instigates

Population growth - Remove the ability to absorb gas

- Increase demand for resources; -
food
Unsustainable method of farming - Exhaustion of soil
- slash and burn - Compression of soil
- cattle ranching
- shifting cultivation
Economic growth - Loss of potential medicine
- Illegal loggings
- Exploitation of forests
- expansion of soya

One of the causes that motivate massive deforestation to occur is the rapid increase of
population growth. The expanding population led to the increasing in demand of resources
for the society in terms of food, land and fuel. More lands need be cleared for the
development projects such as for houses, roads and agriculture crops.

Moreover, government offers subsidies for farming sector which led the society begin
farming in order to feed their family.

When the trees being cleared, it will eliminate the trees role to absorb carbon dioxide and
will contribute to further damage which is climate change. Carbon dioxide is a prime
contributor to the greenhouse effect and climate change. Forests act as carbon sink to
maintain the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the process of
photosynthesis where plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Apart from carrying
daily process of photosynthesis, plants do carry the process of respiration and
decomposition emit carbon dioxide. Due to the fewer number of trees and plants left, less
oxygen produced and less carbon dioxide being ceased. Consequently, due to the emission
of carbon dioxide exceed the ability of carbon dioxide absorption, this indirectly causes the
rising air temperature.
Next, the unsustainable method of farming that been used by the farmers led to
deforestation. Most of the farmers are practising the slash and burn technique in an open
agricultural area due to dense vegetation. This method allows the farmer to cut down the
vegetation before burning the area by using fire. Then, vegetation being planted directly
with the ashes left in the soil. The widespread use of this technique among famers is mainly
because it is the quickest method to clear a broad agricultural area and also a cheaper
method to use by the farmers who require a low incomes. The slash and burn is considered
as the easiest way to clear the land as the legal way to make the land usable takes around
three years by using bio-mass. The slash and burn led to the land can only be used up to
several years as the soil become infertile. After a few years of using the land, the essential
nutrients from the soil are used and making the soil depleted. Consequently, the exhaustion
of soil can no longer support agriculture and encourage the farmers to move to a new land
since most of the farmers cannot afford to buy fertilisers. The abandoned land may take as
long as twenty years to be fertilised and rich in nutrients again. Furthermore, the use of fire
can spread into the unintentional forested areas and cause bushfires. The uncontrollable
burning of fire will destroy to other crops, large areas of forests or even the houses of the
farmers.

Deforestation is influenced by the economic growth. The growing of international market

demand encourage the activity of loggings. Some of the countries that experience foreign
debt such as Brazil will increase the timber, beef and soya exports to gain more profits.
Timber is one of the natural resources that has a high demand in the global market for
building and furniture purposes. The forest is rich in timber which is valuable earner for the
country. In owing to the logging industry, many jobs being provided such as factory workers,
truck drivers and factory operators that can reduce the level of poverty of a country.
Therefore,

The excessive exploitation of forests is responsible for the loss of potential medicine.
Tropical rainforests is rich with species that has a great potential to cure cancer, HIV and
other illnesses. Wilson (1989) gives an example of a Madagascar small native plant called
Catharanthus roseus which has medicinal properties that can help to treat cancer
effectively. It has been studied that one of the five other species of the plant is nearly to be
extinct as a result of deforestation. The extinction of species will reduce the possibility for
In addition, cattle ranching has threaten the forests. Cattle ranching has become widespread
due to the high price of beef meats which pressure the ranchers to clear more land.
Greenpeace (2009) stated that the activity of cattle ranching has turned nearly 80% of
deforested areas to pasture, making Brazil as the largest commercial cattle herd in the
world.

In addition, cattle ranching has threaten the forests. Cattle ranching has become widespread
due to the high price of beef meats which pressure the ranchers to clear more land. (W. Jamie,
2009) stated that the activity of cattle ranching has turned nearly 80% of deforested areas to
pasture land and making Brazil as the largest commercial cattle herd in the world. Cattle
ranching is considered profitable by the ranchers as it does not cost a lot to raise the cattle
except for vast areas of pasture land. However, the soil of the land became compact as a
result from the continuous movement by the cattle. The compacted of soil will results in the
disruption of water infiltration which reduce the moisturise level of the soil. On the other
hand, cattle ranching depletes the soil nutrients where the cattle grazing the grass daily. As
the consequence, the vegetation are unable to grow due to the soil being compacted thus, the
ranchers clear another land to transform to a new pasture land.