle Loss of biodiversity Soil Erosion Poor water quality

Water Cycle If the trees are gone, there will be less transpiration and less water released into the hydrologic cycle

Carbon Cycle CO2 02 If trees aren’t there, carbon dioxide will accumulate and contribute to the greenhouse effect CO2

Loss of Biodiversity Rainforests contain over half of the world’s species Loss of trees -> loss of primary consumers -> loss of secondary consumers -> … When trees are removed, all rainforest life is affected

Soil Erosion Soil erosion is when soil is removed by natural causes When trees are gone, their roots cannot hold the soil in place Reduces soil’s capacity to hold water Makes agriculture difficult

Poor Water Quality Soil erosion lets dirt enter runoff, lowering water quality Makes for bad living conditions for fish A reduced amount of fish can cause ramifications all the way up the food chain

Examples of Deforested Areas The Amazon Africa Southeast Asia

The Amazon World’s largest tropical rainforest Located in South America 1/5 of the world’s plants and 1/10 of animals are found here

Rainforests in Africa World’s second largest rainforest Almost all of the forest on Madagascar is gone Madagascar too contains a large amount of biodiversity that has been compromised

Rainforests in Southeast Asia Indonesia is covered in rainforest Has been deforested just like the Amazon and in Africa It is hot and humid the whole year

Deforestation in Brunei

How You Can Help Buying sustainably grown foods Buying environmentally friendly paper Donating to an organization that stands up for forests

Sustainably Grown Food This is food that was grown without negative effects like deforestation Only buying this type of food pressures businesses into producing it, as they will produce what you buy

Environmentally Friendly Paper This could be recycled paper or paper made from bamboo Again, this pressures paper making companies into using recycled paper and bamboo paper

Donating to Organizations Organizations like Greenpeace fight damage to the environment like deforestation Since they receive money, these organizations can influence corporations and politicians to make environmentally friendly policies

Thank you for preserving our forests!