, Agriculture Expansion & Livestock Ranching. Thanks for reading Scientific American. A direct link. For more information about the potential effects of habitat loss in Florida, visit the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife 2060 website. Deforestation is the purposeful cleaning of forest land for other uses. deforestation, the clearing or thinning of forests by humans. This area, just last year smelled like death. All Rights Reserved. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Voters got hyped up about red tide and said we want the government to act, said Rene Price, an expert in the hydrology of the Everglades at Florida International University. Some of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere comes from dead vegetation that decomposes in the ground. The current rate of rainforest-loss generated emissions is nearly 25% higher than those generated in the European Union and just slightly below US levels. Statistics show that deforestation in the tropics, reduces precipitation over the Amazon by around 10%, , or 138 millimeter, every year. Cutting Typically, the land produces for only a few years and then must be abandoned and new patches of forest burned. The tourism industry, worth about $67bn annually to Florida, trembled. Wildlife habitat has declined and even disappeared during the past 100 years as natural lands were converted to agriculture, range lands, and expanding urban areas. Changing temperatures can alter which organisms can survive in an ecosystem. Climate change and human development have pushed Florida to the brink. There will be miles and miles of new Florida Bay. Healthy forests act as extremely valuable carbon sinks, with the Amazon rainforest being one of the worlds most important ones. By the 1960s, scientists had calculated that while around 2m acre feet (2.5bn cubic metres) of water once flowed in a shallow river of grass from central Florida to the states southern tip, the volume of this conveyor belt had been cut in half. Can we bring a species back from the brink? FloridaStock Habitat Loss Featured Image. In addition, each year fires burn an area about half as large as the areas that are cleared. (Which nation could be the first to be rewilded?). Soil erosion is a gradual process that occurs when the impact of water or wind detaches and removes soil particles, causing the soil to deteriorate. Which travel companies promote harmful wildlife activities? Water sources in deforested areas were shown to have higher nitrate levels, lower dissolved oxygen levels, and somewhat higher temperatures (from 20 to 23 degrees Celsius on average) than in forested areas. (Humans are clearing forests on a massive scale, mostly for farming. On average, they found that the Malaysian government spends around $5,000 to treat each new malaria patient in the regionin some areas much more than they spend on malaria control, Zambrana-Torrelio says. Clearing like this is linked to the spread of infectious diseases like malaria. DeSantis has called for the resignations of the entire South Florida Water Management District board, which controls water policy for the region, and has appointed two members Ron Alligator Ron Bergeron and Chauncey Goss who both have strong green credentials. The Worrisome Link Between Deforestation And One solution, Davis and other advocates believe, is to create a vast reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee that would store water intended for the Everglades. They live in settled villages by the rivers, and grow and hunt their food. Zika virus, which was discovered in Ugandan forests in the 20th century, could only cruise the world and infect millions because it found a host in Aedes aegpti, a mosquito that thrives in urban areas. What is wind chill, and how does it affect your body? Omissions? For consumers, it makes sense to examine the products and meats you buy, looking for sustainably produced sources when you can. Thanks for reading Scientific American. About 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, and losses recently have been on the rise. The Everglades link to its headwater in Lake Okeechobee has been severed, with water diverted via canals for agriculture, particularly sugar. Participating nations can then accrue and sell carbon pollution credits when they can prove they have lowered deforestation below a baseline. Inversely, when bats native habitats were left intact, they stayed away from humans. According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a leading green group, 32 million acres of tropical rainforest were cut down each year between 2000 and 2009and the pace of deforestation is only increasing. Photograph by Paul Nicklen, Nat Geo Image Collection. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved This, in turn, contributes to destroying forests, intensifying deforestation even more. The Global Forest Watch made it clear: protecting tropical rainforests is essential. In a complex analysis of satellite and health data published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, MacDonald and Stanford Universitys Erin Mordecai reported a significant impact of deforestation across the Amazon basin on malaria transmission, in line with some previous research. Continue reading with a Scientific American subscription. The soil that provides nutrients for vegetation in ecosystems is also affected by deforestation. Why wetlands are so critical for life on Earth, Rest in compost? One of Earth's loneliest volcanoes holds an extraordinary secret. Now you cant see the bottom. Most present-day croplands receive enough rain and are warm enough to have once supported forests of one kind or another. With the loss of trees and entire forests, homelands are also being destroyed in the process. Deforestation One of the basic materials of human civilization, wood still plays a central role in 21st-century life. How a zoo break-in changed the life of an owl called Flaco, Naked mole rats are fertile until they die, study finds. All rights reserved. Diseases that are transmitted through insects, such as malaria and Lyme disease, are more common in open spaces with more sunlight exposure. Id hate to think that another or several other pathogens could do such a thing, but itd be foolish not to think of that as a possibility to prepare for, says Vittor. We cut down forests to build our homes and feed our growing population, while destroying the homes and food of our native wildlife. Forests can also help reduce the impacts of flood from storms by blocking and slowing down the flow of runoff. You might also like: 10 Deforestation Facts You Should Know About. Wildlife habitat has declined and even disappeared during the past 100 years as natural lands were converted to agriculture, range lands, and expanding urban areas. Eighty percent of Earths land animals and plants live in forests, and deforestation threatens species including the orangutan, Sumatran tiger, and many species of birds. Estimates based on current growth rates suggest Florida could lose an additional seven million acres of rural and natural lands to urban uses within the next 50 years. WebFlorida, United States Deforestation Rates & Statistics | GFW United States Florida Select a region In 2010, Florida had 5.94Mha of natural forest, extending over 49% of its land maintaining The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people. All rights reserved. Deforestation also affects nearby rivers, streams, and other water sources as nutrients from the soil are removed through leaching, which happens when water (e.g., Wood Products But its hard to convince the poor residents of the Amazon basin and other tropical regions of the world to stop cutting down trees when the forests are still worth more dead than alive. As widespread burning continues today in tropical forests in the Amazon, and some parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, experts have expressed concern about the health of people living at the frontiers of deforestation. Hand-picked stories once a fortnight. Our water and natural resources are the foundation of our economy and our way of life in Florida, DeSantis said. Its an all-too-common pattern seen across the tropics: to make room for crops, forests come down. SSWEC70/UW107: Threats to Florida's Biodiversity Not according to biology or history. Photograph by Richard Barnes, Nat Geo Image Collection. Forests cover about 30 percent of the planet's land mass, but humans are cutting them down, clearing these essential habitats on a massive scale. the environment more than one way and its catastrophic effects on the planet, it is crucial that people around the world take action to mitigate its impact. Mosquitoes arent the only animals that can transmit deadly scourges to people. Long COVID patients turn to unproven treatments, Why evenings can be harder on people with dementia, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, This sacred site could be Georgias first national park, See glow-in-the-dark mushrooms in Brazils other rainforest, 9 things to know about Holi, Indias most colorful festival, Anyone can discover a fossil on this beach. At first pass, there seems little amiss in the idyll of Florida Bay. Please be respectful of copyright. Wind can also make soil erode by displacing it. Its one of many infectious diseases usually confined to wildlife that have spilled over to people in areas undergoing rapid forest clearing. Destroying forests alters weather patterns, destroys habitats, and negatively affects rural communities, leading to food insecurity and causing irreversible damage to entire ecosystems. Biodiversity is the number of species in a given ecosystem. Large scale destruction of treesdeforestationaffects ecosystems, climate, and even increases risk for zoonotic diseases spreading to humans. So how does deforestation affect the environment and what threats does it pose to living species? Logging operations, which provide the worlds wood and paper products, also fell countless trees each year. Tropical tree cover alone can provide 23 percent of the climate mitigation needed to meet goals set in the Paris Agreement in 2015, according to one estimate. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. However, deforestation is turning these sinks into huge net emitters. Through land erosion, the soil is depleted of its nutrients, a huge source of nourishment for animals and plants. What are the 10 effects of deforestation? A wedge-shaped expanse of water between the Everglades and the Florida Keys, it is a clean, sun-dappled 1,000 sq mile playground for reddening tourists, grizzled fishermen and loud-shirted locals. Its pretty well established that deforestation can be a strong driver of infectious disease transmission, says Andy MacDonald, a disease ecologist at the Earth Research Institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia? But we shouldnt be sitting on our hands, Price said.