Consequences Of Deforestation

The planet is created with perfect balance of land, oceans and forests. Forests are one of the most important features of the planet because they provide habitat to million of diverse plants and animals. Oxygen is the main reason why life exists on the planet and forest produce most of the oxygen. They provide greenery and serve as a home to the wildlife and as a protection against climate change. Deforestation is the removal of forest for the human activities such as agriculture and industrialization. Deforestation is extremely harmful and it threatens the lives of wildlife and plants as well as it harms environment too. Human should preserve forests before its too late. Here are some of the main consequences of deforestation.

Soil erosion

People with agricultural background might know that soil is not able to stay same always and it can loose its fertility. Soil can loose its significant qualities via being washed away through rain or blown away by the wind. Plants and trees are the reason why soil can anchor in the land. The roots of the plants and huge trees can anchor large swaths of soil. Deforestation leads to this serious issue of soil erosion because most of the trees and plants are being removed from the land. Soil erosion leads to the dangerous mudslides and large amount of soil can wash into local streams and river and cause the clogging waterways. Soil erosion can lead to farming problems and irrigation issues.

Disruption of water cycle

Water cycle is the process through which all water on earth is distributed. It includes water from the oceans and freshwater bodies. The water evaporates and condenses into clouds. Then clouds produce rain that returns water back to the ground water and completes the cycle. Trees and other plants release water into atmosphere through photosynthesis. Deforestation disturbs whole cycle because lack of trees causes lack of water release in the atmosphere. This leads to the lack of rain and lack of moist soil, which eventually leads to the climate change condition known as desertification. The dry conditions can cause forest fires and increase the risk of loss of life for animals and plants.

Loss of habitat

According to the researches 70% of the land animals and plant species lives in forests but deforestation is snatching their natural habitat from them. This is one of the most disturbing and unsettling effects of deforestation. Trees provide shelter to the animals and protect them via temperature regulation. Deforestation results in the lack of habitats and drastic temperature variation from day to night. Million of wildlife and plant species lost their lives and some of them become endangered.

Greenhouse Gases emission

Greenhouse gases include methane and carbon dioxide that causes global warming. These gases trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and don’t let it emit in the outer space. Humans exhale carbon dioxide and trees absorb it during photosynthesis. They act as greenhouse gas filters that protect atmosphere. The moment trees cut down, carbon dioxide stored in their trunks releases in the atmosphere and causes global temperature to rise.

Biodiversity Losses

Deforestation is the biggest reason why so many species of flora and fauna are wiped out from this world. Living things have mastered the art of adaption the to new environment conditions but deforestation doesn’t give enough time to the living things of forests to adapt. Deforestation destroys their habit so quickly that they don’t have anytime to adapt to the new conditions that are harsh. Sometimes entire species can wipe out and this loss of life is known as biodiversity loss. Loss of one specie can disturb whole ecosystem because if one link of the food chain is missing then the effects will be on the entire population of predators.

Coastal flooding

Deforestation lead to flooding. Trees and forests act as great barriers if there is a flood in the area and removal of trees can increase the risk of flooding and increase destruction. Coastal regions are more likely to suffer by this consequence of deforestation.

Destruction of the homelands

There are not only animal and plant species living in forest but the indigenous communities also call forest home. They are living in the forest and act as a part of the ecosystem, but due to deforestation their lives are also under threat. The removal of trees can directly affect their life style. People living in the industrialized area will never know the importance of forests but the tribal people depend on the forest for their life, that’s why they are more likely to effect by deforestation. The governments of the nations with rainforests in their borders often attempts to protect the indigenous tribes before cutting the forest but still they need to be protected worldwide.