Deforestation is defined as the act of chopping down trees as well as clearing forests without planting others in their place (Debra 1). People cut down trees for different reasons. The increase in population worldwide has escalated cutting down of trees due to the increase in the demand for land for people to build houses to live in and also to obtain land for farming of both subsistence and cash crops, both by individuals and governments. People, particularly those living in rural areas where they cannot access electricity as well as gas, resort to cutting down trees for firewood, to use as a source of heat. Industrialization is important to the economy of every country, but industries need a lot of land resulting to cutting down of trees.
Deforestation can negatively affect the environment in numerous ways. Deforestation makes soil susceptible to erosion by agents such as water and wind. Soil particles are usually held together by the roots of trees together thus, stopping the fertile top soil from being blown away. Soil erosion results to loss of land productivity because the soil loses microorganisms and mineral nutrients. Flooding can also brought about by deforestation. The coastal vegetation reduces the impact of winds and waves connected to a storm surge. Hence, the absence of this vegetation makes coastal villages vulnerable to damaging floods. Trees discharge water vapor into the atmosphere; cutting down of trees mean fewer trees thus, less rain and this disrupts the water table (Debra 1). Deforestation leads to the loss of a home for indigenous species. The Earth’s forests provide a home to nearly seventy-five percent of the land animals of the world and the survival of many of these animals is totally reliant on a healthy forest. A healthy forest upholds steady temperatures, not too cool at night and not too hot during the day. It also creates a closed sunshade that supports animals for example apes and other tree residing creatures.
Ghost fishing is the consequence intentionally or accidentally abandoning in the sea, nets plus other fishing tools. These nets keeps on carelessly trapping fish and shellfish plus even large marine mammals, and in the end the fish die of suffocation or exhaustion after struggling so as to get to the water surface to breathe. Increased fishing activity as well as the introduction of fishing lines and nets prepared from synthetic material which are long-lasting has amplified the problem of lost or abandoned equipment in the seas. Bottom trawling is the most destructive techniques. It is an industrial method that uses huge nets thrown down together with hefty ballast which are hauled along the sea floor, crushing or racking up everything that comes in their path, from the ancient coral to fish. A lot of species, including those at threat of extinction, are unintentionally caught and then hurled back into the sea, at times already dead. This collateral loss, that is discards, can total up to eighty or even ninety percent of the total catch.
Quarrying is also another human activity that negatively affects the environment. It causes air pollution due to the dust emitted from quarry sites (Earthwatch Institute 3). It also causes noise Pollution. Quarrying unfortunately consists of several activities that produce substantial amounts of noise. It begins with the preparatory activities, for instance, establishing rail or road access, and also mineral processing facilities. Afterwards, it is the process of revealing the mineral to be mined and this is ordinarily done by taking out the top soil as well as other soft layers by hydraulic excavators or a scraper, and dump trucks. The exhuming of the mineral itself will encompass significant noise; for the most part blasting techniques are employed. Quarrying also involves the production of large volumes of waste, thus, there exists a potential for damage to the environment, mostly with water pollution. Quarrying causes destruction to the biodiversity. Biodiversity basically refers to the variety of living species, including reptiles, fish, insects, plants, invertebrates, birds, fungi, mammals as well as even microorganisms. Conservation of the Biodiversity is vital since all species are intertwined, although this is not directly visible or even known, and human beings’ continued existence relies on this fine balance that subsists within nature (Earthwatch Institute 3).
Human activity also have various positive effects on the environment for instance: the protection of endangered species, captive breeding, cleaning waterways, protecting native species, protection of the o-zone layer, Using technology to reduce pollution, the development of local food sources, reforestation efforts, controlling wildfires, replacing industrial food systems with permaculture.
Nowadays people have made an effort of ensuring that those animals that are nearly extinct are reared in protected vicinities. When the numbers of those animals become sufficient, the animals are again introduced in to the wild. An example of such animals is the Arabian Oryx. Arabian Oryx were captive bred in Los, the Phoenix and San Diego zoos and afterwards freed in the Middle East. Mauritius kestrels, California condors and black-footed ferrets are other examples of species that have been captive raised and released (Susan 4).
Native Species such as the Chinese giant pandas, the Indian tiger and the slow-moving manatees who dwell in shallow waters need protection. Illegal poaching has become a serious threat to lives of the Indian tiger. In the wild, Chinese giant pandas are well known for their poor breeding rate. All of these animals as well as others are provided protection through declaring particular areas of their native environment as protected reserves. By doing so, it possibly will assist increase their numbers.
Certain animals and plants when accidentally or deliberately introduced into new surroundings often grow well there. These animals and plants end up replacing the indigenous plants in addition to the ecosystems which for thousands of years have been supported by them. An example of such plants is the Australian gum trees. In California, these trees have turn out to be invasive. Efforts are being made to substitute them by planting indigenous trees such as the coast live oak.
Every year, all over the world, there have numerous cases of wildfires. Wildfires that start unexpectedly destroy huge areas of forest as well as the animals living in them. Efforts made by humans often assist in containing the damage to a certain degree (Susan 4).
According to the Permaculture Institute, Permaculture refers to an ecologically designed system for sustainability in all phases of human endeavor. It is mainly an agricultural system that focuses on the natural ways of practicing agriculture, conserving the ecological system and not strictly abiding by the systems that people follow in modern agriculture. Two Australians namely: Bill Mollison and David Holmgren designed and developed the Permaculture system.
Globally, technological advances are being employed to assist in controlling and remediating pollution. Examples of these technological advances include: oil-digesting bacterial cultures and absorbent materials to clean up oil spills, Nanotechnology filtration systems which decontaminate water, as well as effective carbon filters and low-sulfur fuels to lessen air pollution.
The huge accumulation of natural debris, excessive plant growth and also waste dumping has become a huge problem since they clog up Waterways. Periodical clearing inhibits the banks from flooding in addition to protecting many ecosystems (Susan 5).
Local food systems depend on a network of small farms, usually managed by the family. Supporting markets run by local farmers as well as community support agriculture programs (CSA) trims down individual carbon footprints and boosts the growth of a healthy local economy. Every day, more and more people are also cultivating their own food owing to the rising costs of food and a new interest in health and sustainability.
Each day, people all over the world are trying to find renewable sources of energy. Bio-fuels prepared from plant-derived oils and ethanol is used to lessen people’s dependence on oil reserves which are fast depleting. Use of solar energy generators and wind turbines might assist meet local electricity needs as well as take some of the burden off the power grid (Susan 5).
Works cited
Debra Ronca. How Deforestation Works. howstuffworks.com. Web 28 November 2013.
Earth Watch Institute .Mining and Quarrying.businessandbiodiversity.org. Web 28 November
2013.
Permaculture Institute. Sustainable Living, Practical Learning. Permaculture.org, 5 May 1996.
Web 28 November 2013.
Slow Food. DestructiveFishingPracticesandBycatch.slowfood.com. Web 28 November 2013.
Susan Patterson. How Do Humans Affect the Environment? Lovetoknow.com. Web 28
November 2013.
