Deforestation and its Impact
Deforestation is the removal of trees, followed by the conversion of the land to non-forest uses. Examples of deforestation practices include converting forests to farms, ranches, or urban areas. Several natural cycles that are balanced are disrupted where deforestation has place. These events include the disruption of the carbon cycle, which causes the atmospheric concentration of carbon to rise above a safe level (Bradford, 2015).
The Carbon Cycle and Global Warming
The hydro cycle is the alternative cycle. The regular water cycle is disturbed by deforestation. As species’ habitats are lost, deforestation has a substantial negative impact on the forest’s ability to support life. The primary effects of deforestation on the carbon cycle are global warming and the Greenhouse effect. Through the process of photosynthesis, trees have the ability to balance the amount of carbon present in the atmosphere. If there is an excess amount of carbon in the atmosphere, a carbon 'blanket' is created (Siegel, 2012). The sheet 'traps' heat and the process preventing it from leaving the atmosphere. There result is the build-up of excess heat causing Global warming which leads to famine and floods.
The Hydrological Cycle and Forests
The hydrological cycle is a complex system that retains the Earth’s water in a continuous state of circulation. Forests play a significant factor in this process. Trees are essential in the determination of local climate, precipitation and the maintenance of soil conditions that are indispensable in determining streamflow and the rates of evaporation from a particular area (Gaertner, et al., 2001). The hydrological cycle is profoundly affected by the loss of forests, and it can translate to a regional or global scale since it directly connects the exchange of water between the ground and the atmosphere.
Biodiversity Loss and Deforestation
Any existing forest is a community of organisms including animals, plants, fungi and myriad microbiological life. There is an interdependency among the organisms for food and shelter. They also depend on the reliability of the forest for survival (Shah, 2014). The clearance of forests is accompanied by the death of all the organisms which once lived there since they no longer have a place for a habitat and as a result, biodiversity is decreased consequently.
Conclusion
In conclusion, forests are essential for human existence. They act like a life force pumping life into the all living organism. Due to this importance, they have to be preserved at any cost since humanity depends on their existence and without trees the future is uncertain.
References
Bradford, A. (2015, March 4). Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects. Retrieved from Live science: http://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html
Gaertner, M. A., Christensen, O. B., Prego, J. A., Polcher, J., Gallardo, C., & Castro, M. (2001). The impact of deforestation on the hydrological cycle in the western Mediterranean. Dynamics, 857–873.
Shah, A. (2014, January 19). Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions. Retrieved from Global Issues: http://www.globalissues.org/article/171/loss-of-biodiversity-and-extinctions
Siegel, E. (2012, February 27). Deforestation and the effect on the Carbon cycle. Life issues, p. 1.
