Forests are the lungs of the earth. The air we breathe, the stability of our climate and the rich variety of life depends on forests. Forests are home to around two-thirds of all plant and animal species found on land and millions of people depend on them for survival. Without healthy, thriving forests, the Earth cannot sustain life. Even though forests bring about variety of benefits to us, forests are still being destroyed at an alarming rate by the irresponsible people out there. Therefore, I do agree with the statement which says that the destruction of the world’s forests is inevitable.
Basically, forests are cut down to make space for housing such as apartment, building, condos and factory areas. For these purpose, the chopping down of trees in the selected forest will need the permission from specific authority to make it a legal activity. Instead of development, the land has also been exploited for the agricultural sectors.
Everyday, forests are cut down to make space for condos or maybe just for wood. In just a few months, 747,000 forests have been cut down. At this rate, the destruction of the world’s forests is seems to be inevitable. The arising numbers of forest being cut down shows that our need for land and food is growing along with our population
Trees are cut down for many reasons but the main reasons are to make space to build new houses and to clear land to grow grass for cows and sheep to eat, to produce dairy foods. The trees which are cut down are sold and they are made into paper and furniture.
Cutting down trees is called deforestation and it can have serious effects. If animals’ homes, which are built in and around the trees, are destroyed, many species will become extinct. For example, many different types of animals in South America were lost before scientists could learn about them.
There are ways that we can slow the destruction such as reusing old abandoned buildings or destroying them to make new buildings but these alternatives are both costly and hard which means no one is willing to do them.
Education and research play a big role in halting the destruction of our forests. There is a need for more research into identifying species (before they become extinct) and other services forests provide, apart from timber. These include medicinal drugs, biological control of pests and diseases, dust removal from air, soil generation and climate stabilisation. These services need to be recognised. Education regarding social values is also needed. An improved education system where people learn to think for themselves as part of nature is important. Values of conformity, greed and dominion have contributed to our current predicament.
The Programmed sees the setting aside of reserves as the solution. Reserves are a useful tool under some circumstances but as the sole means of conserving biodiversity, they are hopelessly inadequate. It is not known how large reserves need to be in order to ensure their long-term survival. Also, the creation of reserves can be used as an excuse for exploiting unprotected areas.