Deforestation is an issue that people may not think about often, because in

some ways it does not directly have an effect on them. But, deforestation is
an ongoing issue that is changing our environments climate, geography, and
biodiversity. Deforestation can occur for the lumber from trees, to clear a
space for farms and livestock, or for developments of businesses and houses.
According to Wikipedia, deforestation in 2009 occurred the most in these 10
countries: Russia, Brazil, Canada, United States, China, Australia, Congo,
Indonesia, Peru, and India.
So why is this an issue? First off, annually around the world, the amount of
deforestation is estimated at 13.7 million hectares, which is the size of
Greece AND only half of the effected area has new forestation. The lack of
forests in certain parts of the world has caused major disruptions in the
balance on nature and animals as well. According to World Wildlife, tropical
forests hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon, and deforestation represents
around 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions cause the rise in
temperature, and increase of extreme weather. Deforestation also changes
the balance of water on land and water in the atmosphere. Trees help to
keep this balance and without them there are changes in precipitation and
river flow. Along with the atmosphere and water, deforestation effects the
soil in which trees were once planted in. The trees anchor the soil and
without them, erosion could occur. Scientists have estimated that a third of
the worlds arable land has been lost through soil erosion and other types of
degradation since 1960.
Clearly, deforestation is causing major issues in the environment, but it also
effects humans and animals alike. Animals that reside in these forests such
as, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and tigers to name a few, are having
their homes uprooted and adapting to a different place is stressful and
difficult for the animals. Humans also rely on forests for food, hunting, and
medicinal herbs, so without these forests, their lives are greatly effected.
So what is being done to help stop deforestation? There are many
organizations that people can donate to, or stand unified in the fight towards
saving our forests. One organization is Greenpeace. They work to pressure
markets and corporations to help save forests instead of tearing them down.
They believe that if companies can help ruin forests, they can help to support
the efforts to save them. Greenpeace also supports promoting sustainable
consumer options. Consumers can buy items that have been recycled, or buy
brands that have 0 deforestation policies. Lastly, Greenpeace tries to
change the politics of deforestation. They believe that to effectively stop
deforestation, the government must do their part.
Obviously deforestation is an issue that will take time to diminish, and forests
that have been settled on after being cut down cannot grow back, but I think
the key to this is prevention. Preventing further deforestation and

encouraging the regrowth of forests, and supporting organizations trying to

help our environment is what we can do on a personal and community level.
If everyone worldwide helped to support the efforts to save our environment,
we can sustain a great future for generations to come.