1. Importance of Rainforests
1.1. Biodiversity
1.1.1. "Rainforests are the undisputed champions of biodiversity among the world's ecosystems, containing far higher numbers of species on a per-area basis relative to sub-tropical, temperate, and boreal ecosystems."- Rainforest Biodiversity https://rainforests.mongabay.com/0301.htm
1.2. Habitat for animals and plants
1.3. Indigenous people's ancestral territory
1.4. Climate regulation
1.5. Preventing soil erosion
1.6. Rainforest pharmacy
1.6.1. "It may surprise you to know that more than 25% of our modern medicines originate from tropical forest plants." Rainforest Medicine - Healing Medicines From The Amazon https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/medicinal-treasures-of-the-rainforest
2. Problems Caused By Deforestation
2.1. Reduction in soil fertility
2.2. Flooding and landslips
2.3. Changes in recycling of materials
2.4. Climatic changes
2.4.1. It comes in many forms, natural fires, agricultural clear cutting, livestock ranching, and untenable logging for timber, degradation due to climate change, and etc.
2.4.1.1. Smaller crops e.g. plants and agricultural crops also draw in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, however, forests store up to 100 times more carbon than agricultural fields of the same area. Deforestation is an important factor in global climate change. Climate change is because of a build-up of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and if we carry on cutting down the main tool we have to diminish this CO2 build up, we can expect the climate of our planet to change dramatically over the next decades. Deforestation and Climate Change - Climate and Weather https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/medicinal-treasures-of-the-rainforest
2.5. Soil erosion
2.6. Increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
2.7. Problems for indigenous people
2.8. Loss of Habitat
3. Deforestation represents a highly significant threat to our climate, air quality and also biodiversity.
3.1. Deforestation is the conversion of forest to another land use
3.1.1. Deforestation is frequently mentioned alongside forest degradation and both have devastating impacts that need urgent mitigation.
4. Reasons for Deforestation
4.1. Farming (Agriculture)
4.2. Logging
4.2.1. Examples of trees being logged - Purchasing Tropical Woods https://msu.edu/user/urquhart/tour/tropical_woods.html
4.2.1.1. Mahogany (Sweitinia spp.) Spanish Cedar (Cedrella spp.) Cedro Macho (Carapa guianensis) Rosewood and Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) Purpleheart (Peltogyne purpurea) Kingwood Cedro Espina (Pochote [Bombacopsis] spinosa) Tulipwood Laurel (Cordia alliodora) Guyacan (Tabebuia chrysantha) Roble (Tabebuia rosea) Bocote Coyote Palado Guapinol (Hymenaea courbaril) Cativo (Prioria copaifera)
4.2.1.2. Bubinga Ebony Zebra Pink Ivory
4.2.1.3. Malaysian Maple Teak (Tectona grandis)
4.3. Mining and Industry
4.3.1. "With mining causing such high levels of deforestation — up to 70 kilometers away from mines — and with the Brazilian government under Michel Temer eager to open vast areas of the Amazon to mining, the researchers say that companies and government need to aggressively address the deforestation issue." Mining activity causing nearly 10 percent of Amazon deforestation https://news.mongabay.com/2017/11/mining-activity-causing-nearly-10-percent-of-amazon-deforestation/
4.4. Fuelwood
4.5. Tourism
4.6. Colonialism
4.6.1. While the new research documented Amazon deforestation due to many ancillary activities, including roads, staff housing and airports, it did not look into the major deforestation brought by the new hydroelectric dams that often provide energy for mining operations Mining activity causing nearly 10 percent of Amazon deforestation https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/medicinal-treasures-of-the-rainforest
4.7. Land for export/cash crops
4.7.1. eg: palm oil
5. Solutions to Deforestation
5.1. Re-forestation
5.2. Selective logging
5.3. Laws and Regulations
5.4. Eco-tourism
5.5. Effective enoviremental management
5.6. United Nations
5.6.1. "A future with zero net global deforestation is possible with the right mix of policies, social action and political will, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said as a major international conference on sustainable forest management kicked off this week in Rome"
5.7. Agroforestry
5.7.1. "Agroforestry is a sustainable land use management system which increases the overall yield of the land, combines the production of crops and forest plants and/or animals simultaneously or sequentially on a same unit of land and applies management practices that are compatible with cultural practices of the locals." Agroforestry and its Benefits | Biodiversity https://www.adventure-life.com/amazon/articles/medicinal-treasures-of-the-rainforest