From Forest to Field: How Fire is Transforming the Amazon : Feature Articles They pored over satellite images from the Landsat satellite captured between 1993 and 1995 to see what happened to all the area that was “deforested” in 1992. They decided that cleared areas with nice, straight lines that had sprung up next to pre-existing forest edges were probably intentional clearings for pasture or farmland. But Cochrane and his colleagues also discovered that much of the area labeled as deforested in 1992 was far from forest edges, was irregular in shape, and was already beginning to regrow. These areas, it seemed clear, were probably not the result of intentional deforestation. This distinction between accidental and intentional is important, explains Nepstad, because “it suggests that much of the impoverishment of the Amazon may have nothing to do with people’s plans for the land.” The impacts of fires during the 1997-98 El Niño were dramatic and easily visible in satellite imagery, leading to an overestimate of deforestation for that time period.
Deforestation The Double Whammy of Deforestation Deforestation by burning, a widespread practice in the world’s tropical rain forests, adversely impacts the trace-gas composition of the atmosphere in two different ways. First, the burning of the tropical forests produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, and other trace gases that are products when biomass burns. Second, the tropical forest is an important sink, or repository, for carbon dioxide. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is incorporated into the living biomass via the process of photosynthesis, which in turn produces the oxygen we breathe. The Past Much of the Earth was once covered by trees, but the majority of these were cleared long ago to make way for an ever expanding human population. People have been living in and around tropical rain forests for tens of thousands of years, taking what they needed from the wealth of natural resources available without compromising their environment.
Amazon Destruction Amazon Destruction Since 1978 over 750,000 square kilometers (289,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana. Why is Earth's largest rainforest being destroyed? For most of human history, deforestation in the Amazon was primarily the product of subsistence farmers who cut down trees to produce crops for their families and local consumption. The result of this shift is forests in the Amazon were cleared faster than ever before in the late 1970s through the mid 2000s. But that trend began to reverse in Brazil in 2004. Forest loss trends in the Amazon. Forest loss trends in the non-Amazon. Forest loss trends in the Amazon. Accumulated forest loss in the Amazon. Deforestation trends in Amazon countries Forest loss trends between Amazon countries are highly variable. Brazil Annual forests loss in Brazil and the Brazilian Amazon State deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Peru Colombia Bolivia
Live Science: Deforestation Deforestation is the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses. An estimated 18 million acres (7.3 million hectares) of forest, which is roughly the size of the country of Panama, are lost each year, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Some other statistics: About half of the world's tropical forests have been cleared (FAO) Forests currently cover about 30 percent of the world’s land mass (National Geographic) Forest loss contributes between 6 percent and 12 percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions (Nature Geoscience) About 36 football fields worth of trees lost every minute (World Wildlife Fund (WWF)) Deforestation occurs around the world, though tropical rainforests are particularly targeted. Error loading player: No playable sources found Though deforestation has increased rapidly in the past 50 years, it has been practiced throughout history. Weather vs. 0 of 10 questions complete
How to Fight Deforestation With Your Fork Can going meatless once a week change the course of our rainforests? Let’s look at what, why and how. Today, the raising of livestock uses 30 percent of the Earth’s total land surface. We simply can’t afford to lose our rainforests. Simple truth: As the world population explodes and the demand for meat grows, more and more rainforest will be destroyed. Why? Peggy Neu, president of the Monday campaigns, reminds us that Meatless Monday has its roots in World War I and II, when Americans were asked to help conserve key staples to aid the war effort. Join with all of us on Meatless Monday and watch our food choices change the future. Activists Scale NYC Landmark, Drop Banner: Pepsi Cola, Cut Conflict Palm Oil Can Superfoods Help Boost the Planet’s Health, Too? The Role of the Worm in Recycling Wastewater Watch Racing Extinction: It Will Change the Way You View the World
Deforestation A deforested area Deforestation is when forests are lost and not replanted. Sometimes deforestation happens when people change the land into farms, ranches and cities. A lot of deforestation is from removal of all the trees from a forest for wood or fuel. The opposite of deforestation is afforestation. Cause of deforestation[change | edit source] Deforestation is the removal of trees for requirements of growing population. Forests have the following functions:- regulation of the water cycleproduction of soilprovide habitat for animalsprovide most of our oxygenmaintain the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in the atmosphereregulation of temperatureprevent soil erosion There are many reasons for deforestation like logging where people cut down trees for money because they have to feed their families Forests are often planted to protect against natural disasters. Trees are also important for storing carbon. Other websites[change | edit source]
Cheetos in crosshairs of deforestation controversy - Mar. 30, 2016 SumOfUs, an online consumer advocacy group, launched a campaign against Cheetos saying that its palm oil policy doesn't go far enough to ensure that it is deforestation-free. Palm oil has been a problematic ingredient, because it is often obtained by clearing rainforests, according to the World Wildlife Federation. That has threatened the habitats of many endangered species, including elephants, orangutans, rhinoceroses and tigers. Cheetos maker Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo (PEP), has committed to using sustainable palm oil that is grown on plantations -- not in rainforests. But that pledge doesn't take full effect until 2020. Yet SumOfUs has called PepsiCo's commitment "weak," criticizing Pepsi for its lack of enforcement. "PepsiCo's palm oil policy is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't really do enough to prevent deforestation," said Katherine Tu, campaign leader at SumOfUS. A spokeswoman for Pepsi denied that IndoFood was excluded from its palm oil pledge.
WWF: Deforestation Main Page Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter. But forests around the world are under threat from deforestation, jeopardizing these benefits. Deforestation comes in many forms, including fires, clear-cutting for agriculture, ranching and development, unsustainable logging for timber, and degradation due to climate change. Forests play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as a carbon sink—soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contribute to ongoing changes in climate patterns. Deforestation is a particular concern in tropical rainforests because these forests are home to much of the world’s biodiversity.
Deforestation: Where is the world losing the most trees? Deforestation Facts for Kids - The World Counts TheWorldCounts, 22 July, 2014 When you see paper and wood, what do you think of? Do you think of the tree that was felled to make the product? Before we started to build cities many centuries ago, they say that 60% of the Earth was covered in Forests. Deforestation is when forests are converted for other purposes by cutting down the trees to clear the land for other use. What you need to know about Deforestation Can you imagine Earth without forests? 13 million hectares of forest have been cleared for other uses or by natural disaster. More facts: Rainforests cover only 6% of the world’s surface… yet they are home to more than 50% of the plant and animal species on Earth.A patch of rainforest measuring 4 square miles can contain as many as 1,500 flowering plants, 400 species of birds, 750 species of trees and 150 species of butterflies. Why are Rainforests Important? Rainforests help regulate the Earth’s temperature and weather patterns. They are home to plants and animals. Reduce.