1. What are the local effects of deforestation?
Rainforest deforestation has many effects on the local area including:
• Washing away of soil – the trees and there roots anchor the soil, without the trees
in the rainy season the soil will get wash away.
• Biodiversity – Rainforests have the highest number of different species including
plants, trees and insects. The number of species is now being reduced at greater
rate than ever before due to deforestation.
• Without nutrients in the ground the soil is becoming infertile. This is then making
it difficult to farm
Rainforests of the World
What are the effects of deforestation on the planet?
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and
therefore reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
When a tree is destroyed the carbon is released into the
atmosphere and reacts with the oxygen and becomes carbon
dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is one of the main concerns at the moment
with global warming. The amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere is adding to the
greenhouse gases and trapping more heat in the earth’s atmosphere and causing global
warming.
Trees also release oxygen into the atmosphere, the Amazon rainforest is the largest forest
where oxygen is released.
What are the causes of deforestation?

2. Vast areas of forests are cleared by man to convert the land for alternative use, causes of
deforestation include:
• Agriculture and cattle
• Logging
• Mining
• Road construction
• Hydroelectric power stations
Solutions to deforestation
In some countries the governments have set up departments to maintain the forests and
reduce deforestation. This includes planting new trees and trying to stabilise the existing
forest area. Governments are also trying to reduce the amount of illegal logging.
The government in Brazil are now trying to reduce deforestation by 70% as so much land
has been cleared. Most of the deforestation has been caused by illegal clearing.
There are things which we can do as individuals including reducing the amount of paper
and wood that we use; purchasing second hand furniture, recycling wood and buying
recycled paper.