Deforestation is the solution. Deforestation as an environmental problem. The consequences of deforestation and ways to solve it. Types of deforestation

In many regions of Russia, illegal and uncontrolled felling of trees is carried out systematically. Estimated World Fund wildlife (World Wildlife Fund, WWF) annually Russia loses about $1 billion due to illegal logging. Only in the Arkhangelsk region last year, inspectors recorded 359 cases illegal logging, losses from which amounted to 410,500,000 rubles ($ 12 million). You can find enough detailed information about the changes in forestry that have taken place in recent years.

Most high level illegal logging is observed in the north-west of Russia and Far East. Increasing timber harvesting restrictions in China have increased demand for Russian timber. So the forest from the Far East is sent to China, where sawmills and their Western clients are destroying valuable hardwoods, of which we have less and less. Agency environmental research(The Environmental Investigation Agency, EIA) states that "80% of valuable timber is cut down illegally in the Far East."

Half of all timber imported from Russia to the EU goes to Finland. Sweden, Germany, Great Britain and Italy are also major timber importers from Russia.

Systematic deforestation causes significant damage wild nature, destroys the ecosystem, displaces animals from their original habitats. Intensive logging, according to WWF, threatens the existence of such animals as capercaillie, white-backed woodpecker, Amur tiger And far eastern leopard. Ash, linden, oak and cedar are disappearing. Also, deforestation is one of the main reasons for the increase in the greenhouse effect.

Despite the scale of the problem, lack of human resources, low salaries of foresters, lack of control directly in the forests and gaps in legislation make it difficult to prevent such criminal acts. Companies under the guise of cutting diseased trees harvest healthy valuable wood. Some land tenants transfer the right to cut to other companies that harvest more than the allowed volumes, and the tenants then buy the wood from them along with the surplus. Poachers must be caught by the hand in order to law enforcement were able to hold them accountable. When the trees are taken away from the place where they were cut down, it is no longer possible to present something to the poachers. The sale of timber has become the main source of income for unscrupulous foresters and officials. In addition, many people go to deforestation due to poverty and unemployment in order to feed their families.

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IN modern world Increasingly, the question of ecological catastrophe arises, about problems that are associated with a violation of the natural functioning of the ecological system. One of them is the rapid deforestation and, as a result, the deforestation of our planet. Thousands of years ago, the Earth was densely covered woodlands. These are the territories of North and South America, Western Europe, Asia, Africa. But with the growth of the population on the green planet, the forest cover has decreased, under the influence of human activity. Today, forests cover about 30 percent of the land. the globe. Canada, Finland, Russia, USA, Brazil, Congo are countries rich in forest resources. More than half of all forest plantations are tropical forests. Another type of forest plantations, no less important in the ecosystem, is a coniferous forest.

Under the influence of man The earth has no more than 20 percent of untouched forests left. These are the so-called virgin forests, which have not been touched by the hand of man. The woodlands have retained their natural ecosystem and are the habitat of many animals and plants. Deforestation of these forests will lead to the extinction of many species, their displacement by other species.

It's time for mankind to think about the preservation of natural forest resources and ensure their expansion and reasonable use.

What is a forest for an ecosystem?

The main function of forest cover is to provide oxygen to the planet. Ever since school, everyone remembers about photosynthesis, which occurs in all plants. They absorb carbon dioxide, which is necessary for the oxygen production process. However, given the rapid pace scientific progress and active deforestation of the land, there are serious problems in the functioning of the ecosystem.

Also, the forest is a kind of drainage system of the planet. It protects the soil from leaching, erosion, waterlogging, the onset of sand, prevents floods and landslides. The forest also filters groundwater, provides hydrological regime, provides filling of reservoirs, prevents their drainage.

Wooded areas provide variety species, since they have special conditions for existence, without which many species of animals, birds, insects will not be able to survive in the conditions of the developed forest. This is approximately 80 percent of all terrestrial species.

Forest and humanity

For man, since the time of its origin, the forest has been the main source of its life support. Shelter over head, food, medicinal plants- all this man found in the forest.

In the modern world, the role of forest plantations in human life has become not only an extreme vital necessity, but also a means of earning and comfort. Humanity, as before, uses wood for construction and as fuel, the use of forest resources has been put on the level industrial scale. Wood is used as a raw material in the production of building materials, furniture, paper, as well as in the railway and chemical industries. Wood is used to make many things that people consume.
The needs of mankind are growing, but the resources of the planet are not unlimited, their unreasonable use will lead to a violation of the ecological balance in nature. Deforestation around the world is rapidly reducing their area, it also affects climate change, and on the abundance and diversity of biological species.

Causes of deforestation

The first reason was population growth. People cost cities for life, cutting down green spaces for them. As of January 1, 2016, the population was more than 7 billion people and every year this figure is growing.
For development Agriculture, pastures and land were needed for cultivation, which entailed the destruction of half of the forest that once existed. In our time, these needs are growing and the remaining plantations are under threat.
Today, wood remains a very valuable material in many industries. Deforestation has become profitable business. The problem is that often this happens illegally, uncontrollably, without taking into account damage forest plantations and the environment.
Another reason for the destruction of forest plantations was the increase in forest fires. This leads to a decrease in the forest area, and as a result - carbon dioxide emissions into the Earth's atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect.

Ways to combat deforestation
The solution to the problem of destruction of forest cover should be carried out at the international, state and regional levels. Also, every person should take care of the environment.

Key measures to combat deforestation:

• improvement legislative framework in the field of forest management at the state level. Development international conventions on the protection and protection of forest cover.
• Implementation of accounting and control systems for deforestation, tougher penalties for illegal destruction of forest areas.
• Holding social programs among the population about the careful attitude to forest resources, their protection and elimination of the damage caused to mankind.
• To increase the area of ​​new forest plantations, to expand existing ones, to create forest reserves, to protect undeveloped forests.
• Use effective preventive measures forest fires.
• Development of measures to reduce the use of wood in industrial areas, the introduction of secondary wood processing.

Humanity already needs to think about the safety of the world around us, about the health of the ecosystem in which it lives. Each person is able to take care of nature, plant a tree and use earth's resources economically.

Forest filters water and regulates the water cycle in nature. It retains moisture in the soil longer than an unforested area, since evaporation from wooded soil and release of moisture from tree leaves is much slower. Thereby forest makes it possible to more evenly fill streams and rivers with water, especially during the snowmelt period. The risk of flooding in wooded areas is much lower than in areas with few trees. Forest reduces demolition and leaching of soil by wind, water, scree and snow avalanches and thus prevents landscape karstization. In addition, the groundwater level is protected from lowering due to the root system of trees. Forest is a carbon store, since it constantly binds carbon from carbon dioxide adsorbed in leaves and needles. One kilogram of dry wood contains about 500 grams of carbon. Through the absorption of carbon dioxide from the air and the sequestration of carbon in wood, the share of CO2, which is the cause of the greenhouse effect, is reduced in the atmosphere.

The process of deforestation is topical issue in many parts of the world, as it affects their ecological, climatic and socio-economic characteristics. Deforestation leads to a decrease in biodiversity, wood reserves for industrial use and quality of life, as well as an increase in the greenhouse effect due to a decrease in photosynthesis.

The consequences of deforestation are not fully known and have not been verified by sufficient scientific data, which causes active controversy in scientific community. The scale of deforestation can be observed on satellite images Lands that can be accessed, for example, through the program
Define real speed deforestation is quite difficult, since the organization involved in recording these data (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO) mainly relies on official data from the relevant ministries of individual countries. According to the estimates of this organization, the total losses in the world for the first 5 years of the 21st century amounted to 7.3 million hectares of forest annually. Estimated World Bank in Peru and Bolivia, 80% of logging is illegal, in Colombia - 42%. The process of the disappearance of the Amazon forests in Brazil is also happening much faster than scientists thought.

Globally, deforestation rates were declining in the 1980s and 1990s, as they were from 2000 to 2005. Based on these trends, it is estimated that reforestation efforts over the next half century will result in a 10% increase in forest area. However, reducing the rate of deforestation does not solve the problems already created by this process.

The consequences of deforestation:

1) The habitat for the inhabitants of the forest (animals, fungi, lichens, grasses) is being destroyed. They may disappear completely.

2) The forest with its roots holds the top fertile soil layer. Without support, the soil can be blown away by the wind (you get a desert) or water (you get ravines).

3) The forest evaporates a lot of water from the surface of its leaves. If you remove the forest, then the air humidity in the area will decrease, and the soil moisture will increase (a swamp may form).

The thesis that after deforestation the amount of oxygen will decrease is incorrect from an ecological point of view (forest, as a developed ecosystem, absorbs as much oxygen for animals and mushrooms as it produces for plants), but it can work in the Unified State Examination.

The influence of forests on environment exceptionally varied. It manifests itself, in particular, in the fact that forests:
- are the main supplier of oxygen on the planet;
- directly affect water regime both in the territories occupied by them and in the adjacent territories and regulate the balance of water;
—- reduce the negative impact of droughts and dry winds, restrain the movement of moving sands;
- softening the climate, contribute to the increase in crop yields;
— absorb and/transform part of atmospheric chemical pollution;
— protect soils from water and wind erosion, mudflows, landslides, coastal destruction and other unfavorable geological processes;

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The Russian economy is based on raw materials. One of the main resources that our country supplies abroad is wood. In addition to export, the tree is actively used domestically as building material, fuel, raw materials for furniture factories. Mass felling forests in Russia has been underway for several centuries. The growth of new trees does not compensate for the decrease in forest area. All this leads to both environmental and economic problems. We will pay special attention to this when buying larch boards (larch-board.rf), or from any other tree, remember - the forest, like all living things, must be protected, and companies that cut down forests and sell lumber must be controlled!

How is deforestation

A chainsaw is used to cut down a tree. After the trunk falls to the ground, only the stump remains. Small branches are usually burned. The tree trunk is transported by drag. Small vegetation is destroyed on the way of the tractor. Young trees, which in the future could grow on the felling site, break and die. Areas that have been cut down can no longer recover on their own. Human participation is required so that a tree can grow here again.

Influence of felling on the atmosphere

Trees are able to absorb carbon dioxide, the production of which is growing rapidly due to the development of industry in large cities and an increase in the number of transport. According to scientists, the content of CO2 in the atmosphere in the next 10 years will exceed today's almost 2 times. This is a very serious number.

The emitted CO2 tends to create a greenhouse effect, which can melt glaciers in the future. Coastal regions will be flooded in the next 50 years if the situation with the release of carbon dioxide does not change. In addition, the average air temperature is increasing. In the next decade, it will grow by about 2 degrees. This will seriously affect the health of the country's inhabitants, especially those suffering from cardiovascular diseases.

With growth average temperature air increases the range of its fluctuations during the day. This leads to daytime heat and frosts at night, which also then leads to the death of plants and a deterioration in the well-being of people.

Impact of deforestation on soil conditions

Deforestation has a serious impact on the development of such a process as soil erosion. In places where trees used to grow, the soil was strengthened by their root system. There was a constant exchange of substances between the trees and the soil. The soil in treeless areas does not receive nutrients, which means it loses its fertile properties.

The development of erosion leads to the following consequences:

• Decrease in yields, which leads to higher food prices and negatively affects the country's economy;
• Silting of rivers, and consequently the extinction of fish;
• Silting of artificial water reservoirs, which disrupts the operation of hydroelectric power plants.

Increasing number of infectious and viral diseases

The main carriers of infections are insects, whose habitat is the forest layer. After deforestation, trees no longer hold back precipitation, insects begin to descend to the ground in search of moisture in standing puddles.

The spread of desertification

Desertification is the process of "withering away" of nature, the absence of the possibility of the existence of living organisms and plants. Dead soil, lack of irrigation, dry air that is impossible to breathe - all this global problems, which are among the most talked about in the world today.

Residents of many forest regions will be forced to change their place of residence after deforestation, but there will be fewer and fewer such places. The current state of affairs can lead to a decrease in the country's population density and even gradual extinction.

Fight against deforestation

The Russian government, together with environmentalists, is pursuing a policy aimed at reducing the rate of deforestation and limiting the timber trade. The following projects are being developed:

• Refusal from paper in favor of electronic media. Waste paper is collected for paper production;
• Development of forestry, the purpose of which is the cultivation and care of trees;
• Increasing fines for deforestation in prohibited areas;
• An increase in the timber export duty, which will make such a business unattractive.

Deforestation may be invisible to a city dweller, but its consequences are not. Natural resources should be protected. Otherwise, nature will stop caring about people in response.

The forest is not just a cluster of trees, but a complex ecosystem that combines plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms and affects the climate, state drinking water, clean air.

Millennia ago, a huge part of the Earth's surface was covered with forests. They spread to North America, occupied a significant part of Western Europe. The vast territories of Africa, South America and Asia were dense forests.

But with the growth in the number of people, their active development of land for economic needs, the process of deforestation began.

People take a lot from the forest: building materials, food, medicine, raw materials for the paper industry. Wood, needles and tree bark are raw materials for many industries. chemical industry. About half of the extracted wood goes to fuel needs, and a third goes to construction. A quarter of all medicines used come from plants rainforest.

Through photosynthesis, forests give us oxygen to breathe while absorbing carbon dioxide. Trees protect the air from poisonous gases, soot and other pollution, noise. Phytoncides produced by most coniferous plants destroy pathogens.

Forests are habitats for many animals, they are real storehouses of biological diversity. They are involved in creating a microclimate favorable for agricultural plants.

Forest areas protect the soil from erosion processes by preventing surface runoff of precipitation. The forest is like a sponge that first accumulates and then releases water to streams and rivers, regulates the flow of water from the mountains to the plains, and prevents floods. , the forests included in its basin are considered the lungs of the Earth.

Damage to the planet caused by deforestation

Despite the fact that forests are a renewable resource, the rate of their deforestation is too high and is not covered by the rate of reproduction. Millions of hectares of deciduous and coniferous forests.

Tropical forests, which are home to more than 50% of the species that exist on Earth, used to cover 14% of the planet, and now only 6%. India's forested areas have shrunk from 22% to 10% in the last half century. Are destroyed coniferous forests central regions Russia, forests in the Far East and Siberia, and swamps appear on the site of clearings. Valuable pine and cedar forests are cut down.