Vanishing Vitals

 By: Hannah Meadows

    Deforestation is a growing environmental problem. However, deforestation causes many other problems such as extinction. In the article, “Deforestation: Clearing The Path For Wildlife Extinctions”, it explains the main causes of deforestation and the species that are affected by it. The author of the article is the World Animal Foundation who is committed to saving the environment and educating people about environmental issues. 

    The World Animal Foundation explains that as the populations of the world grow, more land is needed for agriculture. The land needed for agriculture comes from the destruction of forests. The modern farming industry has continued to use animal agribusiness instead of vegetable farming which would be more sustainable. The World Animal Foundation states that it takes 12 times as much land to produce a pound of animal protein compared to a pound of plant protein.

    Another problem discussed in the article is subsistence agriculture. This type of farming is used only to feed the farmer and their family. Almost half of the world’s deforestation has been the result of this type of farming. The World Animal Foundation explains that now commercial agriculture has contributed to another third of the planet’s deforestation. The sad fact is more than one acre of land is cleared every single second.

    “Nearly 6.2 million square miles of tropical forest covered the earth. Only 3.2 square miles remain now. Tropical forests hold 80% of the world’s biodiversity.” With these statistics, species who live in these forests are diminishing quickly. According to the World Animal Foundation, “the world is losing 137 species of plants, animals, and insects every day due to deforestation. A horrifying 50,000 species become extinct each year.” 

    A big contribution to deforestation started in the early 1990’s due to the meat and leather trades. These trades led to the destruction of 15% of the world’s tropical forest cover alone. The article also states that three decades of deforestation has already led to the complete extinction of 10 mammals, 20 birds, and 8 amphibian species. Countries such as Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, China, Nigeria, Mexico, and many more have lost between 30% to 50% of their forest cover within a century. “In the United States, 260 million acres of forests have already been lost”, states the World Animal Foundation.

Below are pictures of just some of the species that may soon be extinct due to massive deforestation:

Mountain Gorilla- This species is found in Central Africa. Only 900 of this species remain today.

The Javan Rhinoceros- This animal is one of the rarest on Earth and is listed as critically endangered. There are only 60 of these species surviving in Indonesia.

 The Bornean Orangutan- This is one of the most intelligent species in the world and is also listed as critically endangered. 

  

The Giant Panda- Ecological changes have resulted in the diminishing of this animal in China.

The Golden Lion Tamarin- This species is found in the Amazon forest and is another animal on the list of critically endangered.

Opinions of My Own:

    After reading this article, I honestly think deforestation is one of our biggest environmental issues. Deforestation will have catastrophic affects on not only us, but all of the living organisms in this world in the future. Continuing down the path of deforestation creates an unsustainable environment for all species which could one day mean a world with no animals. It is expected by the year 2030, only 10% of world’s forests will remain. Try to imagine a world with going on hikes and seeing no birds or animals, camping and not hearing the sounds of nature, or even just sitting outside in your own yard and never seeing a single animal pass by. The world we are creating is one of destruction and I think if we don’t speak up and make major changes, the terrible world you were just imagining, will become a reality. 

Link to Article:  https://www.worldanimalfoundation.com/advocate/wild-earth/params/post/1278141/deforestation-clearing-the-path-for-wildlife-extinctions