Deforestation refers to the large-scale removal of forest cover, primarily due to human activities such as logging, agricultural expansion, urban development, and mining. This process results in the loss of biodiversity, as forests are home to a majority of the world’s terrestrial species. It also impacts climate change, both by reducing the number of trees available to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide and by releasing stored carbon through activities like burning wood. The consequences of deforestation extend beyond environmental impacts; they also affect local communities by disrupting water cycles and soil fertility, which can lead to poorer agricultural yields and increased risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides. Addressing deforestation is a global concern, requiring international cooperation and sustainable practices to balance human needs with environmental preservation. Various initiatives, including reforestation and afforestation projects, sustainable logging practices, and legal frameworks aimed at protecting forested areas, are critical components in combating deforestation.
Scientists quantify a previously overlooked driver of human-related mercury emissions. About 10 percent of human-made mercury emissions into the atmosphere each year are the result…
Large international study combines satellite and ground data. Natural carbon reservoirs will play a major role at the COP28 world climate conference in the United…
Vital forest is cleared every day, with major climate effects. Satellites have revolutionized the measurement of the problem, but what can we do about it?…
NISAR will help researchers explore how changes in Earth’s forest and wetland ecosystems are affecting the global carbon cycle and influencing climate change. Once it…
A new study recently published in Science reveals that the Amazon rainforest has been damaged to a much greater extent than previously thought, with over…
A new study has found that, on average, about half of the trees planted in tropical and sub-tropical forest restoration efforts do not survive for…
Poorly defined land rights increase deforestation, but private land rights must be combined with strict environmental policies. Tropical deforestation causes widespread degradation of biodiversity and…
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Deforestation in the tropics is an even more important factor in the climate cycle than previously thought —including changes in the circulation of heat and…
Forest loss from temperature and rainfall alterations adding to deforestation issue. Forest loss in India could become an even bigger problem than anticipated in the…
Recent findings indicate that deforestation in African coastal cities has led to a doubling of thunderstorms in the last 30 years, intensifying the consequences of…
Knowing the steps is not the same thing as knowing how to dance. Similarly, policy interventions to stop deforestation are most effective when enacted in…
Consuming sustainably sourced wild meat instead of domesticated livestock reduces greenhouse gas emissions and retains precious tropical forest systems, which in turn mitigates the effects…
Amazonian regions that have undergone the most extensive deforestation and have the greatest potential for large-scale forest recovery currently have the lowest levels of recovery….
A new index shows that the world’s rainforests are responding differently to threats like a warming climate and deforestation. Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory…
Using NASA satellite images and machine learning, researchers with The University of Texas at Austin have mapped changes in the landscape of northwestern Belize over…
A survey of more than 18,000 land parcels spanning 2 million square miles across 63 countries shows that a “protected area” designation reduces the rate…
This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image features an area in the Santa Cruz Department of Bolivia, where part of the tropical dry forest has been cleared for…