Rainforest Destruction: Causes and Effects

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Rainforest DestructionCauses and Effects

• Enda Tuomey

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Introduction

• The tropical rainforests of West Africa, Brazil,
  Latin America and Southeast Asia are some of the
  most important environmental regions of the
  world. They hold millions of unique plants,
  animals, and people. However, they are being
  destroyed rapidly for agriculture, mining and
  logging. This essay will examine the causes of
  this destruction and outline its effects on our
  lives.

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Causes

• A complex web of factors is contributing to the
  destruction of the rainforests.

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Causes 1

• One of the main causes of is logging for timber.
  Millions of hectares are cut down every year,
  often illegally. The most valuable wood is taken
  and not replaced. Landless people move in along
  the new logging roads.

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Causes 2

• Mining companies are responsible for much
  deforestation. They cut down trees to extract
  gold and other minerals. Their activity often
  causes pollution.

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Causes 3

• However, one of the biggest contributors to
  rainforest destruction is that they are often
  located in developing countries. As a result, the
  forests lack protection and are in danger from
  wealthy developers, companies and from poor
  landless people.

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Effects

• Rainforest destruction has many catastrophic
  effects.

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Effects 1

• A tragic effect of the loss of the rainforest is
  the extinction of plants and animals that could
  provide us with food, medicine or valuable
  products. Thousands of species disappear each
  year. This leads to a poorer world with less
  biodiversity.

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Effects 2

• One surprising result of the destruction of the
  rainforest is that soils and nutrients are washed
  away. When the trees are cut down, the soil is
  exposed to the heavy rain and quickly becomes
  infertile and useless. The forest cannot grow
  again, and the people who used the land have to
  move on.

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Effects 3

• One of the most serious effects is global
  warming. When the trees in the rainforest are cut
  down, carbon dioxide is released into the
  atmosphere. This carbon dioxide acts as a
  blanket, trapping the suns heat and warming the
  planet. This can have huge consequences for the
  worlds climate.

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Conclusion

• In summary, the rainforests are important for the
  environment because they produce oxygen, store
  carbon and have huge stores of timber, minerals,
  medicinal plants and food. They are potentially a
  huge source of genetic material. Human activities
  are damaging this treasure. If we do not take
  action now, this vital part of our heritage will
  be lost forever.

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Sources

• http//www.geography.learnontheinternet.co.uk/topi
  cs/rainforest.htmlwhere
• http//www.davesite.com/rainforests/review2.shtml
• http//www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest
  _006.htm
• http//www.msu.edu/user/urquhar5/tour/slide0.html
  
• http//mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/rforest/where.htm

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Rainforest DestructionCauses and Effects

• Enda Tuomey