Deforestation's Impact on Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Deforestation and Biodiversity Decline

Deforestation: Causes and Consequences

Deforestation is the removal of plant cover. It is caused by:

• The mass burning or felling of trees to transform land for agricultural, livestock farming, or residential uses.
• Supplying timber to industries.
• The building of infrastructure.
• The collecting of firewood.

As a result of deforestation:

• Levels of carbon dioxide increase.
• Humidity levels, along with water reserves, are diminished.
• Soil erosion increases due to the lack of protection and binding provided by vegetation.
• Animal and plant species become extinct due to the disappearance of natural habitats.

Damage to Woodlands and Jungles

Developed countries: Damage is most widespread in temperate and frigid woodland regions, caused by plagues, forest fires, and acid rain. These woodland regions are recovering thanks to protection measures that have been adopted, the new value they have attained as tourist destinations and locations for leisure activities, and also due to agricultural land being converted back into woodland.

Emerging and underdeveloped countries: The size of jungle regions and tropical woodlands is reduced; areas of woodland are continually being lost. This leads to an increase in soil erosion. Sediment removed from the land accumulates in reservoirs and at the bottom of rivers, which reduces the amount of available water and increases the risk of flooding.

Threats to Biodiversity

Biodiversity is under threat. Animal and plant species have disappeared, and more than 11,000 are at risk of extinction. The causes include:

• Changes made to natural habitats.
• Excessive hunting.
• The introduction of exotic invasive species which compete with local species.
• Genetic selection methods used in agriculture and livestock farming, which favour the most economically profitable species.

In developed countries, biodiversity loss is less widespread, and efforts are being made to control it by protecting natural spaces and species under threat.

In poor countries, it is more widespread. This is due to the fact that they are the location for the greatest diversity of the planet's species, meaning that the destruction of their natural habitats affects a greater number of living beings.