deforestation

• Rainforest


  Tropical forest with high biodiversity
• Brazil has the greatest area of rainforest in 2015
• The difference in area of rainforest between Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2015 is 350 million hectares
• Brazil experienced the greatest amount of forest loss between 2001 and 2015
• Reasons why the rate of deforestation varies between countries

  • Different government policies
  • How much the country relies on industry
  • How much forest they have
  • How many settlements or towns there are nearby
  • Mining and resource extraction
• Forest degradation


  A reduction in the ability of a forest to perform ecosystem services such as soil stability, carbon storage and water regulation due to natural and human changes
• Borneo is a biodiversity hotspot - home to pristine tropical rainforest and countless unique species of plants, animals and insects
• Biodiversity


  The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or area
• Borneo is found in southeast Asia, south of the south China sea. The island of Borneo is shared by three other countries, Malesia, Indonesia, and Brunie. Its neighbouring bodies of water are the Celebes
• Forests like those on Borneo and in the Amazon play an important role in regulating the earth's climate by capturing CO2 as they grow, and storing it in plant tissue
• Tropical forests can contain four times more carbon per hectare than cropland
• Forests provide benefits such as flood prevention, biodiversity and rainfall for farming
• Deforestation occurs when it is cheaper to supply products from converted forest land than from other land
• Our demand for products like palm oil and beef push the price higher and this leads to more forest being cut down to provide these products
• There has been an approximately 50% change in forest cover in Borneo from 1950 to 2020, especially affecting the coastal regions
• The most deforestation occurs in Indonesia and the more coastal regions of Malaysia like Sarawak and in the north around Sandakan, east around Balikpapan, west around Kuching and Banjarmasin in the south
• The most forest areas that are still intact and haven't been touched by humans are found in the centre of the island where the more mountainous areas are
• Deforestation is devastating for forest ecosystems. The habitats of animals like orangutans are being destroyed and they are under threat of extinction
• Ancient peat bogs are being destroyed, releasing huge amounts of methane and CO2 into the atmosphere
• Undiscovered plants that might contain valuable medicines are being lost forever
• Forest tribes like the Penan of Borneo in Malaysia are being broken up and are losing the land they have lived in harmony with for generations
• Deforestation is driven by the global demand for palm oil - oil produced from the fruits of the oil palm tree that grows in tropical climates
• Palm oil is the cheapest form of vegetable oil available and it is often listed simply as vegetable oil in ingredients lists
• Borneo has seen huge areas cleared to grow vegetable oil. Unless the deforestation is halted, all of the rainforest will ultimately disappear
• Consumers have the power to bring about change by demanding products that contain sustainable palm oil
• In 2013, Wilmar International, the world's largest palm oil company committed to a policy of zero deforestation
• Causes of deforestation in Borneo

  • Subsistence farming
  • Logging
  • Population pressure
  • Mineral extraction
  • Increased demand for products like palm oil
  • Oil and gas drilling
  • Hydroelectric power projects
• Cutting down 1 hectare of forest releases 500 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere which enhances the greenhouse effect and increases world temperatures
• Habitats of orangutans are being destroyed which threatens their extinction
• Ancient peat bogs are drained to turn into farmland which releases huge amounts of methane and CO2 into the atmosphere
• Undiscovered plants may contain valuable medicines which are being lost forever as rainforest biodiversity is being destroyed
• Trees hold soil together, but they are being cut down which leads to soil erosion and land degradation
• Tribes such as the Penan in Borneo are being broken up which means they are losing land they have lived in harmony for generations
• Trees give off moisture but without them there is less moisture in the air which is changing the climate to be drier and less able to support the rainforest
• Evapotranspiration also cools the air which means with less trees there will be a warmer climate
• Cutting down trees disrupts the food chain, starting with the producers which causes a shock wave going up the chain
• Some countries have better governments that limit the amount of deforestation
• Some countries have more of the rainforest than others so the rate of deforestation would then be lower in those countries
• The rates of tropical primary forest loss were reasonably steady between 2002 and 2015, only fluctuating slightly, then there was a sudden spike in 2016 and then it dropped slowly again in 2017 and 2018
• Many countries have been trying to limit the amount of deforestation and regrow and regenerate some of the plants, so their rate of deforestation has dropped