MINISTERY OF HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND INOVATION

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE VERDE

DEPARTAMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Geography and Territory Management

Instructor: Hulda Levy

Authors:
Fábio Mendes

Manuel Moreira

Lenine Da Lomba

José Jorge

Praia, 2015

Introduction
 Deforestation is a social problem that affects all the countries around the world.
Everywhere we go we find people cutting and burning tress to satisfy their needs. In
Cape Verde, especially in countryside, is not so different because people use to cut
different types of trees to prepare the soil to cultivate and also to get the firewood to
cook.
Into this scenario, we have a work to do about deforestation and all the aspects that
comes with it. However, the structure of this work will be like this:

 Definitions;
 The causes;
 The consequences;
 The solutions;
 The preventions;
 Conclusion.

What is deforestation?
Many sources have shown different definitions of deforestation, for example the website
academia.edu says that it is the process whereby the natural forest are cleared through
logging and/or burning, either to use the timber or to replace the area for alternative
uses. Also, the about education website defends that it is the removing or clearing of a
forest to include the cutting of all trees, mostly for agricultural or urban use. The
remaining land, as per definition, is not reforested but is usually converted to a non-
forest classification.

All these definitions go on the same direction, because they underline the forest
destruction, which is the essential part of this topic.

Causes of deforestation

There are many reasons that make people cut trees or burning them, and the list bellow
show some of main causes:

1. Agricultural activities

Agricultural activities are one of the major factors affecting deforestation. Due to
overgrowing demand for food products, huge amount of tress are fell down to grow
crops and for cattle grazing.

2. Logging

Apart from this, wood based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture etc also need
some amount of wood in their preparation. Wood is used as fuel both directly and
indirectly, therefore trees are chopped for supplies. Firewood and charcoal are examples
of wood being used as fuel. The problem is that, many of the companies that do this
kind of work, do it illegally.

3. Urbanization
Sometimes, huge hectares of forests disappear for the construction of roads and
buildings. Overpopulation affects directly the forest covers, as with the expansion of
cities more land is needed to establish housing. Therefore forest land is reclaimed.

4. Desertification of land 

Some of the other factors that lead to deforestation is also part natural and part
anthropogenic like Desertification of land. It occurs due to land abuse making it unfit
for growth of trees. Many industries in petrochemicals release their wastes into rivers
which results in soil erosion and make it unfit to grow plants and trees.

5. Mining

As we know, oil and coal mining require considerable amount of forest land. Apart

from this, roads and highways have to be built to make way for trucks and other
equipment. The waste that comes out from mining pollutes the environment and affects
the nearby species.

6. Fires

Another example would be forest blazes; Hundreds of trees are lost each year due to
forest fires in various portions of the world. This happens due to extreme warm
summers and milder winters. Fires, whether causes by man or nature results in huge loss
of forest cover.

Consequences of deforestation

The effects of deforestation are easy to see, because we can feel it in our environment.
These are some of consequences of this social problem:

1. Climate Imbalance 

Deforestation also affects the climate in more than one ways. Trees release water vapor
in the air, which is compromised on with the lack of trees. Trees also provide the
required shade that keeps the soil moist. This leads to the imbalance in the atmospheric
temperature further making conditions for the ecology difficult. Flora and fauna across
the world are accustomed to their habitat. These haphazard clearances of forests have
forced several of these animals to shift from their native environment. Due to this
several species are finding it difficult to survive or adapt to new habitats.

2. Increase in Global Warming

Trees play a major role in controlling global warming. The trees utilize the green house
gases, restoring the balance in the atmosphere. With constant deforestation the ratio of
green house gases in the atmosphere has increased, adding to our global warming woes.

3. Soil Erosion

Also due to the shade of trees the soil remains moist. With the clearance of tree cover,
the soil is directly exposed to the sun, making it dry.

4. Floods

 When it rains, trees absorb and store large amount of water with the help of their roots.
When they are cut down, the flow of water is disrupted and leads to floods in some
areas and droughts in other. 

5. Wildlife extinction 

Due to massive felling down of trees, various species of animals are lost. They lose their
habitat and forced to move to new location. Some of them are even pushed to
extinction. Our world has lost so many species of plants and animals in last couple of
decades.

Solutions to deforestation

Sometimes, it not easy to find the best way to control this issue, but one idea that sounds
good is to curb the felling of trees, by employing a series of rules and laws to govern it.
Deforestation in the current scenario may have reduced however it would be too early to
assume. Therefore, the Clear cutting of forests must be banned. This will curb total
depletion of the forest cover. It is a practical solution and is very feasible.

Land skinned of its tree cover for urban settlements should be urged to plant trees in the
vicinity and replace the cut trees. Also the cutting must be replaced by planting young
trees to replace the older ones that were cut. Trees are being planted under several
initiatives every year, but they still don’t match the numbers of the ones we’ve already
lost.

How to prevent the deforestation?

To prevent deforestation, the government and the non-governmental organization must
call the people attention about the impact that it causes in our society. They must create
a credible message to pass everywhere in order to people be conscious how will we
suffer with the consequence of deforestation.

The companies and industries must close another material to do some furniture; they
should replace it by the ones that don’t harm the environment. Also people should have
in mind the idea of recycling, specially related to paper. As much paper we use, more
trees will die.
 Conclusion

Deforestation is killing many of our important animals and trees. Of course, many
people are not conscious about it and it is in this way that we call the government’s
attention because it is their job to tell the people about this problem.

We really liked this topic because it made us understand more and more the idea of
deforestation, and also all the aspects that are behind it. This kind of group work should
be done more time. I like to work in group because it helps to know our colleagues
better.

Source:

- http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-
deforestation.php#sthash.jXZpVwL2.dpuf
- http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/
deforestation-overview/
- http://www.academia.edu/5254370/Deforestation