Deforestation
Farming also means exploitation of forests. There are many reasons for deforestation: timber trade, exploitation of ore deposits, urbanisation and use of land as farmland or pasture. Unfortunately, for many poor countries, high-quality wood from the forests is one of the few assets available to develop their economy. And often we see indiscriminate deforestation being carried out, which causes huge damages to the environment and to mankind. For a sustainable use of the forestry resources, all the advantages and drawbacks should at least be assessed before pulling down a forest. Then, if one decides to pull it down, one should consider replanting either the same area or other areas, so that the total amount of forests on Earth does not change with time.
The effects of the loss of whole forests are particularly harmful and involve, among other things:
- loss of biodiversity. For instance, the Tropical forest (one of the most at risk), that contains over two thirds of the animal and vegetal species of our planet, is a huge reservoir of genetic diversity, which can be used to obtain new, more productive or better-quality crops and active agents for new drugs.
- negative effects on the soil. Once the vegetal coating has been removed, the soil becomes less fertile and more vulnerable to the eroding action of winds and water.
- increased concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Through the photosynthesis, the forest is a natural reservoir for the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide (see the Greenhouse Effect under Atmosphere);
- repercussions on the water cycle and risk of desertification in some areas;
- negative and often irreversible social effects for the indigenous communities that live on the products of forest ecosystems.
The destruction of forests, especially Tropical forests, has been attached “global” importance over the last few decades because of its indirect effects on the Earth’s climate. Burning or cutting down trees, leaving them to rotten on the place, has a double effect: on one side, the combustion or decomposition processes release carbon dioxide, while, on the other side, the trees are prevented from taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releasing oxygen through the photosynthesis. In addition, the soil, deprived of its vegetal coating, reflects the sunrays better, thus further increasing the greenhouse effect. At present, the emissions of carbon dioxide caused by deforestation and changes in the use of the soil have been estimated, even if very approximately, to amount to about 1.6 billion tons of carbon a year, while those caused by combustion are approximately 6 billion.
Special reports
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
-
27 February 2022
In search of the riders of icebergs
International Polar Bear Day, set up by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation, was held on 27 February. The aim…
12 February 2022
A naturalist’s voyage around the world
Charles Darwin was just 22 years old when he set sail on board HMS Beagle...
18 December 2021
The Christmas Star Tradition
Let's discover together stories and legends about the Christmas Star...
-
15 September 2021
Can you be intelligent without a brain?
Can you be intelligent without a brain? The answer is "in a certain sense, yes" and this is demonstrated by…
26 July 2021
Japanese beetles and other alien species
There is a beetle that has been invading the Italian countryside and cities for some time now, a small insect…
16 June 2021
A turtle’s life
World Sea Turtle Day is held on 16 June. First established in 2008, the day is now supported by Sea…
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
27 February 2022
In search of the riders of icebergs
International Polar Bear Day, set up by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation, was held on 27 February. The aim…
-
12 February 2022
A naturalist’s voyage around the world
Charles Darwin was just 22 years old when he set sail on board HMS Beagle...
18 December 2021
The Christmas Star Tradition
Let's discover together stories and legends about the Christmas Star...
-
2 July 2014
A hoax? No thank you, I prefer to find out myself!
In Italian, bufala: a hoax, also means a female buffalo...
-
30 July 2020
Holidays, yes! but they must be sustainable!
We have been speaking of sustainable behaviours to apply to our daily life, but what happens when we unplug and…
-
8 March 2022
8 March. We remember Rosalind Franklin, the great female DNA scientist.
DNA was first isolated by Friedrich Miescher, a Swiss biochemist in 1869. It was a brilliant, but not complicated operation:…
From the Multimedia section
Facts
-
The Christmas tree tradition
People tell that in Germany, at Christmas Eve, Saint Boniface cut an oak and in that place...
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
Energy from palm trees
Oils that are obtained from palm trees can be used as alternatives to fossil fuels and their use is about…
-
The tree and the truffle
Truffles are hypogean (underground) fungi which grow in the presence of particular trees such as oaks, holm oaks and willows,…
-
13 May 2011
The Christmas tree tradition
People tell that in Germany, at Christmas Eve, Saint Boniface cut an oak and in that place...
23 February 2012
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
-
16 May 2011
Energy from palm trees
Oils that are obtained from palm trees can be used as alternatives to fossil fuels and their use is about…
-
16 May 2011
The myth of olive trees
The ancients used to say: the Mediterranean begins and ends with...
-
13 May 2011
The Christmas tree tradition
People tell that in Germany, at Christmas Eve, Saint Boniface cut an oak and in that place...
-
23 February 2012
CO2 “eating” trees
If a tree “eats” CO2 and produces oxygen it is easy to understand the importance it has in reducing the…
-
16 May 2011
Energy from palm trees
Oils that are obtained from palm trees can be used as alternatives to fossil fuels and their use is about…