Deforestation

Source: Blogspot.com

DEFORESTATION

"clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use"





Imagine a world where every single tree and plant life has disappeared. We as humans would face harsh consequences, such as loss of oxygen. Breathing is something we do without thought, yet we never stop to think about the impact plant life has on this cycle. 

The Backdrop:

 The naturalness of earths' resources are quickly vanishing due to the process of deforestation. This process includes the vast removal and destruction of natural plant life. This issue has come to my awareness by witnessing the process of wetlands becoming a new booming city called Playa Vista. Born in Santa Monica, California, home was just 3 miles from Santa Monica. We lived between boarders of Venice, Marina Del Rey and Culver City. The beach was very close and became my second home. As I spent my free time riding my bike down to the beach, the Ballona Creek bike path soon became my go to spot. This became a big part of my life in later years. While riding my bike down the creek, I would think about the time before Playa Vista.

The wetlands took up most of the space from what is now known as Playa Vista and Playa Del Rey. In order to build a community, the city took away from wetlands. A couple of years ago as I was riding my bike,and  people were protesting against the removal of more wetlands. This is the moment I began to feel that they were taking away something that is a part of me. Development is key to humankind, but it is time to realize the importance of mother earth. This earth is our resource for life. We must learn how to maintain a symbiotic relationship, in order words we must stop the process of Deforestation.

Research:

According to the National Geographic, deforestation has major affects on the land. It is taking away the forests on Earth's surface in an enormous extent. The NG states that deforestation is the "modern day plague," resulting in damaging changes. These changes that occur damage natural habitats. The consequences caused by deforestation occurs worldwide. This can be demonstrated in the process of the water cycle. Deforestation is causing less vapor to rise, thus effecting the cycle and there is also the increase of CO2, which connects to climate changes in the atmosphere (Longobardi, Montenegro Beltami and Eby, 2016). This attributes to the heat and moisture in the air, thus creating a warm effect on the globe. In the section on Deforestation, it lays out the ruling factor: agriculture.The process known as "slash and burn" clears large amounts of forests to provide space for crops and live stock. The next factor includes "Logging Operations," which offer all types of wood and paper goods for the world. Companies like this supply the world with every day necessities. Factors like these contribute to society and our way of life. Almost everything we use comes from this type of system, Think about the pencil you use. Or that straw only needed once. Magazines, Newspapers, toilet paper..etc.

During the process of Deforestation, the removal of trees is taking place.

"Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the green house gases that fuel global warming. Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming."

(-The National Geographic)

In other words, to prevent the increase of global warming, Deforestation needs to be slowed down and eventually must come to an end. Even though there can be natural causes, such as wildfires that can cause prevention of tree growth, the demanding process of deforestation needs to be recognized. 

Trees:

• Protect the forest from sun exposure
• Help maintain the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere
• Help control extreme temperatures to rise
• Homes to many animals
• Help maintain clean air

Here are some more facts on Tree From: Arbor Day Foundation

• "In Los Angeles, trees remove nearly 2,000 tons of air pollution each year" 
• "Roadside trees reduce nearby indoor air pollution by more than 50%"
• "Office workers with a view of trees report significantly less stress and more satisfaction"
• "One large tree can provide a day’s supply of oxygen for up to four people"
• "More than 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest"
• "Evaporation of water from trees has a cooling influence"
• "Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO²), removing and storing the carbon while releasing the oxygen back into the air"
• "Trees provide vital wildlife habitat"

The World Counts

According to TheWorldCounts.com Some Facts on Deforestation are listed:

• "Around 50 percent of the planet's wild forests are gone. If the trend continues, we will only have 10 percent left by 2030"
• "Entire forest system have disappeared in at least 25 countries and have declined by 90 percent in another 29 countries. This destruction continues at staggering rates"
• "Rich nations may need to cut the use of natural resources by as much as 90 percent to ensure environmental and social sustainability. At the moment, the world is moving in the opposite direction"
• "Up to 28,000 species can go extinct in the next quarter century due to deforestation"
• "Cures for diseases have been found in plants and the raw materials come from our tropical rain-forests"
• "The main reasons for the loss of forests is production of timber, and making room for growing cattle, soy, and palm oil. Clearing forests for palm oil plantations is a growing problem. Palm oil is used to produce bio-fuels and cosmetics"
• "Countries are increasing their efforts in conserving forests, increasing the area by 32 percent from 1990 to 2005 - nearly twice the area of Spain. More than 100 countries have established national forest programs to manage forests more holistically"

Source: Mongabay.com

Source: Google Images

Engagement:
As part of the project is to bring awareness and engage my fellow community members, I reached out to people who are in my everyday environments. I spoke to people at my school (CSULA), which I am there 4 days a week. I have spent my last two years as a full time student at CSULA and decided that reaching out to my classmates would be a great idea. I also spoke to people at a near by park which I like to hike too and also engaged with someone outside of my local Trader Joes. While informing those who participated in my blog, I shared my story. My community members felt the need to take action and allow me to share their photo in order to show that we want to bring change. As members of the Los Angeles County we stand together in hopes that others will join us in becoming more aware of the effects of Deforestation. With each of my community members we began to discuss of possible solutions. Anais Lopez states, "Now that I'm more aware of the effects of deforestation, I will do my best to be conscious of recycling and my in take of paper goods." It is an inspiration to know someone is willing to listen and bring change to this social issue.

More Resources/ Solutions:

Here is a video of Jane Goodall speaking on Deforestation and possible solutions (back in 2011)

If you are interested in planting a tree click here : http://www.cityplants.org/get-free-trees/our-free-trees-program

You can take action by joining Leonardo DiCaprio in his foundation at: http://leonardodicaprio.org/

Works Cited:

Deforestation Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/deforestation-facts-and-statistics

 Longobardi P, Montenegro A, Beltrami H, Eby M (2016) Deforestation Induced Climate Change: Effects of Spatial Scale. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0153357. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153357

Munita, P.B. (2017, April 23). Deforestation and Its Effect on the Planet. Retrieved April 25. 2017. From http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation

Tree Facts. (n.d.). Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://www.arborday.org/trees/treefacts/