Effects of Deforestation

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Effects of Deforestation Can you picture our earth without forests? Many of us can't. Forests cover approximately one fifth of the worlds land surface and play an important role in our everyday lives. Forests provide us with many products and services from helping maintain erosion to providing jobs for our citizens. Humanity depends on the survival of a healthy ecosystem and deforestation is causing many economic, social and ecological problems. Humans depend tremendously on the world's forests, but yet we're the ones destroying them. For humans, the forests have many recreational, economic, and cultural values. Timber and other products of the forests are important economically; both locally and as exports. They provide employment for those who harvest the wood or for those who make products from the living forest. Forests also provide us with medical drugs, fabric and dyes. One third of the world's people depend on wood for fuel as a significant energy source. The loss of forestlands is connected to desertification, which translates into there being fewer trees, thus decreasing the future forest workers employment. Heavy rainfall and high sunlight quickly damage the topsoil in tropical rainforest, causing them to regenerate slower and also providing insufficient farming grounds. When forests are replanted there will also be a loss in quality. Also the medical treatments, cures and vaccines will never be discovered if there are no forests to discover them in. Not only do the forests provide some people with homes, but also provides a popular setting for ecotourism, which includes hiking, camping, bird watching and other outdoor adventure or nature study activities. All these activities and products the forests provide us are at great risk from deforestation. Not only do forests provide us with so many activities, but also protect soil from erosion and

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