Question

What is deforestation? Explain the causes and effects of deforestation. 

Answer 1

Destruction of forests in order to make the land available for different uses is known as deforestation.

• Causes of Deforestation:

1. Fires and floods are the natural causes for deforestation.
2. Human activities are responsible for deforestation include agricultural expansion, cattle breeding, illegal logging, mining, oil extraction, dam construction, and infrastructure development.

1. Agricultural Expansion:
   a. With increasing population, there is an overgrowing demand for food production.
   b. Hence, a large number of trees are chopped down for crops and for cattle grazing.
2. Urbanization:
   a. Increase in population needs the expansion of cities.
   b. More land is needed to establish housing and settlement.
   c. Requirements like construction of roads, development of houses, mineral exploitation, and expansion of industries also arise due to urbanization.
   d. Forests are destroyed to meet all these needs.
3. Mining: 
   a. Mining of coal, diamond and gold requires a large amount of forest land.
   b. Large number of trees are cut down to clear the forest area. The waste that comes out from mining pollutes the environment and affects the nearby plants.
4. Construction of dams:
   To provide water supply to the increasing population, large size dams are constructed. Hence, a great extend of forest area is being cleared.
5. Timber Production: 
   a. Wood-based industries like paper, match-sticks, furniture need a substantial amount of wood supply.
   b. Wood is the most commonly used fuel, thus, a large number of trees are being cut down for fuel supplies.
   c. Illegal wood cutting is the main reason for the destruction of some valuable plants.
6. Forest fire: 
   a. Forest fire is caused by humans, accidents, or natural factors.
   b. Forest fires wipe out thousands of acres of forest land each year all over the world. This has tremendous effects on biodiversity and the economy as well.
7. Cyclones: Cyclones destroy the trees on a massive scale.

Effects of Deforestation:

1. Extinction of species:
   Deforestation has resulted in the loss of many wonderful species of plants and animals and many are on the verge of extinction.
2. Soil Erosion: 
   a. When the trees are cut down, soils are exposed to the Sun’s heat.
   b. Extreme temperature of the summer dries up the moisture and makes the nutrients evaporate, ft also affects the bacteria that helps in the breakdown of organic matter.
3. Water cycle:
   When trees are cut down, the amount of water vapour released decreases for transpiration, and hence there is a decrease in the rainfall.
4. Floods:
   When the trees are cut down, the flow of water is disrupted and it leads to flooding.