Approximately 30,000 species per year — about three per hour — are being driven to extinction. Approximately 80 percent of the decline in global biological diversity is caused by habitat destruction. Wildlife habitat in the world is being destroyed at a rate of approximately 5,760 acres per day or 240 acres per hour. These are some hard facts to digest, but it is true. In order to save these species from loosing more habitats, let's take a stand against deforestation.
What is deforestation?
Deforestation, clearance, clearcutting, or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated deforestation occurs in tropical rainforests.
What are the causes of deforestation?
The most common pressures causing deforestation and severe forest degradation are agriculture, unsustainable forest management, mining, infrastructure projects and increased fire incidence and intensity.
How can deforestation be detected?
Deforestation can be monitored and quantified by comparing GIS data or remote sensing satellite data from different dates. The comparison of GIS data from different dates requires that data, suitable to the scale of analysis, is available.
What are the effects of deforestation?
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
What are some ways to put an end to deforestation?
Green methods of production and utilization of resources can immeasurably reduce deforestation. Particularly, it's the focus on re-using items, reducing the use of artificial items, and recycling more items. Paper, plastics, and wood are linked to the destruction of forests and other natural resources.
