DEFORESTATION

 

 Forests are known as the livers of the world. They cover almost 30% of the land on our planet. They are the source of oxygen and they make good shelter for people. Nearly 2 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including water, food, clothing, traditional medicine, and shelter. However, forests of our beautiful world are under threat because of deforestation. Deforestation can come in many forms such as fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching, unsustainable logging for timber and degradation due to climate change. This situation affects people’s lives and threatens so many plants and animal species. Every year, we are losing nearly 18 million acres of forests which is equal to 27 soccer fields. As we know, forests play a huge role on the climate change. Deforestation affects it directly because it undermines the carbon sink (soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns) function. Deforestation also causes greenhouse gas emissions. In tropical rainforests, deforestation is a major problem because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity. It is stated that in Amazon almost 17 % of the rainforests has been lost in the last 50 years. There are so many non-profit environmental organizations that are working to protect forests. WWF is one of these organizations which has protected forests for more than 50 years. “WWF works with governments, companies, communities and other stakeholders to promote certification for responsible forest management practices, combat illegal logging, reform trade policies and protect forested areas” as it is mentioned on their official website. The WWF also reports that half of the trees were illegally removed from these forests and they are used as fuel. They also stated that most common methods of deforestation are burning trees and clear cutting. We should never forget that deforestation is a permanent destruction and these trees will not come back without any extra effort. We have one world to protect and it will be the last one!