Five centuries years ago the Brazilian Atlantic forest covered approximately 330 million acres of the state’s area but today more than 93% of it has been cut down. The Brazilian Atlantic forest is one of the richest and most biologically diverse forest on the planet. But unfortunately, it is one of the most vulnerable and endangered natural objects of the Earth. During the settlement of these lands, the Atlantic forest was cut down mercilessly for coffee plantations, cattle grazing and for the needs of the construction. Today, only about eight percent of the original Atlantic forest is preserved – it is a unique ecosystem, typical of South America, as it was before the beginning of European colonization, when only occasional and small Indian tribes lived here. However, despite the magnitude of its destruction in the twenty-first century, the Brazilian Atlantic Forest continues to save up its endemic species, i.e. found nowhere else in the world.
Compared to 2008, deforestation of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil began to rise again and reached its highest level. The research of a nongovernmental organization "SOS Mata Atlantica" shows that from July 2011 to June 2012 235 square kilometers of Atlantic forest, marsh vegetation and mangroves have been destroyed in Brazil. Over the same period, 2010-2011, 140 square kilometers of the Brazilian Atlantic forest have been cut down (“Desmatamento da Mata”). In 2015, the destruction of the Atlantic forest in Brazil increased by 16% compared to the previous year, and the government is struggling to enforce the law and stop illegal logging. “According to the government’s data more than 5,831 square km of forest were destroyed during the twelve-month period” (“Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon Region”).
Deforestation of the Atlantic forest makes a significant contribution to the climate processes, as during the process of reduction of the forests a significant amount of greenhouse gases is released, which are one of the causes of climate change. The part of deforestation in the total volume of carbon dioxide emissions is estimated up to 20%, though, as the emission assessment is difficult, the data vary widely. Nevertheless, emissions from deforestation comprise an impressive part of the total amount and are a serious factor in climate change. Besides logging, forest fires cause extensive damage. In many cases, people use fire to clear plots of land for planting. Secondly, deforestation also affects the water cycle. Trees are powered by groundwater through their roots and the water rises to their leaves and evaporates. At deforestation, this process of transpiration ceases, leading to the result that climate becomes drier. Cutting of forests in one part of the world can have a negative impact both on the local weather and the weather on the opposite side of the continent. At the local level, in addition to the obvious damage to the ecosystem, the soil becomes dry and less fertile. During rain, the water is much worse absorbed into the ground on felled forest areas, which leads to blurring and leaching of soil. Because of this, the deforested part is more vulnerable both to droughts, and floods, because of which the area of distribution of plants and animals changes, and eventually the local population suffers (Johnson).
In addition, deforestation negatively affect the groundwater, reducing the ability of the area to detain rainfall. Forests, precisely, provide the stable transfer of moisture from the oceans to the continents’ centers, helping filling rivers, groundwater, and wetlands. Without forests, water penetration deep into the continent is weakened and unstable.
Destruction of forests reduces soil adhesion, which can lead to flooding and landslides. The Atlantic forest is the richest ecosystem on the planet, because it is there up to 80% of the known species of plants and animals live; thus, the main negative effect of deforestation is the reduction of biological diversity. After reviewing the data on the state of fauna of the Atlantic forest, the researchers compared it with information on human activity in the vicinity of woodlands. It turned out that hunting and other forms of human activity have led to disastrous consequences – on average, only 4 of 18 species of large and medium-sized mammals survived in forests, dwelt there until cutting. According to scientists, the white-lipped peccaries have completely disappeared from the Brazilian forests, and the population of jaguars, tapirs, spider monkeys, and giant anteaters dropped to critical dimensions. On the other hand, forest areas, protected from the encroachments of hunters and other forms of human activity, in general retained their biodiversity (Canale et al).
Also, among the most catastrophic forecasts, experts consider a huge decrease in air quality and as a result – an increase of oncologic diseases, the melting of the polar ice caps and flooding in many localities.
Today, it is necessary to stop the process of destruction of the Atlantic Forest and the clogging of all life around by rethinking and formation of a new moral and sustainable environmental consciousness. The common man is not concerned about deforestation so far. However, many of the problems are associated precisely with this process. When people understand that the forests precisely provide them with a normal life, maybe they will be more careful with the trees. Every human being can contribute to the revival of the world's forests by planting at least one tree. At the same time, the effects of deforestation are detrimental to the ecosystem of the Earth, and in a certain sense, for human existence ultimately.
Works Cited
Canale, Gustavo R., Carlos A. Peres, Carlos E. Guidorizzi, Cassiano A. Ferreira Gatto, Maria
Cecília M. Kierulff. “Pervasive Defaunation of Forest Remnants in a Tropical Biodiversity Hotspot”. PLOS One. Published: August 14, 2012. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041671. Web. Accessed 26 Mar 2016 at <http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0041671>
“Desmatamento da Mata Atlântica aumenta 9%”. Editora Abril S.A. 2014. Web. Accessed
26 Mar 2016 at <http://veja.abril.com.br/noticia/ciencia/desmatamento-da-mata-atlantica-aumenta-9>
(Translated from Portuguese by Google translator)
Johnson, Toni. “Deforestation and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions”. Council on Foreign
Relations. 2009. Web. Accessed 26 Mar 2016 at <http://www.cfr.org/forests-and-land-management/deforestation-greenhouse-gas-emissions/p14919>
Lyu, Wenwen. “Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon Region Increases 16 Percent”. Center for
BRICS Studies & BRICS Business Council. 2015. Web. Accessed 26 Mar 2016 at <http://www.brics-info.org/deforestation-in-brazils-amazon-region-increases-16-percent/>
