what are the effects of deforestation

Question

There are different impacts of deforestation globally. All shall be discussed fully

Answer 1

Deforestation changes an ecosystem in several ways. The first is a radical change in the microclimate due to the removal of shade. Surface temperatures and sun exposure both skyrocket in areas that previously received little or no direct sunlight. As you can probably guess this, in-turn, has a huge effect on the types of plants and animals that can live in that environment. Many species of flora and fauna depend exclusively on the forest ecosystem, and will either be displaced or die-off when that is removed. New species will move in to take the place of the forest species. There will usually be a reduction in biodiversity, or number of species overall, and many of the new species may be exotic, non-native, and/or invasive species. Habitat loss is the number one threat to endangered species. So, biodiversity loss is a second effect of deforestation in addition to a change in the microclimate.

A third important effect of deforestation is the effects it has on soils. Much of this depends on how much vegetation is left behind after the deforestation event. For example, some of the more intense wildfires seen in recent years burn the vegetation all the way down to the ground. These areas then become immediately vulnerable to largescale erosion, including landslides and mudflows. Many communities have been hit with large-scale flooding, mudflows and landslides as a direct result of deforestation caused by wildfires. Human activities such as logging, especially clear-cut logging, can also have similar consequences.

In addition to making the soil more vulnerable to erosion, the removal of tree-cover also greatly changes the make-up of the soil. Remember, soil is an ecosystem in and of itself. The microbiome of a forest soil living in the shade underneath a thick layer of leaf litter simply cannot survive if that soil is exposed to direct sunlight.

Of course there are global implications to deforestation as well. Forests do play an important in absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere and therefore have an effect on climate change. However, deforestation's effect on climate in not only limited to greenhouse gases. The impact of forest cover on microclimates as mentioned above may also include rainfall patterns, and the long-term climate of the local area. An example of this is in the Amazon where forests are being cleared to provide grazing for livestock. What was once a tropical rainforest has now been converted into a grassland ecosystem. Temperatures increase, humidity decreases along with rainfall. All of this has a much more profound and immediate effect on the local climate than any change in global CO₂ levels do.

I have found a wealth of information on this topic at OurWorldInData: Forests and Deforestation - Our World in Data

Answer 2

Forests are necessary for maintaining life on earth and perform major roles like:

A)      Trees provide food and shelter to many fauna ( animals) and flora (plants) but deforestation due to human activities means converting or clearing forests for uses like agriculture, pasture lands, harvesting timber, construction purposes like buildings, road infrastructure, etc., and if there are no trees either for providing food or shelter, the animal and plant species dependent on various trees get affected, leading to loss of biodiversity especially in tropical rain forests.

B)      CO₂ is considered one of the greenhouse gases which can trap heat near the earth’s surface which helps to maintain a warm temperature, allowing life to thrive. However, due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, an increased release of CO₂ is noted in the atmosphere, raising the atmospheric temperature and causing global warming. Forests/Trees are capable of absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere, hence known as “ Carbon sinks” which help to control the atmospheric temperatures from rising too high but if deforestation continues, global warming (increased greenhouse gas emission) finally leads to climate change which will continue to pose great threat to mankind.

C)     This increase in the temperature or climate change will cause glaciers to melt and cause floods in some areas whereas droughts in some other places because forests through transpiration can trap the moisture content in that specific area leading to rainfall which affects the local water cycle of an area. But if deforestation occurs, and no trees are left in a particular area, rainfall reduces, leading to drought.

D)     Tree roots are capable of binding with the soil particles and preventing them from getting eroded and helping the fertility of the soil to stay intact and maintaining soil stability but when there are fewer trees or no trees left in an area due to deforestation, soil erosion occurs where there is a loss of upper fertile soil. Small agricultural plants are also not capable of holding the fertile soil particles in place when compared with big trees.

E)      There are still many indigenous or local people who completely depend on forests for their food, livelihoods, woods as fuels, shelter, etc. So, converting forests into grasslands will affect their livelihoods and bring food insecurities to them.

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Answer 3

Deforestation allows for the increase in global warming, the increase of the climate crisis, the destruction of habitats, food shortages, the extinction of animals, invasive species and all natural life being destroyed.