Deforestation and saving our planet

Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanisation, or mining activities. The term is used today to refer to the destruction of forests by human beings and their replacement by agriculture. Deforestation can erode soils, contribute to desertification and the pollution of waterways, and decrease biodiversity through the destruction of habitat. 

The act of cutting down trees is as old as the quest for human shelter, warmth and food. The world can only have a glimpse of what has been lost as the history of deforestation is long and veiled in mystery. Nevertheless today we are continuously feeling the effects of change in our ecosystem and planet, reads a press release.

The causes of deforestation are many. According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, the main cause of deforestation is agriculture. Subsistence farming is responsible for 48% of deforestation commercial agriculture is responsible for 32% and logging is responsible for 14%, and fuel wood removals make up 5%

The construction of human infrastructures has also been driving deforestation More specifically 10% of deforestation can be the new infrastructures that serve the current human lifestyle. Besides these, overpopulation also gives rise to deforestation. The populational shift is leading people to move from rural areas to urban areas and is also contributing to deforestation (5% according to FAO). As cities become larger so do the natural boundaries surrounding them, often leading to deforestation. Climate change can also be the reason for deforestation. 23% of tree cover losses resulting from wildfires and climate change increase their frequency and power. Hence there are many reasons behind deforestation.

Deforestation has many consequences for natural ecosystems and it poses serious problems to the resilience of the planet. The most known consequence of deforestation is its threat to biodiversity. Over seventy percent of the world's animals and plants live in a forest and are losing their habitat. The growing human population of Bangladesh is forcing rapid urbanisation and habitat loss for wildlife and also forcing wild animals to live close to humans. Many wildlife species of Bangladesh such as the Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, fishing cat, golden cat, jungle cat, civets, etc. are facing various threats of extinction due to human-wildlife conflict. Deforestation makes pandemics more likely. Many viral diseases (like COVID-19 and Ebola) come from animals living in tropical forests. As forests are destroyed, the animals carrying these diseases come into closer and closer contact with humans, giving the pathogens prime opportunities to evolve and make the jump to other species. Experts have been warning about the health consequences of deforestation for decades. In an article from nature, epidemiologist Ibrahima Socé Fall is quoted, "If we continue to have this level of deforestation, disorganised mining, and unplanned development, we are going to have more outbreaks." Deforestation leads to soil erosion, water pollution and air pollution. It also threatens the creation of medicine, harms forest watersheds and so on. Thus we can say that deforestation has a huge impact on the global world.

We need to stop deforestation in contemplation to save our world. As consumers, we can choose to buy less industrial and transformed products such as cookies, crips, noodles or cosmetics that use plenty of palm oil. Instead, we can go for a homemade approach with fewer chemicals and food preservatives which is better for both the planet and our health. When it comes to food, buying directly from small farmers using agroforestry practices is the best choice for the planet. Besides this diesel and petrol are mixed with biofuels, choosing other transportation methods such as walking, cycling or car-sharing can be good ways of reducing palm oil importations (and production) and help stop deforestation. Also, we need to lessen the use of laptops, phones, cars etc because all of these are made from aluminium, plastic and rare Earth minerals, among other materials. if the demand doesn't grow, production won't grow either and it is not necessary to clear more space to extract natural resources and build human infrastructures. If we start adopting these actions we will be able to stop deforestation.

Although there are lots of limitations, Bangladesh has several laws and policies that still safeguard the existing forest and wildlife species, and we hope that proper implementation of these laws would help to thrive the unique biodiversity and diverse wildlife of the country. Some of the important laws and policies for the conservation of forests and wildlife in Bangladesh are Forest Act, 1927; Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, 2012; Environment Conservation Act, 1995; Environment Protection Act, 2000; Climate Change Trust Act, 2010; Biological Diversity Act, 2012; Forest Policy, 1994; Environment Policy, 1992; Wetland Policy, 1998; and Coastal Zone Policy, 2005. The country needs to work hard to implement these laws and eliminate corruption from the government system. The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) is the primary government agency that deals with forests and forest management and monitoring of biodiversity. The BFD manages two large safari parks: Bangabandhu Safari Park, Gazipur, and Dulahazra Safari Park, Cox's Bazar. These facilities maintain animals in near natural conditions and also serve as a repository for animals that have been confiscated through the illegal wildlife trade. The BFD also manages a few botanical gardens around the country, and the National Botanical Garden in Dhaka displays many native and exotic species and sells roses and fruit trees to the public.

Deforestation is very harmful to our community and to other communities around the world. We shall reject and avoid causing deforestation by recycling our paper and not throwing it away because then in the future more trees would need to be cut down. So if we just keep reusing paper it would be more sustainable for our environment. If major steps towards afforestation are not taken, then even the great adaptability of human beings may not be enough to cope with the harsh climate of the future. Deforestation does have solutions. It's just that the people must step forward.

Zahin Tasnia Rahman: Class Ten, Holy Cross Girls High School, Dhaka