Ecological problems of forest zones. Chips - the smallest negative consequence of deforestation What are the problems associated with deforestation

Forests play very important role in the life of our planet. Without them, life would be almost impossible. But what exactly are the functions of green arrays? What happens if the forests die?

Plot for Hollywood

A happy American family living in a small cozy house with a garden somewhere near east coast USA, suddenly discovers that it has become unusually hot during the day, and unusually cold at night.

The garden is slowly being invaded by ever-increasing hordes of insects.

Finally, one morning with a clear sky and warm weather the nearest river suddenly overflows its banks, and soon the entire area is flooded with water.

Fortunately, the complete sudden disappearance of forests does not threaten us, but extremely unfavorable phenomena, up to catastrophic ones, will occur even if they do not die. most of. And the process has already started. To understand what is happening, we must remember what is the role of the forest in the Earth's ecosystem.

hungry years

Deforestation occurs both naturally and as a result of economic activity person. For Russia, this problem is not yet very relevant - our forests have a greater potential for restoration than, say, tropical ones, therefore, in place of the reduced massifs, if you do not build up and plow up the bare areas, new ones most often grow.

The plowing and development of forests in Russia is now also not the most widespread phenomenon, although the threat of cutting down a significant number of natural plantations for development purposes has become more tangible in last years"thanks" to the new forest legislation.

What happened before? Historians are well aware of the fact that in 1891 an unprecedented famine broke out in Russia, literally shaking the empire. The reason was a crop failure caused by a severe drought, which primarily affected the forest-steppe and steppe regions. And throughout 19th century there were many such hungry years in our country. Nevertheless, it was the famine of 1891 that served as the impetus for events in the most diverse spheres of public life.

The catastrophe of 1891 confronted the Russian government with the need to find out what were the causes of these phenomena. The answer given by the young talented geologist V.V. Dokuchaev was revolutionary for those times: devastating droughts result from environmental degradation caused by deforestation and environmentally hazardous agricultural practices. The same opinion was shared by the largest climatologist of that time A.I. Voeikov.

As a result, there was a familiar to almost everyone forest belt system in the sparsely forested regions of Russia. Unfortunately, in some regions there are still not enough of them, and in the forest zone there are many open unused places where forests once grew. They should be planted again.

Regulation of temperature and hydrological regimes

Back in the 20s of the last century, L.S. Berg remarked:

“A lot has been written on the question of the influence of forests on climate ... Undoubtedly, vast forests should also have a certain effect on the temperature of the surrounding areas ... just as the forest affects the precipitation that has already fallen. Inside the forest itself, the amount of rain that reaches the soil is less than in the field, because a significant part of the precipitation remains on the leaves, branches and trunks, and also evaporates. According to observations in Austria, in dense spruce forest only 61% of precipitation reaches the soil, in beech 65%. Observations in the Buzuluk pine forest of the Samara province showed that 77% of all precipitation reaches the soil ... The value of the forest for the course of snow melting is enormous. Its action is threefold: firstly, the forest prevents the blowing of snow and thus is the custodian of its reserves; then, by shading the soil, the trees prevent the snow from melting quickly. Secondly, by delaying the movement of air, the forest slows down the exchange of air over the snow. And the latest observations have shown that snow melts not so much as a result of the absorption of the radiant energy of the sun, but due to contact with significant masses of warm air rushing over the snow. Keeping the snow cover for a long time, the forest regulates the flow of water in the rivers in spring and early summer. Of particular importance is the forest in countries with long and snowy winters, for example, in Russia.

Thus, already at the beginning of the 20th century, the most important role of the green massif as a regulator of temperature and hydrological regimes was well known.

The forest significantly influences the distribution and accumulation of summer and especially winter precipitation. On the one hand, it maintains the groundwater level, reduces surface water runoff, on the other hand, it enhances plant transpiration processes, condenses more water vapor, which increases the frequency of summer precipitation.

That is, the role of the forest in the water and soil regime of the area is diverse and depends on species composition woody plants, biological features, geographic distribution.

dust storms

The death of forests can cause the strongest erosion processes, which have also been known for a long time and can be talked about for a long time. The same Dokuchaev considered deforestation to be one of the causes of dust storms. And this is how he described one of the cases dust storm in Ukraine in 1892:

“Not only was a thin snow cover completely torn off and carried away from the fields, but also loose soil, bare from snow and dry as ash, was thrown up in whirlwinds at 18 degrees below zero. Clouds of dark earthen dust filled the frosty air, obscuring the roads, bringing in the gardens - in some places the trees were brought to a height of 1.5 meters - laid down in shafts and mounds on the streets of the villages and made it very difficult to move along railways: I even had to tear off railway stations from snowdrifts of black dust mixed with snow.

During a dust storm in 1928 in the steppe and forest-steppe regions of Ukraine (where a significant part of the forests had also been destroyed by that time, and the steppes had been plowed up), the wind raised more than 15 million tons of black soil into the air. Chernozem dust was carried by the wind to the west and settled on an area of ​​6 million km2 in the Carpathians, Romania and Poland. The thickness of the chernozem layer in the steppe regions of Ukraine after this storm decreased by 10–15 cm.

Dust storm in southern Australia

History knows many such examples, and they occur in the most different regions- in the USA, North Africa(where, according to some, forests once also grew on the site of the Sahara), on the Arabian Peninsula, in Central Asia and etc.

Biodiversity

By the beginning of our century, the wording in describing the global significance of forests had changed slightly, although the essence remained the same, and new points were added. For example, the concept of "biodiversity" has arisen. "Biological Diversity", according to international convention, “means the variability of living organisms from all sources, including, but not limited to, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this concept includes diversity within species, between species, and ecosystem diversity.”

This convention was adopted the international community in 1992 as a response to the catastrophic reduction of biodiversity on the planet, and above all - in tropical forests.

About 70% of all types of living organisms live in forests. Other estimates put 50 to 90% in tropical rainforests, including 90% of species of our closest relatives, the primates. 50 million species of living beings have no other place to live, except for the rainforest.

Why do we need to conserve biodiversity? There is a purely pragmatic answer to this question. huge mass species, including small ones (insects, mosses, worms) and especially in tropical forests, has been very little studied or has not yet been described by scientists at all. Genetically, each species is unique, and each of the species may be the carrier of some properties that have not yet been discovered useful for mankind, for example, nutritional or medicinal. Thus, more than 25% of all currently known medicinal products were obtained from tropical plants such as taxol. And how many of them are not yet known to science and how many can be lost forever along with the species that carry them?

Thus, the extinction of any species can lead to an irreplaceable loss of an important resource. In addition, each species is of interest to science - it may be an important link in the evolutionary chain, and its loss will make it difficult to understand. evolutionary patterns. That is, any kind of living organisms is information resource may not have been used yet.

the greenhouse effect

The forest cover of the Earth is its main productive force, the energy base of the biosphere, the connecting link of all its components and the most important factor in its stability.

It is important to know

The forest is one of the planetary accumulators of living matter, holding a series of chemical elements and water, which actively interacts with the troposphere and determines the level of oxygen and carbon balance. About 90% of all terrestrial phytomass is concentrated in forests and only 10% - in other ecosystems, moss, grass, shrubs. The total leaf surface of the forests of the world is almost 4 times the surface of our entire planet.

Hence the high absorption rates solar radiation and carbon dioxide, oxygen release, transpiration, and other processes that affect the formation of the natural environment. When destroying green arrays on large area is accelerating biological cycle a number of chemical elements, including carbon, which enters the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide. There is a greenhouse effect.

live filter

Forests are able to actively transform chemical and atmospheric pollution, especially gaseous, moreover, coniferous plantations, as well as some types of deciduous trees (lindens, willows, birches) have the greatest oxidizing ability. In addition, the forest has the ability to absorb individual components industrial pollution.

Quality drinking water, stored in reservoirs, largely depends on the forest cover and the state of plantations drainage basin. This is especially important if pesticides and fertilizers are used in large quantities on agricultural land located near water sources. Pollutants dissolved in water can be partially retained by forest soils.

The example of the city of New York is known, in the vicinity of which, in the mid-1990s, deforestation, development, intensification of agriculture and the development of the road network led to sharp decline drinking water quality. The city authorities were faced with a choice: to build new treatment facilities worth $2–6 billion and spend up to $300 million annually to maintain them, or to invest in improving the protective functions of forests and other ecosystems in water protection zones. The choice was made in favor of the second option, including for economic reasons. Significant funds were used to purchase land along rivers and streams to prevent further development, as well as to pay farmers and forest owners for their environmentally responsible management practices in water protection zones. This example demonstrates that good governance forest ecosystems can be significantly more cost-effective than purely technical solutions.

The forests are dying

It would seem that we have more than enough reasons for "the whole world" to stand up for every patch of forest. But the lessons of past centuries and this century have not yet been learned.

Every year, the area of ​​green areas decreases by about 13 million hectares. Now natural plantations occupy only about 30% of the land area, despite the fact that in the past they were distributed to far greater territory. Before the advent of agriculture and industrial production, the area of ​​forests was more than 6 billion hectares. Since prehistoric times, the area under forests, on average across all continents, has decreased by about half.

Most of the massifs were cut down to create agricultural land, the other part, smaller, is occupied by rapidly growing settlements, industrial complexes, roads and other infrastructure. Over the past 40 years, forest area per capita has decreased by more than 50%, from 1.2 ha to 0.6 ha per person. Currently, according to the FAO (Food and Agronomy Organization at the United Nations), about 3.7 billion hectares are covered with forest.

most affected by active human activity European forests. In Europe, there are practically no primary (virgin) forests by now. They have been replaced by fields, orchards and artificial forest plantations.

In China, 3/4 of all arrays have been destroyed.

The USA has lost 1/3 of all its forests and 85% of its primary stands. In particular, in the eastern United States, only a tenth of the plantations that existed there in the 16th-17th centuries have survived.

Only in some places (Siberia, Canada) do forests still prevail over treeless spaces, and only here there are still large tracts of relatively untouched northern forests.

What to do?

We have already passed half of the way to the complete destruction of forests. Will we get off it? What to do? The most common answer is to plant forests. Many have heard about the principle "how much you cut down - so much and plant." This is not entirely true.

• It is necessary to plant forests, first of all, in those regions where deforestation processes are intensively going on, and in those places where a forest can grow, but for some reason has disappeared and will not recover on its own in the foreseeable future.
• It is necessary not only to plant trees to replace those that have been cut down, but also to cut them in such a way that the natural potential for reforestation is preserved. Simply put, almost every industrially cleared forest has viable undergrowth - young trees of the same species that make up the forest canopy. And it is required to cut so as not to destroy them and preserve the conditions for their life. This is quite possible with modern technologies. Most The best way felling - with the preservation of natural forest dynamics. IN this case the forest in general almost “does not notice” that it is cut down, and a minimum of measures and costs for reforestation is required. Unfortunately, the experience of such logging both in Russia and in the world is not great.

The answer to many questions is sustainable forest management, without crises, disasters and other shocks.

Sustainable development (as well as sustainable forest management) is a development that meets the needs of life current generation people without depriving future generations of such opportunities.

World Foundation wildlife(WWF) in its work pays much attention to the implementation of sustainable forest management both in Russia and in the world.

But this is a topic for a separate article. We only note that at present sustainable forest management the best way correspond international systems voluntary forest certification, which are already quite widespread in Russia.

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In conclusion, let's try to answer the question: what can I personally do to prevent forests from disappearing? And here's what:

1. Save paper.

2. In no case do not allow arson in the forest: first of all, do not set fire to dry grass and do not let others do it; if you find grass burns, either try to eliminate them yourself, or, if this is not possible, call the fire department.

3. Buy products from responsibly managed forests. In Russia, this is, first of all, certified products.

4. And finally, just go to the forest more often to learn to understand and love it more.

We'd better never know what will happen if the forests disappear!

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For reference:

Taxol (Taxol) - an anticancer drug; previously it was obtained only from the bark of the Pacific yew tree, but now they have learned how to get it synthetically; in addition, it can be obtained by biotechnological methods.

Phytomass - the total mass of living matter of all plants.

See: Ponomarenko S.V., Ponomarenko E.V. How can the ecological degradation of Russian landscapes be stopped? M.: SoES, 1994. 24 p.

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Tree names are often very interesting story origin. Often they are formed from the surname or name of a famous person.

Not only the tree itself is symbolic, but also its parts - branches, trunk, roots, shoots. We invite you to an amusing trip into the mythological past of the tree.

Ecology of life. Planet: Deforestation is one of the most important environmental problems. With the destruction of trees, many species of plants and animals die. The ecological balance in nature is disturbed. After all, the forest is not only trees. This is a well-coordinated ecosystem based on the interaction of many representatives of flora and fauna.

When the forest disappears, life also disappears.

By killing nature, we thereby take the lives of millions of living beings. In fact, we saw the branch on which we sit. Thankfully it's thick enough! But it's not forever.

Deforestation is one of the most important environmental problems. With the destruction of trees, many species of plants and animals die. The ecological balance in nature is disturbed. After all, the forest is not only trees. This is a well-coordinated ecosystem based on the interaction of many representatives of flora and fauna.

Deforestation leads to many negative consequences for the Earth and humans:

• The ecosystem of the forest is being destroyed, many representatives of flora and fauna are disappearing.
• The decrease in the amount of wood and the diversity of plants leads to a deterioration in the quality of life of most people.
• The amount of carbon dioxide increases, which leads to the formation of the greenhouse effect.
• Trees no longer protect the soil (washing out of the top layer leads to the formation of ravines, and lowering the groundwater level causes deserts).
• Soil moisture increases, which leads to the formation of swamps.
• Scientists believe that the disappearance of trees on the slopes of the mountains leads to the rapid melting of glaciers.

Tropical forests cover more than half of the total green space. Scientists have calculated that they serve as a habitat for 90% of all species of animals and plants on earth, which, without the usual ecosystem, can die. However, cutting rainforest is now moving at an accelerated pace.

Forests are cut down to make way for plantations and pastures.

Look at the statistics:

• 164,000 square kilometers of tropical forests are destroyed per year.
• In Costa Rica, 71% of the cleared forests have become pastures. Over the past 20 years, Nepal has lost almost half of its forest - mostly for livestock.
• 1 hectare of even a new pasture can feed only one cow.
• Latin America exported in 1991 almost 8 million tons of soybeans, mainly for livestock feed.
• From 40 to 50% of all grains are eaten not by people, but by livestock. For soy, this is 75%. Half of the world's wheat crop is used as livestock feed to support meat and milk consumption.
• It takes 7-14 kg of grains, specifically corn and soybeans, to produce 1 kg of beef. We are talking about hundreds and thousands of hectares of grain crops, mainly in areas of cut forests, only for meat production. It's not the best effective method protein food production. published

On our planet. They are a natural and complex ecosystem that supports a huge range of life forms. Forests are natural wonder, and unfortunately many are taken for granted.

The meaning of forests

Forests and biodiversity are extremely important. The richer the biodiversity, the more opportunities humanity has for medical discoveries, economic development and adaptive responses to environmental challenges such as climate change.

The following are some examples of the meaning of forests:

Habitat and biodiversity

Forests serve as a home () for millions of animals and plants that are part of. All these representatives of flora and fauna are called biodiversity, and the interaction with each other and with their physical environment is called. Healthy ecosystems are better able to withstand and recover from various natural disasters such as floods and fires.

Economic benefits

Forests are of great importance to us. economic importance. For example, plantation forests provide people with timber that is exported and used in all parts of the world. They also provide tourism income to local residents.

climate control

Climate control and purification of the atmosphere are key factors for human existence. Trees and soils help regulate atmospheric temperatures in a process called evapotranspiration and stabilize the climate. In addition, trees enrich the atmosphere by absorbing harmful gases (such as CO2 and other greenhouse gases) and producing oxygen through photosynthesis.

deforestation

Deforestation is a growing global problem with far-reaching environmental and economic consequences. However, some of the consequences of humanity will be able to fully experience when it is too late to prevent them. But what is deforestation and why is it such a big problem?

Causes

Deforestation refers to the loss or destruction of natural habitats, primarily due to human activities such as: uncontrolled cutting of trees; burning forests to use land in agriculture(including the cultivation of agricultural crops and grazing); ; construction of dams; increase in the area of ​​cities, etc.

However, not all deforestation is intentional. It may be due to natural processes(including forest fires, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, etc.) and human interests. For example, fires burn large areas each year, and although fire is a natural part of life cycle forests, grazing after a fire can inhibit the growth of young trees.

Rate of deforestation

Forests, as before, cover more than 26% of the land of our planet. However, every year, about 13 million hectares of forest are converted into agricultural land or cleared for other uses.

Of this figure, about 6 million hectares are "primary" forests, which are defined as forests where there are no clearly visible signs of human activity and where ecological processes not badly broken.

Reforestation programs as well as the natural expansion of forests have slowed down the rate of deforestation. Despite this, about 7.3 million hectares forest resources lost every year.

Forest resources of Asia and South America, are particularly vulnerable and face a large number of threats. At the current rate of deforestation, they could be destroyed as functioning in less than a century.

coastal rainforests West Africa declined by almost 90%, and deforestation in South Asia was almost as severe. Two-thirds of the lowland tropical forests in Central America have been converted to grassland since 1950, and 40% of all tropical forests have been completely lost. Madagascar has lost 90% of its forest resources, and Brazil has faced the disappearance of more than 90% of the Atlantic forest. Several countries have declared deforestation an emergency.

Consequences of deforestation

The problem of deforestation leads to the following environmental and economic consequences:

• Loss of biological diversity. Scientists estimate that about 80% of the Earth's biodiversity, including those species that have not yet been discovered,. Deforestation in these regions destroys organisms, destroys ecosystems and leads to the potential extinction of many species, including essential species used to make medicines.
• Climate change. Deforestation also contributes, and tropical forests contain about 20% of all greenhouse gases that can be released into the atmosphere and lead to environmental and economic consequences worldwide. Although some people and organizations may benefit financially from deforestation, these short-term benefits cannot offset the negative and long-term economic losses.
• economic losses. At the Conference on biodiversity 2008 in Bonn, Germany, scientists, economists and other experts concluded that deforestation and damage to other ecological systems could cut people's lives in half and reduce global gross domestic product (GDP) by about 7%. forest products and related activities contribute to a global GDP of about US$600 billion annually.
• Water cycle. Trees are important to . They absorb precipitation and produce water vapor that is released into the atmosphere. Trees also reduce water pollution.
• Soil erosion. Tree roots fix the soil, and without them, weathering or washing out of the fertile soil layer can occur, which impairs plant growth. Scientists estimate that a third of the forest resources have been converted to arable land since 1960.
• The quality of life. Soil erosion can also cause silt to seep into lakes, streams, and others. This can lead to contamination fresh water in a certain area and contribute to the deterioration of the health of local residents.

Fight against deforestation

forest plantations

The opposite of deforestation is the concept of reforestation. However, it should be understood that it is not enough to solve all serious problems planting new trees. Reforestation implies a set of actions that are aimed at:

• Restoration of ecosystem benefits provided by forests, including carbon storage, water cycle and ;
• Reducing the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere;
• Restoration of wildlife habitats.

However, reforestation will not be able to completely eliminate all damage. For example, forests cannot absorb all the carbon dioxide that humans release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. Mankind still needs to avoid the accumulation of harmful substances in the atmosphere. Reforestation will also not help the extinction of species through deforestation. Unfortunately, humanity has already reduced the number of many species of flora and fauna to such an extent that they will no longer be able to recover even with significant efforts.

Reforestation is not the only way fight against deforestation. There is also deforestation retardation, which involves avoiding animal foods as much as possible and shifting to a plant-based diet. This could significantly reduce the need to clear forest land for later use in agriculture.

One of the ways to meet the global demand for wood is the creation of forest plantations (afforestation). They are able to reduce the deforestation of natural forests by 5-10 times and provide the necessary needs of mankind, with less environmental consequences.

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The nature and solution of the problem of deforestation
Forest expanses only seem limitless. In the process of human activity, most of the planet's greenery is destroyed, cutting down becomes widespread and widespread. The depletion of resources leads to the decline of the forest fund even in the taiga zone. Together with forest fund flora and fauna are also destroyed, the air becomes dirtier.

The main reason for deforestation is to use it as building material. Arrays are also cut down to make room for buildings, farms or agriculture.
With the advent of technological progress, the work of destroying the forest was automated, the productivity of felling increased many times over, and the volume of logging also increased.
Another motive for such actions is the creation of pasture for livestock. Grazing one cow requires about a hectare of space, for which hundreds of trees are cut down.

Consequences

Forests are good not only for the aesthetic component. This is a whole ecosystem, a home for many plants and animals, insects, birds. With the destruction of this array, the balance in the entire biosystem is disturbed.

Uncontrolled destruction of forest land leads to the following consequences:
the disappearance of certain species of fauna and flora;
species diversity is decreasing;
the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases;
soil erosion appears with the formation of deserts;
terrain with high level groundwater becomes swampy.

At the same time, more than 50% of the forest area is occupied by tropical forests. And it is their felling that is most dangerous for the ecological situation, since they contain about 85% of all known fauna and flora.
Cutting statistics

Deforestation is a worldwide problem. It is relevant not only in the CIS countries, but throughout Europe and America. According to statistics, 200 thousand square kilometers of plantings are cut down annually. This entails the extinction of hundreds of plant species and thousands of animals.

In Russia, 4 thousand hectares are cut down annually, in Canada - 2.5 thousand hectares, the least - in Indonesia, where 1.5 thousand hectares are destroyed annually. The problem is least expressed in China, Malaysia, Argentina. According to average data, approximately twenty hectares are destroyed per minute in the world, especially in the tropics.

In Russia, especially a lot is destroyed conifers. A large number of wetlands have formed in the Urals and Siberia. This phenomenon is difficult to control, since most logging is carried out illegally.

Ways to solve the problem

One way to solve the problem is to restore the used volume of trees, at least partially. Such an approach will not help to fully compensate for the losses. It is necessary to take comprehensive measures.

They include:
forest management planning;
strengthening the protection and control of resources;
improvement of environmental legislation;
development of a system for recording and monitoring the background of plantations.

In addition, it is necessary to increase the area of ​​new plantings, create territories with protected flora and a strict regime for the use of resources. It is necessary to prevent massive forest fires and promote recycling wood.

Deforestation is ramping up. The green lungs of the planet are being cut down to seize land for other purposes. According to some estimates, we lose 7.3 million hectares of forest every year, which is about the size of the country of Panama.

INthese are just a few facts

• About half of the world's rainforests have already been lost

• Currently, forests cover about 30% of the world's land.

• Deforestation increases annual global carbon dioxide emissions by 6-12%

• Every minute, a forest the size of 36 football fields disappears on Earth.

Where are we losing forests?

Deforestation occurs all over the world, but rainforests are the most affected. NASA predicts that if the current scale of deforestation continues, the rainforests could completely disappear in 100 years. Countries such as Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Congo and other parts of Africa will be affected, and some areas of Eastern Europe. The biggest danger threatens Indonesia. Since the last century, this state has lost at least 15.79 million hectares of forest land, according to the University of Maryland USA and the World Resources Institute.

And while deforestation has increased over the past 50 years, the problem goes back a long way. For example, 90% of the original forests of the continental United States have been destroyed since the 1600s. The World Resources Institute notes that primary forests have been preserved in more in Canada, Alaska, Russia and the Northwest Amazon.

Causes of deforestation

There are many such reasons. According to a WWF report, half of the trees illegally removed from the forest are used as fuel.

Other reasons:

• To release land for housing and urbanization

• Extraction of wood for processing into products such as paper, furniture and building materials

• To highlight ingredients that are in demand on the market, such as palm oil

• To free up space for livestock

In most cases, forests are burned or cut down. These methods lead to the fact that the land remains barren.

Experts in forestry call the clear cutting method "an environmental trauma that has no equal in nature, except, perhaps, a large volcanic eruption"

Forest burning can be done with fast or slow machinery. The ashes of the burnt trees provide food for the plants for some time. When the soil is depleted and the vegetation disappears, the farmers simply move to another plot and the process starts all over again.

Deforestation and climate change

Deforestation is recognized as one of the factors contributing to global warming. Problem #1 - Deforestation affects the global carbon cycle. Gas molecules that absorb thermal infrared radiation are called greenhouse gases. Cluster a large number greenhouse gases cause climate change. Unfortunately, oxygen, being the second most abundant gas in our atmosphere, does not absorb thermal infrared radiation as well as greenhouse gases. On the one hand, green spaces help fight greenhouse gases. On the other hand, according to Greenpeace, 300 billion tons of carbon are annually released into the environment precisely because of the burning of wood as a fuel.

Carbon is not the only greenhouse gas associated with deforestation. water vapor also belongs to this category. The effect of deforestation on the exchange of water vapor and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and earth's surface is the biggest problem in the climate system today.

Deforestation has reduced global steam flows from the ground by 4%, according to a study published by the US National Academy of Sciences. Even such a small change in vapor flows can disrupt the natural weather and change existing climate models.

More consequences of deforestation

The forest is a complex ecosystem that affects almost every kind of life on the planet. To remove the forest from this chain is tantamount to destroying the ecological balance both in the region and around the world.

INspecies extinction: national geographic says that 70% of the plants and animals in the world live in forests, and their cutting leads to the loss of habitats. Negative consequences also experiences local population, which is engaged in the collection of wild plant food and hunting.

Water cycle: Trees play an important role in the water cycle. They absorb precipitation and emit water vapor into the atmosphere. According to North Carolina State University, trees reduce pollution environment, holding back polluting effluents. In the Amazon, more than half of the water in the ecosystem comes through plants, according to the National Geographic Society.

E soil rose: Tree roots are like anchors. Without a forest, the soil is easily washed out or blown away, which negatively affects the vegetation. Scientists estimate that a third of the world's arable land has been lost to deforestation since the 1960s. On site former forests crops such as coffee, soybeans and palm trees are planted. Planting these species leads to further soil erosion due to the small root system of these crops. The situation with Haiti is clear and Dominican Republic. Both countries share the same island, but Haiti has much less forest cover. As a result, Haiti is experiencing problems such as soil erosion, floods and landslides.

Opposition to deforestation

Many believe that the solution to the problem is to plant more trees. Planting may mitigate the damage caused by deforestation, but will not resolve the situation in the bud.

In addition to reforestation, other tactics are used. This is the transition of humanity to plant-based nutrition, which will reduce the need for land that is being cleared for animal husbandry.