Fredy Alejandro Quevedo romero and Ángelo estupiñan

Deforestation: a practice that kills our biodiversity

Deforestation: causes, consequences and solutions

The land where the felling and burning of trees is carried out is mainly used for mining
operations, oil extraction, construction of dams, expansion of cities or other types of human
development. With this, close to half of the world's original forests are destroyed and millions
of animals and living beings are endangered.

Deforestation is considered one of the ten environmental problems, classified as such by the
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). From this problem, an analysis is made of
the difficulties derived from not preserving forests and enhancing their multiple benefits,
among them: the capture of CO2, the contribution to the water cycle, the assistance they
provide to the different species, allowing and helping the increase in biodiversity.

Likewise, these help to protect soils and river beds, avoiding two other environmental
problems such as floods and deforestation.

Likewise, some considerations of the way in which human beings can help to take care of
forests are raised in this text.

Deforestation is one of the ten environmental problems, raised by scientists who are part of
the IPCC; This massive felling of the trees begins to deteriorate the presence of biodiversity on
the planet, because these are the houses where many of the species live that find in them the
conditions to make their nests, wait for the birth of their young, carry out pollination from
flowers, obtain the food and shelter necessary to continue fulfilling their functions within
ecosystems.

The importance of trees for the conservation of life on Earth

The presence of trees produces new oxygen and captures carbon dioxide to ensure its biomass
and form the branches, the trunk and the leaves; the other part is kept. When these are cut
down, the carbon in their structure is released and becomes a source of CO2, one of the
greenhouse effect gases, (20% of annual gas emissions) that causes the increase in the global
temperature of the earth. the trees cage in their structure the giga-tons of carbon and when
cutting them they send these gases that they have concentrates into the atmosphere. In other
words, if the trees that help clean the air are missing, air pollution increases, because there is
no reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, one of the high-risk environmental problems that is
depleting the ozone layer.

From nature we get all the products we use, and, likewise, by observing it, with the help of
science and technology, we learn to carry out the processes that solve the problems we have
created; for example, when we pollute by oil spill, we look for which bacteria can remedy the
contamination; We call this bio-remediation; In addition to aesthetic pleasure, when we look
at a beautiful landscape, we feel its freshness and we are filled with great serenity and
reverence for nature.

The individual actions that we execute in our relationship with nature are key in the learned
behavior and in the modification of habits when using natural resources, because we can alter
the balance of the planet by reducing the habitat, which are the conditions, with our human
activities. ideal for a living being to develop fully. The balance of the planet is altered because
the ecological niche that consists of the function and role played by an organism in the
ecosystem is modified, how does it use the environment? How does it behave? In some cases,
causing the extinction of species because we take away the ideal conditions to live, for
example: the tree, the water. And even more serious, they disappear without us knowing, in
many cases, what many of these species are for and, therefore, we affect the living conditions
of all living beings, including humans, because the earth is a unit of inter -relationships where
each of the living beings and their functions is closely linked, what Swift calls "the butterfly
effect", that is, the small flapping of its wings, can cause a storm on the other side of the earth
(Serres, 2004).

Among the benefits of forests, we find that they are a bank of bio-resources and endemic
species, reduce climate change, increase biodiversity, help the water cycle, and preserve our
health; in winter, they keep the heat from the ground, because they are barriers between the
cold air and the surface. They also prevent the migration of plants and insects to areas with
different climates. Trees help to mitigate noise, by becoming barriers against it; help to
perpetuate the hydrological cycle by returning water vapor to the atmosphere; if there are no
trees, the desertification frontier increases, since the land can become arid due to forest
degradation and the reduction of the quality of the forest.

Forests help preserve food security, since they reserve diverse foods for the future, avoiding us
being environmentally displaced, having to go to other regions in search of fertile lands that
allow us to have food and water, a situation that is increasingly common. in many parts of the
Earth.

The survival of man depends on the presence of the diversity of ecosystems; When we create
an economic chain detached from the food chain of nature, forgetting the relationship
between all beings, we interrupt the balance of the planet, and we are the first to be affected
by depleting natural resources with our actions.
Current state of deforestation

The land where the felling and burning of trees is carried out is mainly used for mining
operations, oil extraction, construction of dams, expansion of cities or other types of human
development. With this, close to half of the world's original forests are destroyed and millions
of animals and living beings are endangered.

According to the FAO, in the period 2000-2010, there was a net loss of forests of 7 million
hectares per year in tropical countries and consequently a net increase in agricultural land of 6
million hectares per year has been generated.

The largest net loss of forest and the largest increase in agricultural land during this period
occurred in the group of low-income countries, where rural populations are increasing.

Forests cover 31% of the land surface of our planet, producing vital oxygen for all living beings.

Causes and consequences of deforestation

In this sense, deforestation has its main causes due to human activity, agriculture and the
wood industry for the manufacture of paper from forest resources that require the felling of
trees.

Loss of forest resources, environmental services and biodiversity and ecosystems.

Desertification or erosion.

Contribution to climate change and global warming.

Natural phenomena.

Ecological imbalances.

Weakening of the quality of life.

There are different causes by which deforestation is generated, the main one being the need
for man to obtain new land for housing and the construction of urbanizations.

On the other hand, dam construction companies flood millions of hectares of forests with
water from reservoirs, crops and livestock cause the cutting of more and more areas of forest
and industrial plantations, such as cellulose, wood, and palm. oil company, they were replacing
vast areas of forests rich in biodiversity (mainly temperate forests) with monocultures and
areas reserved for exotic species.

In turn, wood-based industries such as paper, matches, or furniture require a large supply of
wood; You are using the wood to create large-scale commercial items but fail to replant the
equivalent to balance your activities.

On the one hand, the petrochemical industries use wood to create palm oil that is used for
food, frozen meals, among others. However, these same industries release their waste into
rivers, which results in water pollution and subsequent soil erosion, making the land no longer
suitable for growing plants and trees.

Another cause of deforestation is the proliferation of industries that thrive on cutting down
trees to use wood for fuel, affecting biomes and thousands of animal species. This belongs to
the renewable sources of energy that are grouped under the name of biomass (firewood,
shrubs, pruning remains, forest and agricultural residues, residues from the paper industries,
manure).

Wood is considered an ecological fuel because when it is burned it releases the same amount
of CO2 that it absorbed from the atmosphere during its growth. However, the problem is that
while old trees are cut down, the same number or more trees are not planted, counteracting
the negative effect of cutting them down.

The growing agricultural expansion requires more and more space and is another cause of
deforestation. Due to the excessive growth in demand for food products, large numbers of
trees are cut down for cultivation and for livestock.

Subsequently, the area that can no longer be cultivated is used for raising livestock, which ends
up completely degrading the soil by eliminating the scant vegetation that may have remained.

According to FAO, large-scale commercial agriculture accounts for approximately 40% of

deforestation in the tropics and subtropics, and local subsistence agriculture in turn accounts
for 33% of deforestation. As a percentage, other influencing factors are infrastructure (10%),
urban expansion (10%) and mining (7%).

To a lesser extent, forest fires cause the loss of thousands of trees each year in various parts of
the world, partly due to warmer summers and also due to the neglect of humans. Fires,
whether caused by natural or man-made causes, result in huge losses of forest cover annually
and also contribute to air pollution.

The effects of fire on forests are among the most harmful, generating the destruction of
hectares of forests, the disappearance or reduction of water resources, erosion,
desertification, loss of biodiversity, and the increase in greenhouse gases and local ambient
temperature.

Solutions for deforestation

Environmental education that promotes the ecological conscience of humanity.

Reforestation through the planting of trees.

Recycling to avoid the tale of more forest.

Reduce irresponsible consumerism.

Avoid forest fires.

Organic farming.

Save energy or electricity.

Ecological products.

Ecological tourism.

The sustainable use of air, water and soil resources.

Environmental conservation.

Environmental legislation.

Taking care of animals and plants.

Sustainable development.

In addition to greater coordination between policies on forests, agriculture, food, land use and
rural development, we can launch forestry education programs to raise awareness among
young people to learn how to care for a natural resource that being well managed it has a lot
of economic and social potential.

Make an adequate territorial ordering

Land use planning provides a strategic framework to balance land uses at the national, sub-
national and territorial levels. With this, the legitimacy of the plans related to the use of the
land is guaranteed and the acceptance of human beings to build and build in a sustainable way
is obtained.

In turn, it is important to have transparent legal frameworks governing land use change. In
particular, secure land tenure systems that recognize traditional customary rights to use land
and forest products.

Implement sustainable agriculture

Due to the growing global demand for food and other products from the earth, highly
productive territories managed in a sustainable way will be necessary. Agriculture remains the
most important driver of deforestation in the world and there is an urgent need to promote
more positive interactions between agriculture and forestry.

In areas where large-scale commercial agriculture is the main driver of land use change,
effective regulation is necessary for this change, with appropriate social and environmental
safeguards.

Initiatives such as voluntary certification systems and commitments for the total elimination of
deforestation also have a positive effect on forests.

Promote food safety

Another initiative to improve agriculture, agroforestry and other land use practices at the local
level is to implement measures to improve food security.

This can be achieved through the implementation of social protection systems and training in
new food production technologies such as vertical farming and hydroponics, rather than
promoting the indiscriminate expansion of agricultural areas at the expense of forests.

In turn, forests play an essential role in the water cycle, soil conservation, carbon fixation and
habitat protection. Its sustainable management is crucial to achieve sustainable agriculture
and achieve food security.

Prevent forest fires

Many of the fires are intentional and the vast majority are man-made, careless or negligent.
Knowing how to avoid fires is essential to enjoy nature and so that other people can also enjoy
it.

Form protective forest communities

Another type of forest ecosystems is possible, promoted by a new forest and rural policy
where there is a communal property in which the population benefits from the forests and in
the same way is in charge of their care, preservation and growth.

To prevent these large fires from being generated, it is important to have trained personnel
within the same community to control activities in the forests, and it is essential that the
benefits generated by forest ecosystems fall directly on the inhabitants of these communities.

Require laws for stable and diverse forests

Creating more stable and diverse indigenous masses not only favors the expansion of forests
but also the water cycle. These stands can be enhanced with oaks and holm oaks, creating
mosaics and increasing the maturity of the forests. When introducing them, they can be mixed
with pine and eucalyptus trees with the idea of replacing them.

This avoids the existence of large areas (usually from reforested areas) with monospecific
forests (pine forests, eucalyptus) and with highly flammable species. These continuous and
undifferentiated masses of pyrophytes species, sometimes alien, must be transformed,
modifying monospecific forests to forests with greater biodiversity.

Create protected forest areas

Finally, protected areas or areas of greater ecological value must be planned in a differential
way. That is, assigning as protected areas those places with species and ecosystems that
society has considered important to conserve.

In conclusion, man considers the forest as a space to clear and develop other activities such as
agriculture or livestock, and as long as this behavior does not change, deforestation will
continue to occur and thus protect one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world, by
containing a high percentage of the planet's biodiversity.

CONCLUSIONS

Technical training is necessary for the proper management of reforestation in accordance with
the conditions of the ecosystems, as well as an environmental education based on
information, knowledge and sensitivity that leads us to the valuation of forests.

Likewise, it is necessary to carry out reforestation campaigns aimed at the recovery of soils,
ecosystems and biodiversity chains.

It is essential that coherence in action and decision-making in relation to the care of forests
occurs in unison between environmental authorities, when they grant licenses, between
companies when executing the works and the population, in their course to that this way the
care of the forests is a reality.

References:

https://ecosiglos.com/deforestacion-causas-consecuencias-y-soluciones/

https://encolombia.com/medio-ambiente/interes-a/el-problema-de-la-deforestacion/

http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1909-04552016000200014