Cause of Deforestation
Deforestation is
the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for
other uses. According to the United Nation`s Framework Convention on climate
change secretariat, the overwhelming direct cause of deforestation is
agriculture. Subsistence farming is responsible for 48% of deforestation;
commercial agriculture is responsible for 32% of deforestation; logging is
responsible for 14% of deforestation and fuel wood removals make up 5% of
deforestation.
Deforestation is
a consequence of over-exploitation of our natural ecosystems for space, energy
and materials. The basic reasons for such extensive deforestation are;
1.
Expansion of Agriculture
Expending
agriculture is one of the most important cause of deforestation. As demands on
agricultural products rise more and more land is brought under cultivation for
which forests are cleared, grass-lands ploughed, uneven ground leveled, marshes
drained and even land unclear water is reclaimed. However, this expansion is
usually marked with more ecological destruction than rationality. Governments
often distribute land under forests to landless people, instead of
redistributing already established farm- lands, howsoever, wasteful, unequal
and unjust the distribution of ownership of land may be.
Nothing is done
to assess the fertility of the forest soil before clearing it for farming. In
tropical regions of the world as much of the mineral is lodged in the plant
biomass, its removal takes away a large part of nutrients. The soil being
poorer is unable to support farming for long durations. One`s agriculture
fails, the cleared land is put to use as cattle ranches which too is a hopeless
business. The bread soil is subjected to massive erosion and degradation.
2. Extension of cultivation on Hill slopes.
Outside humid
tropical zone, in most of the third world countries, major forests often occur
on hill tops and slopes. Though agriculture has nearly always been concentrated
on plains and floors of valleys, farming on narrow flat steps cut one after
another across the slope or terrace farming is an age-old practice. It has
never been extensive because of the gruelling labour and law productivity.
However, the ever
rising human numbers and their necessities have forced many to go up to
mountain slopes for cultivation. More and more slopes are cleared of plants steps
carved out and against many add cultivation is attempted. After few crops the
productivity declines and torrential sub-tropical rains carry dawn massive
quantities of precious top soils to streams and rivers. While denuding hill
slopes. The silt and sediments settle further down raising steam bottoms and
river beds aggravating the flood situation.
3. Hydroelectric dams.
Hydro-electric
dams are quite controversial because while they help to power communities, they
also contribute to deforestation. Damming opponents believe that the building
of such structures not only has a negative environmental impact but also opens
up the area to loggers and more roads. To builds a hydroelectric dam, acres of
land must be flooded, which causes decomposition and release of greenhouse
gases. Local people can also be displaced by dam project, causing further
deforestation when these people resettle elsewhere.
3. Wildfires
Fires accidental
and intended destroy acres of forest very quickly. Areas affected by logging
are more susceptible to fires duo to number of dried, dead trees. Milder
winters and extended warm seasons due to global warming also fuel fires.
4. Mining
Mining also affects
on deforestation. Digging a coal, diamond or gold mine requires the removal of
all forest cover, not just for the mines but also for trucks and equipment.
Recently, Venezuela denied a corporation called Crystallex permission to dig a
mine because of environmental concerns.
On the other hand
cities larger to accommodate more people, trees are cut dawn to make many rooms
for houses and roads. This urban sprawl causes to deforestation which occurring
worldwide. Now 50 percent of the world`s population live in cities.
According to
these causes more workable solution is, to carefully manage forest resources by
eliminating clear cutting to make sure that forests environments remain intact.
When cutting trees within our uses should be balanced by the planting of enough
young trees to replace the older ones felled in any given forest. The number of
new trees plantation is growing each year, but their total is still equal a
tiny fraction of the Earth`s forested land.
By Rev. Keeripitiya
Rathanawansha
HU/PL09/016
University of Kelaniya
Sri Lanka
rate.Between 2000 & 2005 rate accelarateed to 1.43% per annnum.
