Deforestation and

Its Impact on
Environment

Group 2
 What is
Deforestation?
Deforestation
● refers to the destruction or removal of large areas of forest/rainforest
and then changing the use of land to non-forest use, often resulting
in damage to the quality of the land.

● Moreover, according to National Geographic, deforestation is the the

purposeful clearing of forested land. Throughout history and into
modern times, forests have been razed to make space for agriculture
and animal grazing, and to obtain wood for fuel, manufacturing, and
construction.
• Over the course of the 20th century, the
forest cover of the country Philippines
dropped from 70% down to 20%.

• Based on an analysis of land use pattern

maps and a road map an estimated 9.8
million hectares of forests were lost in the
Philippines from 1938 to 1988.
• The world has been chopping down 10 million hectares of trees every year
to make space to grow crops and livestock, and to produce materials such as
paper. This accounts for about 16% of total tree loss cover. 96% of
deforestation takes place in tropical forests.
 Causes of
Deforestation
1. Agricultural Activities
 agriculture is the most important cause of deforestation on the
planet comprising nearly about 50-70%. Due to huge demand
for food products, huge amount of trees are fell down to grow
crops and for cattle grazing (livestock).
2. Logging/Illegal Logging
 logging contributes around 14% in deforestation. Wood based
industries like paper, match sticks, furniture, etc. need a
substantial amount of wood supply for the growing
population thus, they tend to cut trees.

 Moreover, some of these industries thrive on illegal wood

cutting just to fulfill the demands of the wood market as well
as the people.
Logging/Illegal Logging
3. Urbanization
 the cutting down of trees for lumber that is used for building
houses and establishments have a major impact on forest life.
Wherein forests are cleared to accomodate expanding urban
areas. This results in loss of forest and massive deforestation.

 overpopulation directly affects the forest covers, as with the

expansion of cities, more land is needed.
Urbanization
4. Mining
 is done by digging huge pits in the ground or stripping to top
of hills and mountains. The mining companies cut trees to
build roads, power plants, and railroad lines.
5. Land Desertification
 some of the factors that lead to deforestation are also part
natural and part anthropogenic like desertification of land.
Destruction of biotic potential of land leads to
desertification. It occurs due to land abuse making it unfit
for growth of trees, such petrochemical industries release
their waste into rivers.
6. Forest fires
 whether set on purpose, caused by an accident, or touched
off by natural events like lightning strikes, fires destroy
milions of acres of forest a year resulting to deforestation.
 Effects of
Deforestation
1. Loss of biodiversity
 The unique biodiversity of various geographical areas is being lost on
a scale that is quite unprecedented. Even though tropical rainforest
make up just 6% of the surface area of the Earth, about 80-90% of the
entire species of the world exist here. Due to massive deforestation,
about 50-100 species of animals are being lost each day. The outcome
of which is the loss of habitat and the massive extinction of animals
and plants.
2. Soil erosion
 When forest areas are cleared, it results in exposing the soil to the
sun, making it very dry and eventually infertile due to volatile
nutrients such as nitrogen being lost. In addition, when there is
rainfall, it washes away the rest of the nutrients, which flow with the
rainwater into waterways. Ultimately, cultivation in this land will
also become impossible, resulting in the land becoming useless as
the soil will be totally devoid of essential nutrients. Large tracts of
land will be rendered permanently impoverished due to soil erosion.
3. Disruption of the Water Cycle
 Trees contribute in a large way in maintaining the water cycle. They
draw up water via their roots, which is then released into the
atmosphere. When these trees are cut down it results in the climate
getting drier in that area. The groundwater tables are affected and
soon get depleted. The trees help in prevention of running off of
water and help the soil absorb the flowing water. When there are no
trees, water just runs off, leaving no chance for the groundwater
tables to absorb more water. Thus, ultimately leading to reduction in
water resources.
4. Flooding and drought
 One of the vital functions of forests is to absorb and store great
amounts of water quickly when there are heavy rains. So, when
forests are cut down, this regulation of the flow of water is disrupted,
which leads to alternating periods of flood and then drought in the
affected area. Thus, leading to disruption of human settlements and
loss of life in thousands.
5. Climate change
 It is well-known that global warming is being caused largely due to
emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere. However, what is not known quite is that deforestation
has a direction association with carbon dioxide emissions into the
atmosphere. When deforestation occurs, many of the trees are burnt
or they are allowed to rot, which results in releasing the carbon that is
stored in them as carbon dioxide. This, in turn, leads to greater
concentrations of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
 Solutions to
Deforestation
  Green Business
-Green business concerns to re-use and recycling. Green methods of
production and utilization of resources can immeasurably reduce deforestation.
Particularly, it focuses on re-using items, reducing the use of artificial items, and
recycling more items. Paper, plastics, and wood are linked to the destruction of
forests and other natural resources.
-By focusing on recycling paper, plastics, and wood products as well as
adopting responsible consumerism, it means there will be less dependence on the
natural resources and trees. It will also reduce government and company imports
of raw-materials from forest regions in other parts of the world.
  Eco-forestry
-Eco-forestry is a move on saving the worlds forest. It acknowledges that
sometimes, the use of trees for various human activities or reasons can be
inevitable. Moreover, eco-forestry underscores the need of cutting down trees in
an environmentally friendly manner. It is where only cautiously selected trees are
fell and transported with the least possible damage to the area. Also, eco-forestry
not only calls for the preservation of the forest regions ecosystem but also allows
for controlled and green timber extraction.
  Laws and Regulations
-Due to the nature and extent of forest destruction, efforts to stop the human
activities can be complemented by laws and regulation at governmental and
organizational levels. As people increasingly become unaware of deforestation
consequences, some people focus more on the immediate economic gains at the
expense of the long-term environmental damage.
-This attitude encourages illegal logging for timber and other valuable
resources like rubber. Therefore, stopping deforestation and preserving the
natural vegetations demands rules, laws, and regulations from organizations and
governments to aid in enforcing forest preservation policies.
  Community Forestry
-Community forestry is whereby local communities together with their local
government and other local organizations such as schools, corporate, and universities join
hands to start localized tree planting programs and management of their local forests. On
various occasions such as environmental day, or other localized activities, concerned local
citizens can create awareness and plant trees.
-This can be done within the surrounding areas as a method of boosting environmental
sustainability and keeping the local forests viable. All local learning institutions, hospitals,
local government headquarters, and the rest of the community can ensure trees are planted
and the local forests are protected against damage as a way of finding solutions to the
deforestation menace.
  Replanting/Reforestation
-Replanting or tree planting utilizes almost the same aspect as community
forestry. However, it entirely focuses on replanting, a feature commonly known
as reforestation. Reforestation is the restoration or replanting of forests. It
involves selecting and dedicating large tracts of land mainly for the purpose of
cultivating forests. For instance, in local communities and urban centers, it can be
done around market areas, in game/wildlife reserves, or within city parks.
Replanting, therefore, qualifies restorative measure of deforestation.
  Sensitization and Educative
Campaigns
-Deforestation can also be counteracted through awareness and sensitization.
Sensitization and educative campaigns can be a simple but a more workable solution.
Initiating awareness through campaigns makes it easy for people to detect the causes,
effects, and ways of counteracting deforestation. Personal experiences from adversely
affected communities such as farmers can be used to emphasize the negative effects of
deforestation. Thus, making conscious efforts to share information with people including
family, friends, colleagues, and the entire community on deforestation and its effects is an
appropriate measure of standing up in unison to combat the clearing of forests.
  Joint Organization
-Conservation, wildlife, rainforest, and nature protection agencies among
other environmental programs can join together with a common goal of
preserving, restoring, and protecting forests to ensure permanence of the world’s
natural resources. When such big organizations work together, it makes easier to
install the proper forest management mechanisms. Far-reaching impact can
likewise be realized if environmental conservation and protection organizations
work together.
  Land Use Planning
-Cities and urban centers continue to grow day after day as more and more people
claim their share of living in cities and the urban areas. Agricultural practices also continue
to expand as farmers and consumer demands call for better productivity and quality food
products respectively. As a result, the urban sprawl and agricultural expansion have kept on
clearing forests to create more room for their respective activities.
-In response to this threat, creation of proper land use planning techniques can offer
the fastest and the most feasible solution to deforestation. Land use planning that centers on
environmentally friendly development techniques like urban agriculture and lessening urban
and sub urban sprawl can considerably cut back deforestation.
 Other Solutions to Reduce
Deforestation
 Plant trees
 Use less paper
 Use recycled products (Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle)
 Reduce meat consumption
 Promoting sustainable choices
 Don’t buy products containing palm oil
 Practice eco-forestry
 Raise awareness in your circle and in your community
 Support organizations that fight deforestation
 Help restore degraded forests
 Thank you...
• Larawan, Anabel • Sumagpi, Nor-aima
• Maadil, Shamsina • Yabit, Jessel
• Maha, Melnalyn • Viernes, Mary Jean
• Suico, Lea