1. Deforestation By Sid Steinberg and Ben Heller

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

3. Causes of Deforestation Agriculture Logging Mining Dams Roads

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

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

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

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

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Examples of Deforested Areas The Amazon Africa Southeast Asia

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. Deforestation in Brunei

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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Thank you for preserving our forests!