Ms. Maimoona Ilyas, Green Blogger, Dept. of Environmental sciences, GCWUS
According to FAO, deforestation(denuding) is the conversion of forest to another land use or the long term reduction of tree canopy cover below the 10% threshold. Today denuding is a major environmental issue that leads to climate change, soil erosion and many other seasonal changes that affects the crop yield and quality of fruits and vegetables. Denuding also include degradation that reduces forest quality, the density and structure of the trees and ecological services supplied. Forest is a house to many living organisms and it is a precious gift provided by nature. We depend it for our survival. It also mitigate the climate changesthat worldwide is a major issue, to combat climate change, we must stop denuding.
The benefits provided by forest are goods, ecological functions the social and cultural benefits .Forest provides 297,000 jobs in Canada and increase economy. As Pakistan is a developing country so, reforestation boost up the economy of Pakistan.
Major causations of deforestation are classified as Agents ,Direct causes and Underlying causes(hidden). The "Agents" are those individuals, corporations, government agencies, or development projects that clear the forests as opposed to the forces that prompt them. Major agents are loggers, land settlement planners, infrastructure developers, mining and petroleum industrialist.
The direct causes of denuding include logging, the conversion of forested lands for agriculture and cattle raising, urbanization. In most places of the world it was observed that the logging operations destroy 45-74% of the residual trees. some underlying causes such as market failures , government investment , illegal activities, population growth and density. Today we face greater than 50 degree Celsius temperature due to denuding.
Reforestation is the reestablishment of forest after a temporary condition with less than 10% canopy cover due to anthropocentric or natural perturbations. Being environmentalist i suggest some strategies to government that used to reduce deforestation like:
· Increase the forest area.
· Promote sustainable and standard management for forest.
· Strengthen government and non-government institutions and policies
Our role is a priority or at a top of the hierarchy and Government steps at bottom of us to stop denuding. Forest act 1927 is established by Indian government. The best solution to stop denuding is to Curb the felling of trees by employing a series of rules and laws .clear cutting of forest must be banned and cutting must be replaced by planting young trees to replace the older ones where the trees are cut.
If denuding is not controlled than not any environmental issues are controlled. It is a route of all environmental issues .
Maimoona Ilyas
Dept. of Environmental sciences, GCWUS
The Earth Needs Love