Deforestation coursework

p. From the two definitions, it is clear that deforestation entails the permanent or long-term loss of forest cover mainly as a result of continued human activity. Most of the areas of forest are often converted for agriculture, water reservoirs, pasture, and urban development. According to FAO, about 18 million acres of forest cover which equivalent is to approximately the size of Panama (Bruinsma 5). While deforestation generally occurs in most parts of the world, tropical rainforests are especially targeted, and if no measures are taken to control deforestation, it is projected that in as little time as a century, the rainforests could vanish completely (Klasen et al. Agricultural expansion is by itself a complex issue with many drivers. Population increase is one of these drivers.

As a result of the increase in population over the years, the need for more food has risen, and this has prompted the clearing of more forest land for agriculture in order to meet the growing need (Rosengren & Seeberg-Elverfeldt 1). Another of these drivers is low productivity of the land already in cultivation thereby resulting in food insecurities. Farmers consequently have to expand their agricultural land by clearing forests in order to find more productive land for agriculture (Rosengren & Seeberg-Elverfeldt 1). Trees aid in the control of greenhouse gases by capturing such greenhouse gases as carbon dioxide thereby preventing their accumulation in the atmosphere (Gibbs & Herold 045021). Deforestation results in the loss of forest cover and as such, the greenhouse gases resulting from different human activities such as combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural practices, have no way of being captured and so they are released directly into the atmosphere.