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Deforestation. Serenity Thompson Dennis Lau Tracy Qiu Zachary Tobar. What is it?. Deforestation is clearing Earth’s forest on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. –National Geographic. Causes of Deforestation.
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Deforestation Serenity Thompson Dennis Lau Tracy Qiu Zachary Tobar
What is it? • Deforestation is clearing Earth’s forest on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. –National Geographic
Causes of Deforestation • Agriculture is the main cause of deforestation as farmers cut down the trees to make more space for their crops.
Continued… • Logging operations, which provide the world’s wood and paper products, cuts down millions of trees every year. • The growing populations of urban cities also plays a major role. • Natural factors such as wild fires and overgrazing causes damage to the lands which prevents young trees from growing.
Continued… • Also mining for metals clears large tracts of natural forest and cause contamination of the eco-system as a result of their runoffs. • Road building throughout the forests damages the landscapes and provides access for illegal loggers.
Effects of Deforestations • The most devastating effect of deforestation is the loss of homes for millions of species. • It also drives climate change leading to the moisture of the forests’ soil to dry out quickly because of the lack of trees; this causes a loss of fertile soil. • Also without trees to help in the process of water evaporating into the atmosphere, former forest lands become barren deserts.
Continued… • In the process if absorbing greenhouse gases, trees play an important role. The lack of forests means more greenhouse gases damaging the atmosphere.
How to fix it? • One way to prevent deforestation is by simply informing people of the dangers that come with it. • By getting the major companies to agree to instill zero-deforestation policies. • Recycling products such as wood, pulp, paper and fibers.
Continued… • Planting enough trees to replace the ones being cut down can help to maintain the amount of trees in the forest.
Works Cited • http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/forests/solutions-to-deforestation/ • http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview/
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