The unwise and unplanned destruction or removal of trees is called deforestation. Forests are our most precious wealth. Our life is greatly ependent on forests. They are the natural factories for the production of oxygen. Forests provide green cover to the earth, a living place to wildlife, fuel, timber and recreation to man. They control floods, prevent formation of deserts and keep the air clean. Some of the reasons for deforestation are given below.
- Urbanisation requires more land, thus forests are cut to build road and houses etc.
- Some plants are collected for their medicinal importance.
- Trees are removed to develop pastures for grazing.
- Wood is used both as timber for fuel wood.
- Some plants are removed to give us fibre.
- More land is required for cultivation.
- Timber mafia cuts trees for cash.
Effects on the Environment
Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for million of species. 70% of the Earth,s land animals and plants live in forests, and many cannot afford deforestation since it results in the destruction of their homes.
Deforestation also results in climate change. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun blocking tree cover, they quckly dry out. Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapours back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fulfil these roies, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts. Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that a responsible for global warming.
Global Warming
Scientists believe that greenhous effect is likely to cause a rise of 1.5C in the average global temperature by the end of the century. As the ice caps and glaciers melt in response to this atmospheric warming the sea level will rise, threatning coastal cities and flooding coastal wetlands. Another serious consequence of global warming is a shift in the global distribution of temperature and rainfall.
A reason for global warming is also the depletion of the ozone layer. In the stratosphere, there are molecules of ozone (O3), which form a layer. This layer filters out a lot of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, which are harmful to life on Earth.
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