The Truffula Trees!

"I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees 

which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please. 

But I'm also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots 

who played in the shade in their Bar-ba-loot suits 

and happily lived, eating Truffula Fruits. 

NOW... thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground 

there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go 'round. 

And my poor Bar-ba-loots are all getting the crummies 

because they have gas, and no food, in their tummies! 

They loved living here. But I can't let them stay. 

They'll have to find food. And I hope that they may. 

Good luck, boys," he cried. And he sent them away.

                     

                                            This images is compliments of Xaeon.

The above passage from the Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax" is quite relevant today. The clearing of the world's forests is a serious issue that must be addressed from all angles. While there are many clear benefits for the practice, the downsides must be fully considered in order to find the best solution to the problem. While a previous post focused specifically on the adverse effects of deforestation on climate change, this post will examine some other crucial negative impacts this process has.

Outside of climate change, a reduction in biodiversity is perhaps the most detrimental effect of deforestation. Biodiversity is simply defined as the variety of life on the earth, but its importance cannot be overstated. Biodiversity plays an enormous role in the sustainability of life on our planet, as it promotes ecosystem balance, provides a variety of biological resources, and yields various social benefits. Humans rely on biodiversity for the discovery of new medicines, the manufacturing of goods, and the production of food. Indeed, this biological component is absolutely pertinent to all life.

However, deforestation is posing a severe threat to the earth's biodiversity, and the impacts are quite alarming. A large portion of the world's biodiversity is held within tropical rainforests, which are home to roughly 80% of the earth's documented species (not to mention all the undiscovered species sure to be living in these regions). If we continue to chop down our trees at the current rate, there won't be any more rainforests left to clear within one hundred years! Imagine what we could lose! Tropical rainforests are the largest targets of deforestation, and they're the regions that hold the most diverse life forms.

             
                             This photograph is courtesy of Stian Bergeland.

Most animals simply aren't able to survive after the complete destruction of their home. After their habitat has been destroyed, they are forced to live off the fragments of whatever remains before they are able to find a new home, which may never come. This makes them far more vulnerable to hunting and poaching as well, as these animals are without shelter or protection. Furthermore, even localized deforestation has the potential to eradicate an entire unique species off the face of the earth, as some rare species are isolated strictly to remote corners of the world. Ultimately, deforestation directly affects the lives of millions of species, threatening extinction and the loss of biodiversity on our planet.

The global impact of clearing entire rainforests is obviously quite significant, but the effects are even more extreme for local environments! In many tropical locations, small populations of humans rely on the animals and plants of the rainforests to maintain life. Destroying these forests directly removes their primary resources of sustainability, making it dramatically more difficult to find a way to live. Exotic animals aren't the only ones suffering here; people are too. For example, social conflicts and mass migrations have been direct results of deforestation for villagers living in Brazil and Southeast Asia.

Besides the threat to biodiversity, deforestation also harms local environments by causing increased soil erosion. Trees play a critical role in anchoring soil in the ground, and a huge void is left when these trees are chopped down. This void becomes prime territory for erosion to occur, where the ground's topsoil is worn away and swept to new locations. Small plants that try to grow in these cleared lands are unable to effectively anchor the soil, and the result is a reduction of arable land.

             
                                   This picture is provided by Lynn Betts.

Not only does this result in the loss of fertile land, but it also contributes to pollution and flooding complications. Much of this displaced soil ends up in nearby lakes or streams, leading to sediment build-up and clogged waterways; this puts entire ecosystems in danger! Furthermore, grounds experiencing soil erosion do an inadequate job of holding water, so flooding also becomes a major problem in these regions.

It may sound like I'm just highlighting a chain reaction of events that result from chopping down a few trees, but this is no slippery slope fallacy; these problems are real, and they're happening in the world around us! We're not just addressing the lives of a few plants, a few animals, or a few groups of people. This is our planet, and everyone is must be aware of the complexity of this issue; the stakes are too high.