Deforestation's Effect On The Environment

As we humans exploit nature to meet present needs, are we destroying resources needed for the future? The human population is growing more than ever before, and has accelerated tremendously over the past 500 years [see figure 1]. Every 12 years, we are adding one billion people to the planet, which is about 220,000 per day. This is causing a number of problems towards the environment. With most developed economies currently consuming resources much faster than they can revitalize, most developing countries with rapid population growth face the urgent need to improve their living standards. Since the beginning of the century, natural resources have been under increasing pressure, threatening public health and development. Water shortages, soil exhaustion, loss of forests, air and water pollution, and degradation of coastlines are afflicting many areas. As the world’s population grows, improving living standards without destroying the environment is a global challenge.

According to French

This includes locations such as Brazil, Nigeria and Indonesia, which are all at the top of the list [see figure 2]. As agriculturally based population density increases in, as well as near, forested areas, the strongest relationship between population growth and deforestation occurs, as local people and young migrant families arrive at the forest frontier and clear land to provide more area for settlement, as well as for subsistence farming, which is used for food production. The poorer the soil quality, the lower the agricultural production per hectare, and the more land per capita is likely to be cleared. This threatens the well-being and livelihoods of millions of people who heavily depend on forest resources, and is particularly devastating for women and children in poor rural communities.