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Since the tropical rainforests are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth[45][46] and about

80% of the world's known biodiversity could be found in tropical rainforests,[47][48] removal
or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in
a degraded[49] environment with reduced biodiversity.[50]

Scientific understanding of the process of extinction is insufficient to accurately make


predictions about the impact of deforestation on biodiversity.[51] Most predictions of
forestry related biodiversity loss are based on species-area models, with an underlying
assumption that as forest are declines species diversity will decline
similarly.[52] However, many such models have been proven to be wrong and loss of
habitat does not necessarily lead to large scale loss of species.[52] Species-area models
are known to overpredict the number of species known to be threatened in areas where
actual deforestation is ongoing, and greatly overpredict the number of threatened
species that are widespread.[53]

It has been estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every
single day due to rainforest deforestation, which equates to 50,000 species a
year.[54] Others state that tropical rainforest deforestation is contributing to the
ongoing Holocene mass extinction.[55][56] The known extinction rates from deforestation
rates are very low, approximately 1 species per year from mammals and birds which
extrapolates to approximately 23,000 species per year for all species. Predictions have
been made that more than 40% of the animal and plant species inSoutheast Asia could
be wiped out in the 21st century.[57] Such predictions were called into question by 1995
data that show that within regions of Southeast Asia much of the original forest has been
converted to monospecific plantations, but that potentially endangered species are few
and tree flora remains widespread and stable.[53]
Controlling deforestation

[edit]Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)


Farming
Forest management
Certification of sustainable forest management practices
Reforestation
Forest plantations
causing extinction, changes to climatic conditions, desertification, and displacement
ofindigenous people.

Among countries with a per capita GDP of at least US$4,600, net deforestation rates
have ceased to increase.[1][2]

SOIL

Undisturbed forest has very low rates of soil loss, approximately 2 metric tons per
square kilometer (6 short tons per square mile).[citation needed]
Deforestation generally
increases rates of soil erosion, by increasing the amount of runoff and reducing the
protection of the soil from tree litter. This can be an advantage in excessively leached
tropical rain forest soils. Forestry operations themselves also increase erosion through
the development of roads and the use of mechanized equipment.

China's Loess Plateau was cleared of forest millennia ago. Since then it has been
eroding, creating dramatic incised valleys, and providing the sediment that gives the
Yellow River its yellow color and that causes the flooding of the river in the lower
reaches (hence the river's nickname 'China's sorrow').

Removal of trees does not always increase erosion rates. In certain regions of southwest
US, shrubs and trees have been encroaching on grassland. The trees themselves
enhance the loss of grass between tree canopies. The bare intercanopy areas become
highly erodible. The US Forest Service, in Bandelier National Monument for example, is
studying how to restore the former ecosystem, and reduce erosion, by removing the
trees.

Tree roots bind soil together, and if the soil is sufficiently shallow they act to keep the soil
in place by also binding with underlying bedrock. Tree removal on steep slopes with
shallow soil thus increases the risk of landslides, which can threaten people living
nearby. However most deforestation only affects the trunks of trees, allowing for the
roots to stay rooted, negating the landslide.
[edit]Ecological

Deforestation results in declines in biodiversity.[40] The removal or destruction of areas of


forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with
[41]
reduced biodiversity. Forests support biodiversity, providing habitat
[42] [43]
for wildlife; moreover, forests foster medicinal conservation. With forest biotopes
being irreplaceable source of new drugs (such as taxol), deforestation can
[44]
destroy genetic variations (such as crop resistance) irretrievably.
Land pollution is the degradatin of Earth's land surfaces often caused by human
activities and their misuse of land resources. It occurs when waste is not disposed
properly. Health hazard disposal of urban and industrial wastes, exploitation of minerals,
and improper use of soil by inadequate agricultural practices are a few
factors. Urbanization and industrialization are major causes of land pollution. The
Industrial Revolution set a series of events into motion which destroyed natural habitats
and polluted the environment, causing diseases in both humans and other species of
animals.

Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation


of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to
gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the
cutting of protected species; or the extraction of timber in excess of agreed limits (see
Box 1).

Illegalities may also occur during transport, such as illegal processing and export;
fraudulent declaration to customs; and the avoidance of taxes and other charges.
Illegal logging is a pervasive problem, causing enormous damage to forests, local
communities and to the economies of producer countries. Despite the economic
importance of trade in timber and forest products, major international timber consumer
countries, such as the EU, have no legal means to halt the import of illegally sourced
forest products,[2] because the identification of illegally logged or traded timber is
technically difficult. Therefore, a legal basis for normative acts against timber imports or
other products manufactured out of illegal wood is missing. Currently, scientific methods
to pinpoint the geographic origin of timber is under development.[3] Possible actions to
restrict imports cannot meet with WTO regulations of non-discrimination. They must
instead be arranged in bilateral agreements.

Deforestation is the clearance of naturally occurring forests by logging and burning.

Deforestation occurs for many reasons: trees or derived charcoal are used as, or sold,
for fuel or as a commodity, while cleared land is used as pasture for livestock,
plantations of commodities, and settlements. The removal of trees without
sufficientreforestation has resulted in damage to habitat, biodiversity loss and aridity. It
has adverse impacts on biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Deforested
regions typically incur significant adverse soil erosion and frequently degrade
intowasteland.

Disregard or ignorance of intrinsic value, lack of ascribed value, lax forest management
and deficient environmental law are some of the factors that allow deforestation to occur
on a large scale. In many countries, deforestation is an ongoing issue that is

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