1. The removal of trees; SYN. disforestation.
2. The state of being clear of trees.
Destruction of forest for timber, fuel, charcoal burning, and clearing for agriculture and extractive industries, such as mining, without planting new trees to replace those lost (reforestation) or working on a cycle that allows the natural forest to regenerate. Deforestation causes fertile soil to be blown away or washed into rivers, leading to soil erosion, drought, flooding, and loss of wildlife. It may also increase the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere and intensify the greenhouse effect, because there are fewer trees absorbing carbon dioxide from the air for photosynthesis.
Many people are concerned about the rate of deforestation as great damage is being done to the habitats of plants and animals. Deforestation also causes fertile soil to be blown away or washed into rivers, leading to soil erosion and famine, and is thought to be partially responsible for the flooding of lowland areas—for example, in Bangladesh—because trees help to slow down water movement.
The first deforestation occurred more than 2000 years ago in areas surrounding the Mediterranean as wood was increasingly used for fuel, building materials, and the construction of ships. Throughout the next two millennia most of the woodland in Europe was destroyed as demands increased. The current wave of deforestation in the tropics dates back only 30 years, but even so has reduced the amount of intact forest ecosystem from 34% of total land in the affected areas to 12%. Deforestation in the tropics is especially serious because such forests do not regenerate easily and because they are such a rich source of biodiversity + prikaži više