Deforestation & loss of Biodiversity

by Cristina Cocand Amanda Navickis-Francois

Deforestation & loss of Biodiversity

by Cristina Cocand Amanda Navickis-Francois

What is deforestation?Deforestation is the elimination of forest and woodland areas on the large scale.

An area of tropical forest large enough to cover North Carolina is deforested each year in South America, most of this in the Amazon Basin !

Historical BackgroundWhy did it emerge?

Deforestation emerged as a major problem because of large scale losses evident particularly in tropical regions.Evidence of deforestation dates back much further than modern times, owing to the fact that deforestation is also a natural process.

Historical Background (continued)

Why is it a problem?Deforestation causes problems on both the evolutionary, social, and ecological scales.

• Ecological: Deforestation eliminates key habitats that support highly specialized and sensitive species, and eliminates the Forests ability to act as natural water and air filters

• Evolutionary: With habitat loss comes the loss of highly specialized species, eliminating continued speciation, and often causing widespread extinctions

Historical Background (continued)• Social: In many developing countries

deforestation is committed in an attempt to sustain local human populations on the local and global economic scale.

– Slash and burn– Urbanization– Boundary Waters and Old Growth

Current statusWhere is deforestation still a problem?

Developing countries.Tropical regions are at highest risk.Developed countries.

CausesCommercial LoggingAgricultureRoads & RailwaysForest firesMining and drillingFuel-wood collectionResidential living space

Two most commonly sited causesShifting Cultivation

Indigenous farming of RainforestGrazing spaceRotationNo threat!Sustainability

Insufficient recovery timeIntensive/ commercial farming

Commercial LoggingBusiness & tradeMinor disturbances

Exceed carrying capacityIntensive mechanized loggingAccessibility to remote areas

Effects of deforestationVanishing RainforestsTopsoil accumulates slowlyErosionUnusable land Disastrous Flooding

End of story?

NOT!!! Effects Continued…Clearance = limited food and shelterDesertificationDisappearance of ways of lifeNegative impact on the climateGlobal warming Green house effectBuild up of CO2

Habitat fragmentationWhen logging companies move into a forest area, they build roads through the center of the forest and then perform their logging operations around those roads. If these roads come into common use, they can pose barriers for wildlife. As such, while only a small area may have actually been harvested, a large portion of the forest's wildlife may lose access to certain essential nearby habitats.

Wait there is more…Loss Scientific possibilities Identification of speciesCures for deadly diseases

“Good Reasons for…”Economic benefitsSustenancedevelopmentFertilityServices providedHabitation

Striving for a BalanceEcological functionO2 bankReplenish nutrient in landPrevent desertificationSource of timberEffective use of renewable energy resources,Alleviate use of wood as fuel

“Forest management with a focus and intention that it be used in the combination that will best meet the needs of people and not necessarily the combination of uses that will give the greatest dollar return.”

Current status (belatedly continued)

Key points needing further investigation and study:

Connections between atmospheric CO2 concentrations and amount of global forested regionsDeforestation as linked to DesertificationSolving economic and ecological problems using more than short term solutions.

“certain species may live in a forest but depend on a nearby grassland or wetland for a food source –”

~Elizabeth Brown

“While logging is, of course, necessary it should be done in a carefully controlled, certified manner in order to ensure that it doesn't destroy essential wildlife habitats – and, more obviously, in order to ensure that we don't eventually completely run out of wood to log!”

Do the immediate benefits outweigh the long-term costs? We don’t think so…

So it’s bad, so what do you do about it?

Stop cutting Sustainable loggingProper managementFSCIndigenous peopleForest capacitySensitive regions as protected areas

Suitably enforce legislationEducation and awarenessLife style changesGreater appreciation for Mother Nature

Citationshttp://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/Envfacts/facts/deforestation.htmhttp://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/deforestation/deforestation.htmlhttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/deforestation_3.htmlhttp://www.globaled.org/issues/152/a.htmlhttp://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/nature/rainforest/deforest