What are the causes and consequences of deforestation?

Deforestation, driven by various human activities, results in significant environmental and social consequences:

Causes of Deforestation:
1. Agricultural Expansion: Clearing forests for farming purposes, especially for cash crops and livestock grazing, contributes substantially to deforestation.

2. Logging Activities: Extensive logging for timber, paper production, and wood-based goods remains a prominent cause of forest clearance.

3. Urbanization and Infrastructure Development: Expanding urban areas, constructing roads, and building infrastructure require forest land clearing.

4. Mining and Extraction: Extraction industries necessitate clearing forests for resource exploration, affecting large forested regions.

5. Wildfires and Overgrazing: Uncontrolled fires and excessive grazing by livestock degrade forest cover, accelerating deforestation.

6. Illegal Practices: Unauthorized logging, hunting, and encroachments contribute significantly to forest loss.

Consequences of Deforestation:
1. Biodiversity Decline: Habitat destruction leads to the loss of numerous plant and animal species, impacting ecological diversity.

2. Climate Implications: Reduced tree cover releases stored carbon, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

3. Soil Depletion: Exposed soil is prone to erosion, leading to reduced fertility and agricultural productivity.

4. Water Cycle Disruption: Altered rainfall patterns affect water cycles, leading to droughts, floods, and water scarcity.

5. Economic Impact: Industries reliant on forests suffer, affecting livelihoods and global trade in forest-derived products.

6. Natural Disaster Vulnerability: Loss of forest cover heightens susceptibility to landslides and floods.

7. Health Concerns: Decline in medicinal plants affects traditional medicine and human health practices.

8. Social Displacement: Displacement of indigenous communities and conflicts arise due to the loss of ancestral lands.