Underestimating Deforestation

Underestimating Deforestation

            Deforestation is land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities. There are three major effects of deforestation and each can be linked to another. This article examines deforestation’s effect on biodiversity. Biodiversity means any life on Earth including its ecosystem. This includes humans. The destruction of the land and forests has a major impact on biodiversity.

 Rainforests are home to the most diverse groups of organisms found on Earth and some species have yet to be identified. The unique environment of the rainforest allows for such biodiversity to exist. Deforestation is destroying the environment of many plants and animals and may lead to their extinction. The Helictopleurini dung beetle of Madagascar has been classified as extinct due to the disappearance of lemurs which are the largest dung producers in Madagascar(UNEP). The extinction of many of these plants could have severe consequences to the future of humanity. This proves that humankind is responsible for the lives of other species.

            Deforestation also affects the climate. There are various climate changes that happen as a result of an area of forest being cut down and destroyed. Lack of canopy allows moisture to be evaporated and soil becomes desiccated from baking in the sun. When this occurs, the lack of and inability to keep moisture will cause soil to dry and turn into sand, causing a once moist and humid region to change into desert (“Effects of deforestation.” Dec. 3, 1996. Earlham.edu). After this process the soil becomes useless and has a major economic and social impact on the inhabitants of the region, including the people. “The indigenous people that live in the rainforest are hit hardest, so naturally when examining the social effects of deforestation, much of the analysis will focus on the indigenous population (Ilkka Hanski, a biologist from the University of Helsinki in Finland).”

            An issue that affects those not living in the forests is the advancement of humanity. Destroying forests could cause us to lose the opportunity for the advancement of society, particularly in medicine. Certain medicinal plants that may be cultivated for certain drugs may be lost. The preservation of the rainforests would allow a plethora of opportunities for future generations to further advance humanity.

            In “MindReal, R. Ornstein states that our minds reduce reality, beyond our ordinary perceptions. Taking this into account our minds may not think that the deforestation of forests is as bad as it may seem, or that planting a tree in another’s place will reverse the effects that deforestation has done. It is also stated that “the reality that we live inside is a virtual one”, our minds make up a limited reality, so once again we can see what is happening to the forests and know the consequences, but proceed anyway because we need the resources. Our mind is covering up the truth about what we our doing to our environment because the truth would be too much for our psyche to handle. Also because of the scale of the process and the fact that it is ongoing.

            The destruction of the land and forests has a great impact on how we live life on earth. Its effects range from environmental, local social and global social effects. This all stems primarily from human activities. We recognize that we are contributing to the eradication of the land and our resources, but continue to destroy forests for economic gain. Humanity must fully identify what is being done to the earth before it is too late and all resources have expired.