16 Facts About Deforestation

Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use.

Deforestation reduces biosequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, increasing negative feedback cycles contributing to global warming.

Deforestation in many countries—both naturally occurring and human-induced—is an ongoing issue.

Deforestation is more extreme in tropical and subtropical forests in emerging economies.

Deforestation is a contributor to global warming, and is often cited as one of the major causes of the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Deforestation affects wind flows, water vapour flows and absorption of solar energy thus clearly influencing local and global climate.

Deforestation reduces the content of water in the soil and groundwater as well as atmospheric moisture.

Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that erosion, flooding and landslides ensue.

Deforestation contributes to decreased evapotranspiration, which lessens atmospheric moisture which in some cases affects precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area, as water is not recycled to downwind forests, but is lost in runoff and returns directly to the oceans.

Deforestation can create a path for non-native species to flourish such as certain types of snails, which have been correlated with an increase in schistosomiasis cases.

Deforestation is occurring all over the world and has been coupled with an increase in the occurrence of disease outbreaks.

Deforestation reduced the available fruiting trees in the bats' habitat, and they encroached on surrounding orchards which happened to be the location of a large number of pigsties.

Deforestation reduces safe working hours for millions of people in the tropics, especially for those performing heavy labour outdoors.

Deforestation attributed the collapse to deforestation and over-exploitation of all resources.

The environmental organization Avoided Deforestation Partners leads the campaign for development of REDD through funding from the U S government.

Deforestation is typically assessed by quantifying the amount of area deforested, measured at the present time.