“Look closely at nature. Every species is a masterpiece, exquisitely adapted to the particular environment in which it has survived. Who are we to destroy or even diminish biodiversity?” These wise words from Biologist Edward Wilson refer to the effects of human activities such as deforestation on nature, and the problem this poses to biodiversity in the world today. With more than 80% of the world’s animal and plant species living in forests, deforestation can lead to a loss in biodiversity by causing the extinction of specialized species from habitat loss. This can affect us and the world in significant ways. In this blog post, I will talk about the problem of deforestation and solutions for it.
The Problem & Its Effects
In order to make sense of this issue, it is important to thoroughly understand the urgent problem of the loss of biodiversity due to deforestation. Deforestation refers to the purposeful cleaning or thinning of forests by humans, resulting in an overall decrease in the forest area. Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost 1.33 million square kilometres (an area larger than South Africa). 46% of trees have been felled since the start of deforestation of forests. And, at this rate, we are losing an alarming 27 football fields per MINUTE due to deforestation. As a result of these causes, the entire population of the earth is directly affected. Since biodiversity is the basis of ecosystems, it provides clean air, fresh water, medicines, food, and a stable climate, making it very important for humans. With these important aspects for life provided by biodiversity, individuals, and especially indigenous peoples suffer disproportionately from loss of biological diversity due to their lives, survival, development, knowledge, and health conditions being dependent on the forest ecosystems which are threatened because of the biodiversity loss happening close to their homes. Research establishes a proven connection between the interdependent weave of biodiversity and the ecosystem, and its crucial role in sustaining human life on the earth today. In addition, many scientists and doctors have warned about this crucial issue, “I can’t imagine anything more important than air, water, soil, energy, and biodiversity. These are the things that keep us alive” (Dr.David Suzuki). In the end, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity can directly have a serious impact on humans as biodiversity is the basis of whole ecosystems, but unfortunately, these problems also are created as a result of human activities.
The Solution
To tackle the problem of deforestation and biodiversity loss, there can be many things that can be done by both governments and individuals. But, arguably, the most effective step YOU can take is to raise awareness of the problem. As you raise awareness of the huge problem of the loss of biodiversity across the society, more people become acquainted with this problem, and the entire population can work as a community to make a difference to fight, voice their concerns about, and exert pressure against the practices of deforestation. Even though this may sound cliche, this will undoubtedly make a big difference.
Conclusion (And Too Long Didn’t Read Version)
On the whole, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity remains a significant problem in the world, today. The impactful steps of raising awareness about the importance of biodiversity may be a step to help stop this problem. Even though I focused on the loss of biodiversity as a result of deforestation in this article, deforestation can also affect many things such as climate change, which makes it of uttermost importance that we take action collectively to make a change. So that the world’s precious forests and global biodiversity can be preserved for humanity and future generations.
