Deforestaion

What do you think of when you hear the word rainforest? The words tree, rain, tropics, and lumber might come to mind. Well, there is another word that should come to mind. That word is deforestation.

Deforestation is the clearing of trees and woodlands. In this case the clearing of trees in the rainforests of Africa. A forest is given its name when the crowns of trees touch each other to form a canopy (abe.msstate.edu). A forest is called a rainforest when it receives a lot of rainfall. Rainforests are usually found in warm humid areas near the equator. Africa is a beautiful continent. Its rainforests add to its beauty and are often thought of as pleasant, tropical land. The rainforests of Africa are becoming less and less pleasant as the problem of deforestation continues to destroy trees and use them for energy and farming land. Deforestation has become a major problem in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is a growing problem in the rainforests of Latin America, South East Asia, and in this case, Africa (abe.msstate.edu).

In Africa, forests are located from Senegal to the eastern part of Somalia. About 80% of the forests in Africa are mainly in the central region, especially in Zaire. Rainforests in Western Africa are filled with a multiple number of species. Around the Congo River Basin, the tropical rainforest area is the second largest in the world. (grida.no)

The clearing of rainforests in Africa is increasing. In West Africa, rainforests are being cleared at two per cent a year, and over five per cent in areas of Cote d'Ivoire. In East Africa, rainforests are being cleared in patterns of previously segmented plots of land. (grida.no)

Deforestation of African rainforests is caused by many factors. One cause is logging. Logging causes twenty to twenty-five per cent of deforestation in Africa. Other main causes of deforestation in Africa are cattle ranching, cash crops, construction, population growth, economic development, clearing for cultivation, and government policy. Conversions of commercial and subsistence agriculture lands account for about sixty per cent of deforestation in not only in Africa, but all over the world. In Africa, ninety per cent of the population uses wood fuel. Wood is used for fifty-two percent of all energy sources in Africa. (African Technology Forum) Two billion people in the world depend on the use of fuel wood. There are about 600, 000 people in Africa. 90% of these people depend on wood fuel. Deforestation is a solution that provides people with fuel wood, but also destroys rainforest at the same time. (Where?) Settlements for agriculture around roads are being built for transporting timber. This also has increased deforestation in Africa. A few local causes of deforestation in South Africa are the clearing for refugee camps in and for tsetse fly controls. (grida.no)

Deforestation of the African rainforest has many side affects on the environment in Africa. One of the main problems with deforestation that continues to grow is the large amount of extinction of species. There are dozens per day. Poverty is also increased in already poor populations. Deforestation also "destabilizes" climates of Africa, causes degradation of African ecosystems, and also creates a major damage of food base. African deforestation is also a huge contributor to global warming by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide introduced into the air and also to prolonged droughts in Africa. Some other consequences of global warming are erosion and annual flooding in Africa. (Where) Logging, the clearing for agriculture, the use of fuel wood, and cattle raising in Africa have accounted for thirty to thirty-seven thousand square miles of deforestation in the world. The amount of deforestation in the world adds up to an area about the size of Nebraska every year. (darwin) Imagine what this problem will do to African rainforest in the future.

Deforestation has also led to another large, increasing problem in Africa. This problem is desertification. Deforestation has led to erosion and is becoming