The Pros and Cons of Deforestation

by: nikasmj

It is the year 2021 and we are still fighting with the coronavirus that has been spreading
since last year. Little did we know that the outbreak of this new disease is interrelated to
deforestation. Deforestation is an act of clearing a wide area of trees and according to
YouMatter (2020), deforestation is a major issue that shook and shaped our society. The
article also explained how deforestation is 80% due to agriculture in which lands are required
to cultivate food for humans’ consumption. In other words, agriculture is important for humans
to carry on living. Thus, the question arises as to whether deforestation should be carried on
or not? Hence, this essay will discuss how deforestation comes with pros and cons that
affects society and environment.

In general, deforestation is good for the economy as it creates revenue at all

economic levels. Economics activities can be generated through the resources acquired from
clearcutting the trees and in particular, logging. Theoretically, logging activities can be
sustainable hence, resulting in an ongoing source of revenue for the country (Butler, 2019).
There are a lot of needs for logging as the increasing numbers of the human population result
in higher demand for not just furniture, but also houses, lands and agricultural products in
which all of these are possible due to forest’s resources. From there, the economic growth of
a country can continuously improve. Thus, forest resources management is important in
making sure that sustainability is attained to avoid long-term economic losses (LaPensee,
2021). According to Metz et al., (2007) deforestation is not to be worried as "Forest-related
mitigation options can be designed and implemented to be compatible with adaptation, and
can have substantial co-benefits in terms of employment, income generation, biodiversity and
watershed conservation, renewable energy supply and poverty alleviation." Hence,
deforestation contributes to the country’s economic growth as profits are generated from the
sales of the forest's resources and forest-related mitigation.

On the negative note, deforestation encourages outbreak of diseases due to the

loss of biodiversity. As we all know, forests are living homes for all kinds of animals thus the
balanced interaction in the food chain brings together a maintained ecosystem. However,
deforestation causes the destruction of many animal habitats which will lead to an imbalance
in the ecosystem as biodiversity will also be lost. In relation to that, this may result in a surge
in animal species that can carry health risks to humans. Consequently, the increase of
unwanted animals considered hosts to pathogens such as rats, bats, mosquitoes will spread
diseases to mankind (Tollefson, 2020). Many ecologists have long suspected that
deforestation could increase the risks of future pandemics and this includes the work of Kate
Jones and her team in which they predicted the coronavirus outbreak in their study in 2008
(Jones et al., 2008). Peter Daszak, a zoologist mentioned that “Most efforts to prevent the
spread of new diseases tend to focus on vaccine development, early diagnosis and
containment, but that's like treating the symptoms without addressing the underlying cause,
that is deforestation” (Jones et al., 2008). Daszak’s perspective on this issue states that he is
against deforestation in concern to the possible outbreak of diseases in the future and I agree
with him as COVID-19 has affected our life a lot and it is hard to go back to normal.

Deforestation is good for the general livelihoods of humans in terms of providing

humans with their needs. As the world increases in population, it is a need to clearcut the
forest in order to acquire more lands to build more houses (Miller, 2019). Lands are also
needed for agriculture purposes to provide adequate food supplies such as vegetables and
poultry. Thus, forests need to be sacrificed to support our food consumption for the sake of
our own health. Deforestation also provides more job opportunities such as loggers, forest
technicians, ecologists, and many more. According to Yeoman (2014), work is considered a
fundamental human need. Hence, it is undeniable that deforestation provides humans with
their needs. From the perspective of forest researchers from the Finnish Forest Research
Institute, stated that “Forests provide enormous possibilities to improve human health
conditions, only when utilized effectively” (Karjalainen et al, 2010). Their statement reflects on
the forest benefits towards human health however limits to only when forests are used
effectively. I do agree with this statement as there should be a limit to benefits from the forest
to assure sustainability.

Lastly, deforestation will cause environmental damages and negatively impact

humans’ livelihood. Trees are considered the lungs of the earth as it provides oxygen for
humans to breathe fresh air. Not only that, the trees are also holding the soil together with
roots that are rooted deeply inside the ground preventing disasters such as landslides or soil
erosion from happening. Hence, deforestation should not be encouraged to avoid these
environmental damages. This also includes climate change that will happen because
clearcutting the trees results in lesser oxygen and an increase in carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. This means that the earth will be warm and it could harm humans in terms of
health as it will increase the risk of skin cancer (Bharath & Turner, 2009). Climate change will
also melt the glaciers around the world and increase the sea level which can lead to floods
and these will severely impact human’s livelihoods as they have to face destructive erosion,
soil contamination with salt water and health issues (Storer, 2021). Hence why a strict policy
is needed in a country to prevent deforestation as stated in policies of Malaysia’s Forestry
Law, “policies are designed to ensure that forest management areas should be protected from
illegal harvesting, unauthorized settlement, and other unpermitted activities” (Law of Malaysia,
2006). In my opinion, the law should protect forests with strict policies to prevent illegal
deforestation.

To conclude, I strongly believe that deforestation should not be carried out as it has
already negatively impacted our society and environment a lot. Hence, we should put an end
to deforestation. Moreover, there are a lot of other alternatives and solutions as a lot of
research has been done empirically on this issue as an effort to prevent deforestation from
happening. Forests should be preserved for the future generation.
References

Bharath A, Turner R. (2009). Impact of climate change on skin cancer. J. R. Soc. Med.
2009;102(6):215–218. doi: 10.1258/jrsm.2009.080261.

Butler R. (2019). Mongabay: Consequences of Deforestation. Retrieved from

https://rainforests.mongabay.com/09-consequences-of-deforestation.html

Jones, K. E., Patel, N. G., Levy, M. A., Storeygard, A., Balk, D., Gittleman, J. L., & Daszak,
P. (2008). Global trends in emerging infectious diseases. Nature, 451(7181), 990–
993. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06536

Karjalainen, E., Sarjala, T., & Raitio, H. (2010). Promoting human health through forests:
Overview and major challenges. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine,
15(1), 1–8. 10.1007/s12199-008-0069-2

LaPensee K. (2021). "Forest Resources" Environmental Science: In Context. Retrieved from

https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/energy-government-and-defense-
magazines/forest-resources

Laws of Malaysia. (2006). Act 313 National Forestry Act 1984. Kuala Lumpur: Percetakan
Nasional Malaysia Bhd.

Metz, B., et al, eds. (2007) Climate Change 2007: Mitigation. Contribution of Working Group
III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. New York: Cambridge University Press

Miller B. (2019). 18 Advantages and Disadvantages of Deforestation. Retrieved from

https://greengarageblog.org/18-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-deforestation

Storer R. (2021). The Guardian: Up to 410 million people at risk from sea level rises – study.
Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jun/29/risk-from-sea-
level-rises-unless-emissions-reduced

Tollefson J. (2020). Nature: Why deforestation and extinctions make pandemics more likely.
Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02341-1#ref-CR1

Yeoman, R. (2014). Conceptualising meaningful work as a fundamental human need.

Journal of Business Ethics, 125(2), 235–251.

YouMatter. (2020). What Is Deforestation? Definition, Causes, Consequences, Solutions.

Retrieved from https://youmatter.world/en/definition/definitions-what-is-definition-
deforestation-causes-effects/