Rainforests are a very beautiful and important part of the world but they are being destroyed. If we continue to destroy them they will become extinct and all of the important functions that it performs will be lost forever. Tropical rainforests are particularly threatened as they have been halved over the years. Fifty two thousand square kilometres of rainforest are destroyed each year, at the rate of a football field per second and about two thousand trees per minute. Some scientists believe that at the rate humans are destroying rainforests all of them will be wiped out by the year 2050.
Logging
Logging companies cut down trees before they mature for timber. Large areas of rainforest are cut down to obtain only a small amount of timber. The machinery used to cut down the trees requires roads so more rainforest is destroyed to get to the selected trees. When the trees are cut down the soil is compacted by the machines and decreases the chance of regrowth, the chopping down of a tree also tears down all of the flora that live on it such as climbers, epiphytes and vines. When the machines take the tree from the forest it also runs over and damages other trees. Logging also triggers other causes of deforestation as the logging roads are used by farmers to gain access to the rainforest. Farmers then slash and burn it to make money keep their families alive.
Agriculture (Shifted Cultivators)
People who are very poor with no land (shifted cultivators) move into rainforest areas and make small farms. They followed the roads made by loggers into damaged rainforest areas. They create a lot of damage from the operations they perform. They move into the rainforest areas because they have had to sell their land to buy food or were forced from their own land. Many businesses such as agriculture, logging, dams, mining and industrial all are taking land from poor farmers. After a few years the soil becomes bad and they have to move on, destroying more and more of the rainforests. Logging roads lead to about 90% of the destruction caused by shifted cultivator’s.
(Cash Crops and Cattle Ranching)
Rainforest areas that have been logged and others that have been left alone are being cleared for cash crops, trees and cattle ranches. Most of the produce is for first world countries and export while the local peasants go hungry. When the soil doesn’t have enough nutrients the people leave and the ground that is left is barren has no nutrients and cannot sustain anyone or anything.
Mining
Mining has also lead to rainforest destruction due to clearing land to mine. Rainforest people are disregarded and roads are made through previously undisturbed rainforest. Huge pollution occurs from mining as they mine the materials from the rainforest.
Tourism
National Parks have helped to protect rainforests. However when they are opened paths, tracks and facilities have to be constructed to encourage tourists. Some tourists do not care about protecting the area, they may litter and may add to the destruction of the rainforests. Governments see tourism in rainforests as an easy way to get money. Ecotourism would be one way of teaching the tourists to care for the rainforest. Many companies who advertise themselves as ecotourism friendly places are often only saying that so they attract more tourists and then more money.
As rainforest destruction continues we should do as much as we can to save the rainforests.
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