Endangering Ecosystem: Impacts of deforestation on biodiversity

Introduction

The effect of deforestation on the ecosystem is quite alarming and it has become a global topic and concern in the world today, owning to the fact that it is also a causative of global warming. However, this issue is not taken with utmost temerity it deserves. In this article, our focus is on the impacts of deforestation in ecosystem. 

Deforestation

The term deforestation is simply the unorganized, indiscriminate and sometimes illegal act of cutting down of forest trees for commercial, business and other purposes. According to Encarta, it is the indiscriminate cutting and over harvesting of trees for a lumber or pulp, or to clear the land for agriculture, construction ranching or other human activities. Deforestation is simply tampering with the natural vegetation or forest habitat to satisfy economic developments.

Image Source: iStock (Drone aerial view of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest)

The act of deforestation is quite prominent in this part of the world; according to research, it is considered the second largest source of emitting carbon monoxide while vehicles making use of fuels are seen as the highest source of CO2 emission. Deforestation has increased the reduction of green cities or green roof countries as they are fondly referred to in the world. Green countries are simply countries who are involved in keeping natural vegetation and forestation.

Examples of green countries we still have are Sweden, Netherland, Finland, Germany, Mozambique and so on. These countries know the importance of keeping their forest intact as it would enhance and safeguard the people and the different species of organism found in the forest. This mode has help them keep some animals from going into untimely extinction. For instance, in Brazil the Amazon forest as well as everything in it, is in constant danger because of the increase and constant cutting down and felling of the trees for commercial purposes to suite human kind. This act has increased health hazard and also the extinction and exposure of some animals. Understanding deforestation and its effect on biodiversity is quite important alongside ways we can either prevent or reduce its effect. To examine this impact below, we need to understand what the term biodiversity means, and its importance to ecosystem.

Biodiversity 

Biodiversity also called biological diversity describes the enormous variety of life on earth. According to National Geographic encyclopedic entry, biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. Encarta defines it as the sum of all the different species of animals, plants, fungi, microbial organisms living on Earth and the varieties of habitats they live in. According to research, about 10 million to 100 million different species inhabit the earth that is live on earth. Biodiversity describes everything that lives on earth even from the beginning of the food production chain to the last stage of the chain. Biodiversity includes everything and anything. All of these species are contained in a space called the ecosystem where the removal of one species can lead to disequilibrium. Understanding the influence of biodiversity and importance of maintaining equilibrium point in the society is essential in our understanding of the impact of deforestation on the biotic and abiotic components found in the ecosystem.

Understanding the above keywords will aid our understanding of what this article is about. The impact of deforestation on biodiversity cannot be undermined, which is why our focus is stressing on its impacts, causes and prevention methods. Before we discuss the impacts of deforestation, let us discuss briefly the causes of deforestation. So what are the causes of deforestation?  

Causes of deforestation

Image Source: iStock (Madagascar)

• Infrastructural development: The process of building infrastructures such as roads, dams and some other things to enhance the development of the society, the forest is put at risk. It is cut down in order to create space for these construction.

• Mining: While mining to get raw materials or natural resources it calls for the cutting down and clearing of forest trees whereby carbon monoxide is released in large quantity into the atmosphere therefore putting the ecosystem at risk.

• Urbanization: The process of land expansion and modernization accompanies the clearing of vegetation to provide or accommodate enough buildings to suite human purpose. The forest trees are not just cleared, some are used for construction of those buildings.

• Natural and Man-made fire: Sometimes deforestation occurs naturally as a result of wild spread fire which occurred through lightning, dry and windy conditions while sometimes it can be human induced such as arson and through bush burning.

Impacts of deforestation on biodiversity

• Climatic changes: We mentioned this change briefly in the beginning of this article while explaining the causes of deforestation. In the process of cutting down the trees, we are exposed to high release of carbon monoxide (CO2) which the tree are known to retain while they produce us with oxygen (O2). The process of releasing excess CO2 to the atmosphere has caused increase in temperature, which poses a threat to the existence of various organisms in the ecosystem. The effect of climatic change caused by deforestation can cause increase in the rise of sea level because we have cold areas such as Antarctic whose sea level and warmth has increased by over one degree because of the changes that occurred in the climate. This change has had effects on both the living organisms and physical environments. Deforestation has contributed massively to the climatic changes we now feel in the ecosystem and this change poses more danger to the ecosystem than we can imagine.

• Sudden Extinction of Species: Another impact of deforestation is the sudden extinction of various species in the ecosystem. Deforestation amounts into loss of habitats for these species causing them to dwindle as they all struggle in quest for survival in the little forest habitats that remains. While some survive, others cannot and as a result, they either die out or migrate to another area, this is known as survival of the fittest (Herbert Spencer). It is important that we understand the significance of preserving and conserving biodiversity, because this would aid our development economically, politically and even culturally. Some of the plants that we find in the forest are known to have useful and deep medicinal roots. However, the process of cutting down the trees increases the chance of losing these plants as well as the benefits they can offer to nature. Invariably we are destroying some trees with possible cure to some modern and ancient illness and disease.

• Erosion and soil degradation: Forests are not just canopies to prevent us from excessive heat and produce oxygen, they are important in curbing erosion, protection and production of healthy soil nutrients. The Forests have been used to prevent or reduce flooding over the years because the trees are able to absorb the water and prevent the soil from deterioration. However, since the onset of deforestation the issue of erosion in different parts of the world has increased, whereby people have lost their properties and rendered homeless due to damage caused from erosion. Examples of some countries faced with erosion after deforestation are Madagascar, Costa Rica, and Cote d’livoire. The soil on the other hand has also become exposed to harsh and direct contact with sunlight and other harmful elements causing it to become weak and poor thereby not yielding good seeds. The effect of deforestation on the soil cannot be undermined and should be taken as of utmost importance by the people and Government.

• Loss of Environment: The environment, which is the natural habitat of some of these various species, becomes lost because of deforestation causing them to look for other areas to migrate to and sometimes they come to the open space where they become exposed and easy preys to other species. Deforestation has caused a lot of displacement for countless of species thereby causing disruption and chaos in the ecosystem, this is the cause of extinction and decline in population of various species that are in the ecosystem.

• Reduction of divergent species: This simply means the decline of the different organisms that form biological diversity be it the living or non-living species. It is with no doubt that; all of these organisms depend on each other to survive. However, once deforestation occurs some species are prone to migrate or die off which would affect the other species in that habitat therefore causing massive destruction or death of some species. This results into the decline of various species that can be found in the forest. For Instance, pangolin is described as one of the most endangered specie in Africa and Nigeria to be precise and we can link this to the effect of deforestation. While cutting down trees, some of these animals try to escape or look for places to migrate to and in the process, some die off or head to other vegetation. With this constantly happening in our forest eventually these specie might become lost and never to be found again in this forest. We have other species in the forest that are also very rare and close to extinction, however, our constant lust for cutting down trees does not encourage us to think of preserving these species.

These are some of the impacts of deforestation on biodiversity or biological diversity, we can see its negative influence on the existence of species in ecosystem which is why we need to understand ways we can prevent or reduce deforestation.

So what are those various methods we can use to reduce the impact of deforestation on biodiversity. 

• Investing in Green cities or Reforestation: This simply means that it is high time we invest our time in planting trees all over the cities because this would not only help us preserve the habitats for all species in the ecosystem but would also aid and shield us from the direct scorching of sunlight. Apart from this, we get to have lower heat temperature because the trees will help in absorbing the excess carbon monoxide in the atmosphere and produce for us more oxygen.

• Standard Laws against unauthorized cutting of trees: Another important way of reducing deforestation is for the government to pass into law against cutting down of trees without authorization. It is important that laws like this are put in place in order to ensure the safety of the natural forest and the species that inhabit them.

• Reduce waste and encourage sustainable production: We can reduce our waste products by recycling them for other useful purpose and also buying sustainable products.

• Education: Another way we can prevent deforestation is by enlightening the people about the forest, its importance and their role in maintaining equilibrium in the ecosystem. It is also important that people are thought about the importance of climate regulation and how to prevent global warming.

The impact of deforestation on biodiversity cannot be underrated which is why this article explain some of those impacts, their causes and possible preventive methods. Deforestation is seen as one of the prominent cause of global warming and it is essential that we take utmost cognizance of it in order to prevent possible damages that can occur in the ecosystem.