Chapter 9:
CONSEQUENCES OF DEFORESTATION
People may wonder why we should care about deforestation of the rainforests. What is the difference if a few plants,
animals, mushrooms, and microorganisms perish? For most people, the forests are not all that pleasant to visit:
they are hot and humid, difficult to reach, insect ridden, and have wildlife that is relatively hard to see. Actually
the concern should not be about losing a few plants and animals. Humanity will lose much more: by destroying the
tropical forests we risk our own quality of life, the stability of the planet, the existence of other species that share
our rights to life, and the valuable services provided by biological diversity.
While in most areas environmental degradation has yet to reach a crisis levels where entire systems are collapsing,
it is important to examine some of the effects of existing environmental impoverishment and to forecast some of
the potential repercussions of forest loss. Continuing loss of natural systems could make human activities
increasingly vulnerable to ecological surprises.
The consequences of deforestation can be broken down into local and global sectors, with some overlap. The most
immediate consequences from deforestation are evident on the local level, while many of the global consequences
can only be speculated upon in the long term.
Extreme Deforestation - Easter
Island
