The Effect of Deforestation on Our Environment

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The Effect of Deforestation on Our Environment

Deforestation is a serious problem that continues to threaten many of the earth's most delicate ecosystems. Although the effects of deforestation are well known and have documented several times, deforestation is an environmental threat that persists despite the dire warnings from researchers around the world. But just why are forest ecosystems so valuable, and what are the effects of deforestation in our world?

Forest ecosystems have been widely recognized as some of the most efficient yet delicate ecosystems that currently exist on earth. Forests are very important ecosystems that are well known for holding many important nutrients as well as for recycling many important nutrients. Forest ecosystems are also important because they hold water and absorb water, which allows these very special ecosystems to be able to create a very rich and porous hummus topsoil.

What happens when a forest is destroyed? Deforestation refers to the process of widespread disruption of a forest ecosystem that occurs when trees are cut on a wide scale. When a forest is removed and the humus-rich topsoil is left exposed, a number of consequences can be expected to happen. When the rich forest topsoil becomes exposed after the removal of trees, the rain that falls after that converts that rich topsoil into a sealed-off soil that becomes very moist and muddy, allowing it to slide away from land. When topsoil becomes this moist and muddy, it causes this soil to drip and slide into waterways. What is left behind in the once-forest ecosystem? The only thing left behind is poor subsoil that leaves the land very vulnerable to natural erosion. In general, then, deforestation leads to massive soil and land erosion.

The effects of deforestation are especially troubling when it comes to tropical rain forests. Tropical rain forests are especially vulnerable to the consequences of deforestation. Why is this so? This happens because the humus topsoil that exists in tropical rain forests is widely known to be very thin and lacking in nutrients. This means that when deforestation occurs in tropical rain forests, the topsoil that is left behind is very vulnerable and will tend to wash away and erode very easily. Usually, after deforestation occurs in tropical rain forests, the only thing that is left afterwards is very nutrient poor, hard, clay-like subsoil that is not rich enough to sustain most kinds of agriculture.

One of the most important consequences of soil erosion is that it has been shown that these sediments are then washed into many rivers and streams. These eroding sediments are often responsible for clogging water channels and thus promoting flooding. Soil erosion has also been shown to upset surrounding ecosystems, and often has been show to be responsible for killing fish and flooding reservoirs.

However, despite all we know about deforestation, it continues to happen around the world at very alarming rates, especially in developing countries. In fact, a survey done by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that something like 33.8 million were cleared in developing countries between the years 1990 and1995. That is an area nearly three times as large as the whole country of France! Why is this happening? Deforestation, especially in developing countries, occurs because forests are not ready sources of wealth and profit. Agriculture, however, is a ready source of profit. Forests are cut down in order to make room for agriculture.

Much of the deforestation that is occurring around the world in developmental countries is done in order to commit to greater agricultural goals. Most of these agricultural goals are directed toward producing so-called crash cops. Another main goal of deforestation is directed toward growing grass and other crops in order to promote greater beef production.